New Releases from New Day - 2024 Winter Edition
We are excited to share with you the newest additions to our New Day Films collection, now available for educational licensing. The narratives interweave international perspectives with personal points-of-view, focusing on complex social issues facing our increasingly multicultural contemporary society. Protagonists range from young teenagers, to working activists, to the ancestors of the filmmakers, through the uncovered documentation of their stories.
The films will inspire viewers to learn more about food sovereignty in Puerto Rico, discrimination of immigrants within Mexico, the effects of war on those who fought in World War II Europe, and the complex history of repressive regimes in Twentieth-Century China under Mao and Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. Many of the films include discussion guides and other helpful materials to foster dialog around these issues that you can find on their New Day Films film page.
We invite you to watch trailers by clicking on the links below. You can also reach out to us to book our filmmakers for screenings and discussions. We’d love to hear from you.
Newly-Released Feature Films
Stewards of the Land - Serán las dueñas de la tierra
By JuanMa Pagán Teitelbaum, 92 mins
From childhood, filmmaker Pagan Teitelbaum wondered, “Surrounded by tropical fruit trees and abundance, how is it possible that Puerto Rico imports over 85% of our food?” His new film tells the poignant tale of three landless ecological farmers, in this economically-depressed US territory, striving to produce healthy food for local consumption. This riveting documentary shows the protagonists’ grit as they attempt to make a living without land ownership or capital. This film won the Documentary Audience Choice award at the Chicago Latino Film Festival.
The Other Side of the Wall
By Michelle Plascencia (Impact Producer), 68 mins
Director Pau Ortiz presents a candid story of teen siblings from Honduras, forced into parenthood as illegal immigrants in Mexico. Humorous, gritty and poignant, the film motivates audiences to feel empathy and inspire them to seek justice and break down borders. This film includes study guides for both high school and college students, in English and Spanish.
Dear Sirs
By Carrie McCarthy and Mark Pedri, 56 mins
After discovering an archive of photos, letters, and documents of his grandfather’s untold journey as a prisoner of war in World War II, filmmaker Mark Pedri bikes across Europe to tell the story of the man who raised him. Dear Sirs brings veterans together with their families and communities, to connect and feel seen, and provokes discussion about war in the modern context. This film won Best Documentary Feature at the GI Film Festival.
Veteran New Day Filmmaker Julie Mallozzi brings two of her legacy films into the New Day Films coop, more relevant now than ever.
Monkey Dance(2004)
By Julie Mallozzi, 64 mins
Three Cambodian-American teenagers come of age in a world shadowed by Khmer Rouge nightmares. Traditional Cambodian dance links them to their parents’ culture, but fast cars, hip consumerism, and new romance pull harder. Monkey Dance provides an intimate look at what it means for children of genocide survivors to come of age in America. This film won the Audience Favourite Feature Award at the Toronto Reel Asian Intl. Film Festival.
Once Removed(1990)
By Julie Mallozzi, 52 mins
Journeying through China to reconnect with her mother’s family after a 50-year separation, American filmmaker Julie Mallozzi is drawn into a web of politics and history. She discovers that her intellectual relatives faced persecution, imprisonment, and even murder during China’s convulsive political movements. Interweaving dreams, archival footage, and scenes from her relatives' lives, Once Removed provides a personal lens into the disturbing complexities of 20th century Chinese history. This film had its World Premiere at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.