Of the select films picked for this year’s Documentary Fortnight festival at MoMA (through February 28), two of them are by SVA alumni. Director Beyza Boyacioglu (MFA 2012 Computer Art) presents Tonitas, which explores the displacement of Caribbean populations in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and the preservation of Nuyorican culture in the borough. Tonita’s delves into the microcosm of the Caribbean Sports Club, nicknamed “Tonita’s” after its owner, a woman committed to fostering camaraderie in the community. Deemed a safe space for vibrant discussions on the effects of gentrification, Tonita’s quickly became a hub for colorful characters, dance and rich familial tradition.
Campaign 2 by Kazuhiro Soda’s (BFA 1997 Film and Video) is a droll look at the Kawasaki City Council election campaign of Kazuhiko Yama-san Yamauchi, the sole candidate running on an anti-nuclear platform following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. A sequel to the critically acclaimed Campaign, Soda’s latest shows how Yamauchi’s naive strategy ultimately reveals dissatisfaction with Japan’s electoral process.
For more info and the full Documentary Fortnight schedule, click here.