Omar Sosa's 88 Well-Tuned Drums
OFFICAL KICKSTARTER BACKERS:
LAUREN ADAMS, NATHAN ADAMS, SUSAN ALEXANDET, ANGELA ALLEN, ALMOND & OLIVE, ANTLEME, ROBERT ANDERSON, ALEXEY BERLIND, VINCENT BOHLINGER, TIM BRADY, TOM BREEN, TIM BROWN, ELLEN BULLER, AL BUNSHAFT, PASCAL BUSSY, BARBARA & RIK CARLSON, CLAIRE CHAMBRUN, JESSICA & NATHAN COLLINS, WHITNEY COLLINS, LUCY COLVIN, JO & LARKIN CONNOLLY, JOHN CONNOLLY, AMY COSTELLO, PHIL CUTTING, CHRISTIANA & JIM DALEY, KRISTEN DAVENPORT, DOROTHY DECKER, TOM DELLAIRA & JAMIE WELLES, ERIC DENEEN, JAROL DEVOGE, JENN DLUGOS, DEREK DUBOIS, TOM EHRLICH, TIM ERIKSEN, SAMANTHA FARINELLA, PETRA FELBER, SCOTT FERGUS, ANNE LUTZ FERNANDEZ, COZETTE ROONEY FERRON, BROOKE FOX & KURT GELLERSTED, THE FOX FAMILY, CAROLE D’INVERNO FRISELL, PATRICK GAFFEY, GENEVIEVE, MICHAEL GOLDBERG, BRANDON GRAVING, DOUGLAS HALL, SALLY HANING, PETER HANSEN, PETER HARROLD, EDWARD HEARN, ELIZABETH & CHRIS HENNING, NANCY HUTSON, CARRIE INGOGLIA, JOSH JOHNSTON, ADAM KAHAN, MEG KANE, ASHLEY & JESSE KENNER, KNIGHT OF WORDS, TARA KOENIG, LORENZO KRISTOV, DENNIS KUTZEN, SYLVIA KYCKLING, ADAM LACASSE, GREG LANDAU, NIKKI LAWRENCE, JON LEE, ENEIDA LIKES, FRIEDRICH LÜNING, HUGH MANON, SHIRLEY MANZI, MARJ, ALITA L. MARSHALL, PATRICIA MCINTYRE, MONAY MCNEIL, FREYDA & BRIAN MECHLOWICZ, DAVID MECHLOWICZ, MICHELE MEEK, DANIEL MILLER, JIM MITCHELL, MICHAEL & VINCENT MORCH-FALCI, MEL MINTER, ANGELA & VLADIMIR MINUTY, YAM MONTAÑA, MAURICE MONTOYA, SHAWN MORIN, FAREED MOSAVAT & LIZ FOX, KEVIN MICHAEL MURPHY, ERIK MYGRANT, DANIEL NACHIMSON, LISA NAGID, KATE & TOM NAVIN, VAN NGUYEN, TRACY ATKINSON-NOTZOLD & PAUL NOTZOLD, SALLY & MICAH O’MALLEY, OKWUI OKPOKWASILI, NORIKO OTA, TOM PALLESCHI, SUZANNE & LAURENT ET LES FILLES PASQUON, MAGGIE PELLEYA, NANCY & BOB PHILLIPS, KAREN CARR-POTTER & RUSSELL POTTER, JEREMY POWELL, BEVERLY PRATT, LYNDSEY PYRKE-FAIRCHILD, MATTHEW RAGUSA, BETSY HART ROSOFF, JASON ROSSI, ANDY ROTH, NSK SAAD, CHRISTOPHER SADLER, AMY SALISBURY, MIKE SAN JUAN, ROBERTO SANTANA, CATHERINE SCHLUP, BRANDON SCHOTT, YATRIKA MARIAM SHAH-RAIS, ERIN SHEEHAN, ELI SILVRANTS, JEFF SISKIND, TAYLOR SMITH, SARAH SPENCER, BESS SORENSEN, PETER & ELIZABETH SORENSEN, MICHAEL STONE, TREVOR STRICKER, JOSE TALLAJ, PETER TASKER, HERB TAYLOR, KYLE THOMPSON-WESTRA, MICHAEL WADDELL, ROBERT TRAINER, MARUSHKA VIDOVIC, JAMES WEEKS, ERIN WENDT, ALEX WILSON, JOHN W. WILSON, KITTY WILLIAMS, MAGGIE & PETER WORKS-LEARY, BILL WOODCOCK, MANDY & JEFF WORNHOFF, LINDA WOSSKOW, JAMES YOO, ZOGAROS
GRACIAS A TODOS!
OFFICIAL TRAILER
OMAR SOSA'S 88 WELL-TUNED DRUMS is a documentary film on the life and music of Cuban-born pianist and composer Omar Sosa.
The film traces Sosa’s origins from his birth in Camagüey, Cuba’s third-largest city, conservatory education in Havana, and relocation to Ecuador where he briefly wrote and arranged commercial jingles. Sosa’s story continues with a fateful mid-90s move to the U.S., a stint as a sought-after sideman in the Bay Area’s Latin jazz scene, and partnership with manager Scott Price that continues to this day.
Since 1997, Sosa has released nearly 30 albums and received four Grammy nominations and three Latin Grammy nominations. Performing over 80 concerts on six continents annually, Sosa is known for a rhythmic style (hence the “Drums” of the film’s title) and musical influences as varied as his travel itinerary.
Since 2013, whenever Sosa appeared in the northeastern U.S., Providence-based filmmaker Soren Sorensen (MY FATHER'S VIETNAM, 2016) was granted unprecedented access to Sosa and his bandmates for interviews, rehearsals, and performances. OMAR SOSA'S 88 WELL-TUNED DRUMS includes glimpses of the globetrotting artist in duo with celebrated Italian trumpeter Paolo Fresu, with the Afri-Lectric Experience, and with his latest band, the Quarteto AfroCubano in storied venues including New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club.
Sosa’s Quarteto AfroCubano features fellow Camagüey natives Ernesto Simpson on drums and Leandro Saint-Hill on alto saxophone and flute and bassist Childo Tomas, who hails from Maputo, Mozambique. Perhaps most thrilling for fans is the full-circle nature of Sosa’s 2015 album Ilé, which reunited Sosa’s music with its Cuban roots. LEARN MORE ABOUT ILÉ:
Omar Sosa Quarteto AfroCubano: ilé
My Father's Vietnam
WATCH NOW:
Amazon
Google Play
iTunes
Microsoft
Vimeo
Vudu
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NEWS & REVIEWS:
August 27, 2016
Examining the 'Ripple Effects' of War Through "My Father's Vietnam"
The Independent
May 28, 2016
RI Filmmaker Sorensen to Honor Vietnam Memorial Founder at Gala in D.C.
GoLocalProv.com
May 27, 2016
Review: MY FATHER'S VIETNAM
Crome Yellow
May 23, 2016
Review: MY FATHER'S VIETNAM
Age of the Nerd
May 26, 2016
Review: MY FATHER'S VIETNAM
Cut Print Film
May 25, 2016
Review: MY FATHER'S VIETNAM
Movie Nation
May 24, 2016
Review: MY FATHER'S VIETNAM
AsianCineFest
May 24, 2016
Interview: Soren Sorensen Provides Deeply Moving Exploration of ‘My Father’s Vietnam’
Cinephiled
May 24, 2016
Review: MY FATHER'S VIETNAM
Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant Marxist
May 23, 2016
Behind the Lens Radio Show
May 23, 2016
EXCLUSIVE: ‘MY FATHER’S VIETNAM’ INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR SOREN SORENSEN
Deepest Dream
May 23, 2016
‘My Father’s Vietnam’ A Labor of Love For Dedicated Filmmaker
Hollywood Outbreak
May 20, 2016
Honoring Father and Country
The Boston Globe
May 20, 2016
Get the Funk Out Radio Show
May 15, 2016
My Father's Vietnam, Director Soren Sorensen
Film School Radio with Mike Kaspar
March 30, 2016
Gravitas Ventures to Distribute Award-Winning Documentary ‘My Father’s Vietnam’
Veterans News Now
March 21, 2016
Gravitas Ventures to Distribute 'My Father’s Vietnam'
VideoAge
March 21, 2016
Gravitas Ventures Picks Up Personal Documentary 'My Father's Vietnam'
Indiewire
January 20, 2016
Movie buffs find plenty to like during 3-day fest
The Daytona Beach News-Journal
January 7, 2016
Flagler Film Festival to Host Florida Premiere of Award-Winning Vietnam Documentary
LocalFlagler.com
November 11, 2015
International Film Fest runs through Saturday in New Haven
New Haven Register
November 10, 2015
New film explores the stories of three soldiers in the Vietnam War
Fox 61 - Hartford, CT (VIDEO)
November 5, 2015
Welcome to the Jungle
The Charlotte News
November 4, 2015
Meet Connecticut filmmaker behind award-winner, 'My Father's Vietnam,' at Veterans Day screening in Bethel
CTPost
November 2, 2015
Avon Native's 'My Father's Vietnam' Plays On Vets Day
Hartford Courant
October 28, 2015
Two screenings for ‘My Father’s Vietnam’
The Day
August 12, 2015
Award Winners Announced for 2015 Flickers: RI International Film Festival
GoLocalProv.com
August 5, 2015
In a new documentary, a son explores ‘My Father’s Vietnam’
The Day
August 4, 2015
Vietnam revisited in documentary at R.I. Film Festival
Providence Journal
July 31, 2015
‘My Father’s Vietnam' to Premiere at RI Film Fest
GoLocalProv.com
July 30, 2015
MY FATHER’S VIETNAM: AN INTERVIEW
NewEnglandFilm.com
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"I give this film my highest praise. I want people to see it to understand the deep thinking that went into the tough decision made by most veterans to serve in that lengthy and controversial military engagement—now remembered as the Vietnam War.
"Many veterans paid a high price. The tribute to the fallen is breathtaking."
Jan Scruggs
Founder, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
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"My Father's Vietnam" is a powerful and gripping story—a worthy testament to complex lives and impossible choices made by young people coming of age while the world was in flames. These accidental heroes—soldiers, resisters, the women who waited and worried—emerge as fully human beings thrust into situations not of their making, struggling to make sense and create meaning out of chaos. This is a dazzling documentary and a necessary addition to the chronicle of the Viet Nam years."
Bill Ayers
Author, Fugitive Days
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My Father's Vietnam TRAILER
![1375794_494829220724517_4523137031205783958_n.jpg](http://web.archive.org./web/20171004111243/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53fe51d7e4b029a0c8c86ef7/53fe5e03e4b0af9b1b667ead/56d4e263e707eb7a02e67378/1463658982965/1375794_494829220724517_4523137031205783958_n.jpg)
![Peter Sorensen snapped this photograph of a heavily damaged church from the back of a truck traveling north on QL1 (Highway 1) to a forward fire support base in the fall of 1969 in South Vietnam. "I remember being struck," Sorensen recalls, "by the irony of a church being caught in the crossfire of two warring armies." Peter and his wife Elizabeth Sorensen , mother of filmmaker Soren Sorensen , later used an image of this church a Christmas card in 1971 with the caption, "Peace on Earth." ](http://web.archive.org./web/20171004111243/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53fe51d7e4b029a0c8c86ef7/53fe5e03e4b0af9b1b667ead/55b16b33e4b0a4f7d762f990/1463658982938/MY_FATHERS_VIETNAM_PROMO_STILL_2.jpg)
Peter Sorensen snapped this photograph of a heavily damaged church from the back of a truck traveling north on QL1 (Highway 1) to a forward fire support base in the fall of 1969 in South Vietnam. "I remember being struck," Sorensen recalls, "by the irony of a church being caught in the crossfire of two warring armies." Peter and his wife Elizabeth Sorensen, mother of filmmaker Soren Sorensen, later used an image of this church a Christmas card in 1971 with the caption, "Peace on Earth."
![Having begun his tour as a combat engineer in the fall of 1969, Peter Sorensen was reassigned to the U.S. Army's 31st Public Information Office in the spring of 1970. "I was taking pictures on and around forward fire support base Bronco where I was stationed when I encountered this infantryman, or 'grunt,'" Sorensen says. "You can see that he has two or three other envelopes in his pocket, so he had clearly been at it a while, catching up on letter-writing to family and friends." He adds, "I was moved by his intensity, and the solemnity and serenity of the scene."](http://web.archive.org./web/20171004111243/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53fe51d7e4b029a0c8c86ef7/53fe5e03e4b0af9b1b667ead/55b16b4ce4b0a4f7d762fa18/1463658982935/MY_FATHERS_VIETNAM_PROMO_STILL_3.jpg)
Having begun his tour as a combat engineer in the fall of 1969, Peter Sorensen was reassigned to the U.S. Army's 31st Public Information Office in the spring of 1970. "I was taking pictures on and around forward fire support base Bronco where I was stationed when I encountered this infantryman, or 'grunt,'" Sorensen says. "You can see that he has two or three other envelopes in his pocket, so he had clearly been at it a while, catching up on letter-writing to family and friends." He adds, "I was moved by his intensity, and the solemnity and serenity of the scene."
![Peter Sorensen , one of the film's subjects and father of filmmaker Soren Sorensen , leaning against a five-ton dump truck and smiling after the safe conclusion of a two-mile mine sweep during the fall of 1969 in South Vietnam. Sorensen remembers, "You can tell it's early in my tour because my uniform hasn't faded, I'm not sunburned, and my mustache hasn't grown in yet."](http://web.archive.org./web/20171004111243/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53fe51d7e4b029a0c8c86ef7/53fe5e03e4b0af9b1b667ead/55b16b5fe4b0a4f7d762fa93/1463658982978/MY_FATHERS_VIETNAM_PROMO_STILL_1.jpg)
Peter Sorensen, one of the film's subjects and father of filmmaker Soren Sorensen, leaning against a five-ton dump truck and smiling after the safe conclusion of a two-mile mine sweep during the fall of 1969 in South Vietnam. Sorensen remembers, "You can tell it's early in my tour because my uniform hasn't faded, I'm not sunburned, and my mustache hasn't grown in yet."
![Peter Sorensen took this photograph at the end of his tour in October of 1970 while standing in line with a group of Americal soldiers awaiting processing for return to the United States. "I was on my way home," Sorensen remembers. "The guys leaning on the railing in the background are leaving either later that day or the next day, and looking on enviously. I don't remember much of anything about this other than the fact that I was going home."](http://web.archive.org./web/20171004111243/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53fe51d7e4b029a0c8c86ef7/53fe5e03e4b0af9b1b667ead/55b16b43e4b0a4f7d762f9e7/1463658982972/MY_FATHERS_VIETNAM_PROMO_STILL_4.jpg)
Peter Sorensen took this photograph at the end of his tour in October of 1970 while standing in line with a group of Americal soldiers awaiting processing for return to the United States. "I was on my way home," Sorensen remembers. "The guys leaning on the railing in the background are leaving either later that day or the next day, and looking on enviously. I don't remember much of anything about this other than the fact that I was going home."
Calm Frenzy: One Man's Vietnam War, a collection of Loring Bailey's Vietnam-era letters, AVAILABLE NOW at CalmFrenzy.com.
Harvesting Rhode Island
Harvesting Rhode Island is a television series that raises public awareness of local farming and the farm-to-table cycle through folk life studies, and by interpreting how this significant way of life on the farm will manage to survive.
New episodes will premiere in Spring 2017 on Rhode Island PBS!
The series explores how traditional systems can be creatively maintained and become more of a dynamic marketplace. Introducing the public to the farmers of Rhode Island will provide insights into the complex but easily taken-for-granted process behind the edibles we consume.
Growers have had to balance the traditional approaches that were handed down to them with the variable realities of today’s business climate. In the latter part of the twentieth century local wholesale markets began to shrink due to large retailers and national distribution systems.
As a result, growers increased their direct marketing through on-site retail stands, pick-your-own programs, farmers markets, and selling through local retailers. This direct approach has, in turn, stimulated diversification to satisfy the eclectic tastes of increasingly sophisticated consumers. A large number of consumers in Rhode Island are unaware of the locations and variety of crops that are grown in the state and where to purchase them.
Harvesting Rhode Island seeks to change that by bringing viewers on location to see the farms, meet the farmers and listen to the farmers' stories.
Harvesting Rhode Island Series 2 PROMO (1:00)
Raise the Curtain: Moving Through Darkness
More information: www.FamiliesFirstRI.org
One in seven new mothers will experience postpartum depression within a year of giving birth. Raise the Curtain: Moving Through Darkness is a documentary film that seeks to demystify the most common complication of childbirth.
“Raise the Curtain sheds light in a moving and creative way on a problem that afflicts a staggering number of women who suffer in silence with this misunderstood disorder,” said David W. Piccerelli, president of WSBE Rhode Island PBS. “We’re pleased to air this film. This is an example of our commitment to air more local programming that is relevant to our audience, and to work with the community to spark conversations and bring attention to important issues such as mental health and wellness.”
Raise the Curtain: Moving Through Darkness features compelling stories of Rhode Island families who have experienced postpartum depression firsthand.
“The symptoms and stigma related to postpartum depression are, I think, largely unknown to most of us,” said filmmaker Soren Sorensen. “Like many devastating life experiences, postpartum depression is essentially ignored until families are ambushed by it. Postpartum depression, while very treatable, carries with it shame and isolation capable of rendering new mothers unwilling or unable to ask for help, and during a time they expected to be filled only with rapturous joy.”
Families First Rhode Island works to end that shame and isolation by promoting the secure and nurturing parent-child relationships that are the foundation of every child’s overall well-being and future success. Families First conducts Moms For Moms, a program to help mothers who are pregnant or recently had a baby. Jamie Puleo, executive director of Families First Rhode Island, observed that some of these mothers could be at risk for or may be suffering from postpartum depression.
“Our Moms for Moms program offers peer mentoring, support, and friendship through weekly visits from well-trained volunteers or ‘Mentor Moms,’” she said. Ms. Puleo explained that volunteers are given extensive training and supervision in supporting women dealing with pregnancy and postpartum adjustment issues, including maternal depression.
“As you will see, Raise the Curtain: Moving Through Darkness follows the story of four mothers in our program. We hope that hearing their stories will encourage women to feel comfortable seeking help, whether they are depressed or feeling isolated or anxious with the changes that can occur when a new child is brought into the family,” Ms. Puleo said.
“The fact that Families First RI can offer mentorship and support to these mothers and so many more, at no cost, is astonishing,” said Mr. Sorensen.
[PRESS RELEASE]
Raise the Curtain [2015 FEATURE FILM - 48 minutes]
Raise the Curtain [2014 RIPBS TEASER]
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Behind the Ribbon
Behind the Ribbon is the title of an original nonfiction television series made possible by the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation. Each episode features stories of patients, survivors, and those who have lost their lives to breast cancer, an illness that will affect one in six Rhode Island women.
The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation's mission is to raise breast cancer awareness, increase breast health education, enhance the quality of life for breast cancer patients, as well as their families and friends, and generate funding for local breast health programs.
Behind the Ribbon takes viewers "behind the scenes" for a chance to see a small, locally-focused non-profit at work and the crucial support it provides to Rhode Islanders all over the state. Behind the Ribbon is an opportunity for a new audience to get to know the Foundation. The program will also feature information about Foundation-sponsored programming and events and encourage volunteerism and community service.
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The Hope Bus: "Maribeth"
Is Your Hair Made of Donuts?
Is Your Hair Made of Donuts? is an animated short based on the book of the same name by author and nutritional consultant, Joy Feldman.
In a world that super-sizes everything, the Blossoms do things differently. Young Matt and Maddie Blossom aren’t allowed to eat donuts or any of the other chemical confections kids currently crave.
Matt and Maddie are tired of feeling different from their classmates so Mom allows them to indulge in all the donuts and delicacies they can eat from the supermarket’s forbidden zone.
Soon after, they embark on a whimsical adventure in the form of a shared dream. Their surroundings—and hairdos—undergo a colorful metamorphosis that causes them to rethink their former fondness for fatty foods.
This animated film project was made possible by The Picture of Children’s Health, a non-profit dedicated to educating and empowering children to make lifelong healthy lifestyle choices and achieve optimal health.
DVD includes four healthy cooking demonstrations for kids and their parents! Learn how to make Strawberry-Watermelon Granita here!
Is Your Hair Made of Donuts? [OFFICIAL TRIALER]
Eat Healthy Rhode Island 2015
Eat Healthy Rhode Island 2014