Film I New York Spin

New York Spin (2002, Spain/US, 63min) documentary film by Pedro Valiente

New York Spin poster by Pedro Valiente

NEW YORK SPIN

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM BY PEDRO VALIENTE

New York Spin (2002, Spain/US, 87min, 63min) documentary feature film

"Part experimental tone poem, part heartfelt elegy for 9/11 and part paean to the cultural richness of Gotham, Pedro Valiente's documentary focuses on six New Yorkers, each separately put in the spotlight in segments very differently conceived, shot and scored. As film's coda makes clear, shooting wrapped shortly before 9/11, and the scattershot insertion of references to the World Trade Center disaster, though perfectly understandable, tends to work against the carefully modulated internal rhythms oft he film. Still, at 63 minutes, this engrossing, imagistic portrait of the city and its denizens should prove a welcome short addition to fest and arty cable lineups. […] DV lensing, editing, and music choices are strong." VARIETY Ronnie Scheib I Review at New York International Latino Film Festival, July 26, 2003 I LINK: Variety review

SYNOPSIS New York Spin is an ecology of souls. A portrait of New Yorkers lives and dreams. Over 120h of footage were produced during two years in the city, nine states in the U.S, and several countries.

OVERVIEW New York Spin is an "ecology of souls." A portrait of New Yorkers lives and dreams. A poetic tale of humans in a unique mirror of the contemporary world. The film follows during two years twenty-four characters from different walks of life. As it turns to be a mosaic of New York, the film is also a celebration of diversity based on tolerance as supreme value of culture. New York Spin is a multilingual and interdisciplinary account of visible and invisible faces of the city that sometimes sleeps… In the midst of destiny, the 9/11 attacks to the Twin Towers happened to our characters, and to all of us.HONORS The film received recognition in New York including Project Involve Award (Honoree) Independent Feature Project, Media Arts Finalist Jerome Robbins Foundation, Kodak Award Finalist Roy W. Dean Foundation; in Portland Avid Film Award Digital Media Center, in Miami Crossover Finalist Web Lab Rockefeller Foundation, in San Francisco Postproduction Finalist Bay Area Video Center, and in the US/Spain Grant Finalist, Fulbright Commission. New York Spin gathered Best Documentary Santo Domingo International Film Festival, Best Documentary Jury Mention Lleida International Film Festival, and Best Documentary Nominee Roma Independent Film Festival. It attended film markets as Mipcom Cannes, and IDFA Amsterdam.

CAST (64min version) Luis Barrios, Lester Humphrey, Lida Ahmady, Patty Ordóñez, Darko Jelisic, David Matiano CREW Director/writer/producer: Pedro Valiente I Producer/sound: David Matiano I Executive producer: José Manuel Valiente I Associate producer: Hebe Joy I DPy/sound design: Pedro Valiente I Additional photography: Fernando Gayesky I Editor: Vanessa Marimbert I Postproduction editor: Juan Carlos Irarrázaval I Postproduction lab: Javier Lafaille I Graphic design: Sonia Higuera TECH INFO Running time: 87min version, 63min version I Format: HD video, color I Country: Spain/US I LINKS New York Spin film I Behance I IMDb

FROM THE FILMMAKER I ECOLOGY OF SOULS

New York Spin is a celebration of diversity. As an experimental fusion of conventional and new media, it explores the urge of individual expression and the will of reach out other people’s feelings and ideas. Daily stories of New Yorkers reveal the very nature of contemporary society: extreme, fast, hybrid. New York Spin presents a human net of lives, struggles, dreams, and desires. In the 87min version, a portrait of 24 people of different ages, occupations, cultures, and races: from Lester Humphrey, three, who admires wrestler The Rock, to Juan Fernández, Spanish firefighter who saved money for years to make a film; from Darko Jelisic, Bosnian rock player who lost his hand at war, to Luis Barrios, the priest who baptized the Latin Kings.

The structure follows segments of opposites: first/last, win/lose, up/down, in/out: “Daniela saw snow for the first time in New York” or “Stephanie is a downtown circus ring master”. Segments are independent and connected with others, some characters appear in several portraits, and the last one is seen in all of them. Fourteen New Yorkers interview principal characters. In terms of aesthetic, non-fiction and fiction aesthetics show graphic intersections and animation videos. Multicultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary account of visible and invisible faces of New York City. Ecology of souls based on tolerance as supreme value of culture. Poetic web of humans in the mirror of the world." —PV

AWARDS

- Project Involve Award (Honoree), Independent Feature Project New York (United States) 2001

- Best Documentary Film, Santo Domingo International Film Festival (Dominican Republic) 2006

- Best Documentary Film Jury Mention, Lleida Film Festival (Spain) 2003

- Best Documentary Film Nominee, Roma Independent Film Festival (Italy) 2003

- Avid Film Camp Award, Digital Media Center, Portland (US) 2001

- Media Arts Finalist, Jerome Robbins Foundation, New York (US) 2002

- Kodak Award Finalist, Roy W. Dean Foundation, New York (US) 2001

- Crossover Semifinalist, Web Lab Rockefeller Foundation, Miami (US) 2001

- Postproduction Award Finalist, Bay Area Video Center, San Francisco (US) 2001

- Grant Finalist, Fulbright Commission, Madrid (US/Spain) 2001

SCREENINGS

FILM FESTIVALS Screenings in over 40 festivals in 12 countries including Los Angeles, Brussels, Boston, and Miami FILM MARKETS Mipcom Cannes (France), IDFA Amsterdam (Holland), HotDocs Toronto (Canada), Málaga Film Festival (Spain) MADRID Casa de América, Círculo de Bellas Artes, La Casa Encendida

DISTRIBUTION

National Film Network (New York), Flying Fish Work (Madrid)

FROM THE FILMMAKER I ICE AND FIRE, BURN

“It seems frightening to scratch the surface of evidence: ice and fire burn at opposite poles of Earth laws and human metaphors. Maybe this is why the encounter of persons racially and culturally diverse implies a radical challenge. And plenty social, political, economical, and personal issues raise as their lives come to the public eye. Everything in the outside world is connected, and likewise is in the inside/inner being. In this sense, New York Spin is the utopia of recomposing a broken mirror. In the virtual scope of film, life often finds itself placed in faraway landscapes: distant countries, regions, and neighborhoods. Approaching daily life, NYS conveys an intimate portrait of the city reflecting urban environments through people who enhance real life. Emotional pain of fragmented memory, dreamed or conjectured, is believed to redeem humanity. Through a mesmerizing tapestry woven from everyday things, NYS manipulates characters as illusionists do both for their simple beauty and symbolic power. As an organic artwork, NYS features people who embrace equals and learn from others: an overreaching view that grows from the heart of New York.” —PV

TRANSMEDIA

"New York Spin is an advanced project on transmedia storytelling. The media output is designed openly: 96:00 feature film for movie theaters; 63:00 film for TV; six 16:00 short films for theaters, TV, and Internet; twenty four 4:00 short films for Internet, and an interactive-multimedia website.

New York Spin is arguably an advanced project on transmedia storytelling. The content is designed openly: 87min feature film for movie theaters; 63min film for television networks; six 10min aprox. short films and eighteen 3min stories for online platforms. A cutting-edge website was built in 2002 as an essential element of a transmedia project including multimedia content and interactive features. New York Spin is an experimental documentary film. The structure follows segments of opposites: first/last, win/lose, up/down, in/out: “Daniela saw snow for the first time in New York” or “Stephanie is a downtown circus ring master”. Segments are independent and connected with others. Some characters appear in several stories. The last character is seen in all stories.

Cast: 6 main characters, 18 side characters I Team: Mostly two men crew plus 14 interviewers, 12 collaborators, 60 direct participants I Production: 120h footage over 150 shooting days in 16 months I Boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island I States: New York and Upstate, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, San Francisco, Pennsylvania, Vermont I Countries: United States, Spain, Mexico, Dominican Republic I Camera: Sony 2000, Canon XL1. Sound: DAT Sony. [This gallery features screenshots]

PRESS

"Part experimental tone poem, part heartfelt elegy for 9/11 and part paean to the cultural richness of Gotham, Pedro Valiente's documentary focuses on six New Yorkers, each separately put in the spotlight in segments very differently conceived, shot and scored. As film's coda makes clear, shooting wrapped shortly before 9/11, and the scattershot insertion of references to the World Trade Center disaster, though perfectly understandable, tends to work against the carefully modulated internal rhythms oft he film. Still, at 63 minutes, this engrossing, imagistic portrait of the city and its denizens should prove a welcome short addition to fest and arty cable lineups. […] DV lensing, editing, and music choices are strong." VARIETY Ronnie Scheib I Review on July 26 at 2003 New York International Latino Film Festival I LINK: Variety review

PRAISE

- "This film shows filmmaking talent". Carole Dean, director Roy W. Dean Foundation, New York

- "A very good film". Francesca Garrigues, Director Discovery Channel Ibérica, Madrid

- "I’m fascinated by this project: its concept, characters, structure, everything intrigues me". Deborah Cravey, acquisitions director Digital Media Center, Portland, U.S.

SCRIPT

This is the start of New York Spin’ script:

Scene 1 I Int - Day I Shadows in blue

The world in a breath

Silence. Blue. A human landscape of lights and shadows. A man is breathing. A woman is breathing. The world is listening.

The world in a wave

A kite flies over the heads of people of all colors. The ocean roars. Seagulls are hungry.

Three girl friends steal water from the sea. A brave boy throws sand! Grandma is barefot.

What do the voices say?

The world in a soul

A woman cleans the back of a Green Man. Pigeons!!

The sunset is lit by the wonder wheel. And the Coney Island towers are not twins.

What do the voices say?

Scene 2 I Ext - Day I Coney Island

The song Homelands by British-Indian Nitin Sawhney enters over a flying kite.

The music, passionate and hybrid, fills a small moment in the life of the city: a sunset in Coney Island, where the geographical edge of New York meets the spirit of the rest of the world.

We also hear voices in different languages. And the beginning of the last poem written by Samuel Becket: What is the word.

What is the word to portray New York. To describe life. (New York Spin script excerpt). —PEDRO VALIENTE

STORIES

New York Spin follows 24 New Yorkers during two years. These are some of the stories:

“people departing and people arriving, people speaking and people in silence / expected dirt and unexpected charm / endless waits and sudden achievements / exhilarating climaxes and poetic staging / threatening shadows and essential presences / end roads and roads with no start / shame and pride / political unrest, social protest, and critical grotesque / tradition defense, family celebration and intimate portrait / pain, suffering, anger, cries, screams, and howls / happiness, joy, hope, laughs, whispers, and chants / passion / love / beauty

Lester Humphrey plays with his wrestler’s toys in the bath / Luis Barrios supports the Puerto Rican violent group macheteros / Darko Jelisic tells how he went with his hand off to the hospital / John Kelly reveals he is HIV positive / Judith Le Blanc says she has never been in another capitalist country / Juan Fernández describes his worst fire / Patty Ordóñez’s segment is totally silent / Carmen Curihuentro explains why she hides from Chilean police / Carl Jacobsen remains in blindness / Stephanie Monsu sticks a cigar in Keith The Clown’s butt / Richard Washington assists a baptism in a bath tab / Peanut’s grandmother doesn’t want him to keep pigeons in the closet / Patricio ‘Pato’ Díaz talks about champion horses / Daniela Caminos dances flamenco on a snow covered roof / Lisa Rubin lives surrounded by strange creatures / Aunt Rae cannot talk about her children / Enrique Cantori warns against cooked food / George P. Crayton III performs kung fu with weapons / Baby Lucy Gammon smiles / Cynthia Walker confesses she may never be able to conceive / Dr. Dean Benzia talks about terminal illness / Lida Ahmady cries talking about Afghanistan / Ken Cron envisions communication cyberspace / David Matiano fulfills his mother’s dream: dancing in New York / and more.” —PEDRO VALIENTE

CHARACTERS

New York Spin 63min: 6 characters I New York Spin 87min: 6 + 18 characters

[First] What have you done in New York for the FIRST time?

LESTER HUMPHREY Wrestling fun I DANIELA CAMINOS Uruguayan flamenco dancer I JUAN DOMIÍNGUEZ Spanish firefighter I CYNTHIA WALKER African-American writer

[Last] What is your LAST challenge in New York?

LUIS BARRIOS Puerto Rican priest I CARMEN CURIHUENTRO Mapuche Ambassador (Chile) I JUDITH LEBLANC Native-American communist producer I KEN CRON C.E.O. Interactive Games, Vivendi Universal

[Up] How many times have you been UP in New York?

LIDA AHMADY Afghan student of Chinese medicine I DR DEAN BENZIA Croatian doctor I GEORGE P. CRAYTON III African American-Chinese Kung Fu master I CHRIS ALEXANDER NYPD detective

[Down] What brings you DOWN to Earth in New York?

PATTY ORDÓÑEZ Deaf costume designer I STEPHANIE MONSU Ring master I RICHARD WASHINGTON African-American gospel singer

[In] Do you know what it is to be IN New York?

DARKO JELISIC Bosnian musician I PATRICIO DÍAZ Chilean artist/race horse owner I LUCY GAMMON New born New Yorker

[Out] Does New York bring OUT the best or the worst in you?

DAVID MATIANO Mexican dancer I JOHN KELLY Performer/singer I LISA RUBIN American-Spanish visual artist I JAY NÚÑEZ Pigeons breeder

OTHER CHARACTERS: Kiesha Humphrey, Jherika Thompson, Mickey Humphrey, Che James, Ashley Robinson, George Grayton Jr, Samantha Robinson, Leeza Ahmady, Manuel Matiano, María Luisa Molinar, Claudia Matiano, Dushan Zaric, Debbie Swamback, Sarabeth Weiner, Martin Gammon, Amy Manniatis, ‘Peanut’ El Palomero

INTERVIEWERS: Pedro Valiente, David Matiano, Lida Ahmady, Hebe Joy, Laurie Churba, Christina Bifano, Gabriela Stephens, Fernando Gayesky, Cristina Torres, Lucía Padrone, Alison Ward, Juan Manuel Benítez, Claudia Matiano, Walter Bell, Grissette Alvarado

THE SOUL OF NEW YORK

New York Spin is one of the few films that integrates the before, during, and after the 9/11 attacks to the Twin Towers. Along with the French documentary film 9/11 (2002) about New York firefighters, New York Spin (2002) is one of the few films in the world that integrated in its natural process of filming the moment before, during, and after the attacks to the Twin Towers on September 11. These screenshots include images of Wall Street district recorded on video on September 12, around 7.00-8.00 am. Only a Japanese and an American television crew, along with Pedro Valiente, were present just a couple of blocks from the army blocking all access to Ground Zero.

LESTER HUMPHREY

“New York Spin is dedicated to the spirit of New Yorkers, and especially to Lester Michael Jack Humphrey, in memoriam. I remember the day I met Lester running in a hallway of the company where I used to work o Broadway Avenue with his mother, Kiesha Humphrey. He was just a beautiful boy full of light, and at the time he was all about The Rock, WWF fighter and Hollywood star Dwyane Johnson. I almost managed to introduce Lester to him, and his famous "If you smellll-(tongue flick)-llll what The Rock is cooking." Lester lives in our memory, and Kiesha‘s words in my heart: ‘You [through New York Spin] definitely were a good part of my Lester’s story on earth. May you be well, healthy, and happy‘.” —PEDRO VALIENTE

EARLY CINEMA

New York Spin is a creative documentary film (documental de creación) conceived as a transmedia project since the audience on the website is free to choose their narrative path. Also, the film is linked to further art work including fiction filmmaking and straight-forward journalism. Aesthetically, every story has its own style, although a strong connection prevails with visual arts, performance, and dance. The film presents early cinema footage from 1895 to 1907 from the Library of Congress of the United States. Original music and sound design shape the whole project.

VISUAL ART

New York Spin’s visual and digital art includes posters, flyers, invitations, cards, DVDs, and press booklets. Most pieces are on Behance and Dossier links provided in this website. The work was produced in New York in 2000-2002 and features Daniela Camino from Uruguay dancing flamenco when she experienced snowing for the first time in her life. Brooklyn boy Lester Humphrey at age three playing with his first idol ever: Dwayne Johnson The Rock. Deaf costume designer Patty Ordóñez talking/signing in Times Square. Circus artist Stephanie Monsu really going down there. And a gospel follower receiving his baptism in a bathtub. They are selected characters from New York Spin. This series includes sketches from a private collection —Heavenly, Colorfully, Innocently, Endlessly, Monkeyfully, Playfully, Freely, Joyfully, Magically, Religiously, and Valiently. I LINK: Visual Art

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Director of photography: Pedro Valiente i Additional photography: Fernando Gayesky