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Oct. 29 – Reel Sisters + BRIC Present An Evening of Staged Script Readings 2024
October 29 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
RSVP HERE to get your FREE tickets!
On Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, from 6 pm-8 pm, Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series and BRIC Media Education will present an exciting staged reading of scripts by filmmakers from our Summer Screenwriting Lab. Join us for an intimate conversation with the writers on their work-in-progress. Featured writers include Freida Jones, Stephanie Rodriguez, Jordan T. Simon and Mari Valdivia.
Come early for a special networking reception! Light refreshments will be served. Details will be announced closer to the date.
The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Please RSVP in advance and arrive early. A ticket does not guarantee entry.
WRITERS BIOS
Mari Valdivia is a writer, aspiring filmmaker and most recently was on the Emmy-award winning season of The Kelly Clarkson Show’s producing team. Currently, Mari is developing a short documentary about Gen Alpha’s early access to smartphones and social media.
In pursuit of their dream to make a film, Stephanie Rodriguez is developing a coming-of-age story set in 90s Queens, NY. This is the writer’s first screenplay, made possible thanks to Reel Sisters. Stephanie has a background in fundraising for cultural institutions around the City, including BRIC Arts Media. Most recently, she contributed to an investigation into disinformation on Spanish-language radio featured on WNYC and a cookbook about island cuisine. Favorite movie,The Birdcage. Current obsession, the West Wing.
Freida Jones was raised in Englewood, New Jersey. This tight-knit small town has caused her to bring together writers, artists and photography in the hopes of creating community. As a storyteller she is currently interviewing actors and photographers for The Black Eye Collective. A background in visual arts has fueled her interest in film and video, where she feels narrative storytelling can be enhanced by the visual lens. A BFA in art from Cornell University and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts in creative writing provides the academic context for her critical lens. Workshops at New Federal Theater and the Center for Media Arts (Manhattan Neighborhood Network) are giving Ms. Jones new insights on how to bring her storytelling to light.
Jordan T. Simon is a writer/filmmaker who exalts and examines the history, profundity, excellence, beauty and wonder of Black people to the world through the lens of science fiction and the speculative. Heavily influenced by Octavia Butler, Rod Serling and Steven Spielberg, Jordan uses the transformative power of the written word and the commonality of the human condition to engender empathy and enrich one’s inner child. Jordan was a second round finalist of the Black Boy Writes & Black Girl Writes Mentorship Initiative and serves as a juror for the Oscar-qualifying African Voices/Reel Sisters of the Diaspora 2024 Film Festival.