GFDD Present as 2nd Dominican Film Festival in New York Opens to a Full House

On Friday, the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development participated in the 2nd Dominican Film Festival in New York (DFFNY) with the documentary, Ballplayer: Pelotero. This compelling documentary narrated by John Leguizamo is a gritty look inside the world of Major League Baseball (MLB) training camps in the Dominican Republic. Miguel Angel and Jean Carlos are two of the top prospects at an MLB training camp. They are both about to
turn 16, which means they can be signed to an MLB farm team and ultimately move up to the majors. Filmmakers Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin and Jonathan Paley take you inside this never-before-seen world for an up-close and personal look at the cost of the American dream.

Yamile Eusebio Paulino, director of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) office in New York, introduced the documentary to a large audience at the Alumni Auditorium of Columbia Medical
Center.

On Saturday afternoon, other GFDD short films were shown at the same location: Crecida de los Lagos Enriquillo y Azuei, estudio de un caso y sus posibles implicaciones globales (The Growth of Lake Enriquillo: Environmental, Social and Scientific Implications); Primera Expedición Educacional al Pico Duarte (First Educational Expedition to Pico Duarte) and a GFDD production, De Espaldas al Mar (With Our Backs to the Ocean), winner of the 2012 Globo Verde Dominicano Award 2012, a short film contest sponsored by the GFDD and its Dominican-based sister organization, FUNGLODE as part of the Dominican Environmental Film Festival, now going into its third year in the Dominican Republic.

In showcasing these short films, the GFDD intended not only contribute diverse titles and genres to the DFFNY but to raise public
awareness around emerging environmental issues facing the Dominican Republic.

Other short films in the festival included La Cura; El Seno de la Esperanza and Kaylien.

The 2013 Dominican Film Festival New York screened more than 20 renowned films from the Dominican Republic. GFFD supported films in the Festival included La Hija Natural, Pelotero
and La Lucha de Ana, which cover a range of such universal themes as love, redemption, perseverance, humor and growth.

The DFFNY, launched in 2011 by Cine Art Entertainment Productions, seeks to encourage a new generation of Dominican filmmakers as well as established ones while promoting the Dominican film industry and strengthening economic and cultural ties between the United States and the Dominican Republic. DFFNY
also aims to keep New York City audiences informed about Dominican Cinema and its relation to the country’s history, politics and social life.

This year’s Dominican Film Festival in New York, under the leadership of Armando Guareño, was made possible in part through the collaboration and support of GFDD and FUNGLODE.

To see DFFNY full schedule: http://dffnyc.com/schedule.html
To view With Our Backs to the Ocean: http://www.globoverdedominicano.org/
To view The Growth of Lake Enriquillo: Environmental, Social and Scientific Implications: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1LwRxO6YYU