How a Mother's Story Grew Into Seven Films in the Bronx River Anthology
A child and an adult share a moment in the film 'River.' Image courtesy of Katarina Parks.
For Bronx filmmaker Hannah Leshaw, the idea began with her mother. She wanted to tell a personal family story through film, with the Bronx River as part of it. Then she wondered what other filmmakers might have to say about the same river.
That idea became The Bronx River Anthology, a collection of seven short films by Bronx-based filmmakers. The program screens Oct. 1 at BronxArtSpace, followed by a conversation with the filmmakers.
“The Bronx River Anthology really started with my mother and my own desire to explore a personal family story through film,” said Hannah Leshaw, founder of The Bronx Filmmakers Collective and originator of the project. “From there, I became interested in what would happen if other Bronx filmmakers were given the same opportunity to look at the river through their own memories, families, and experiences.”
Leshaw contributed ‘Jean Claire.’ The full program includes narrative, experimental, documentary, and animated films, with subjects ranging from family and memory to romance and suspense, according to the collective.
The river gives the filmmakers a shared starting point. Each has room to choose the story and the form it takes.
The Bronx River runs 23 miles from Westchester County through the Bronx to the East River. Its history also reflects the work of its neighbors. In 1974, community activists formed Bronx River Restoration and began cleaning up a waterway damaged by years of pollution.
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An animated river landscape appears in 'Stream of Memories,' a short film by Josué Agustín Advincola. Image courtesy of Josué Agustín Advincola.
For Josué Agustín Advincola, director of Stream of Memories, making the film offered a chance to consider both the river’s appearance and its place in neighborhood life.
“Piecing this film together with the support of The Bronx Filmmakers Collective and my crew allowed me to appreciate the aesthetic qualities of the Bronx River and its vital role within the Bronx community, while telling a story centered on nostalgia and memory,” Advincola said.
A tree’s red autumn leaves fill a scene from ‘Currents,’ Manuel Gonzalez’s first short film. Image courtesy of Manuel Gonzalez.
The project also gave Manuel Gonzalez an opportunity to work in a new medium. His contribution, ‘Currents,’ is his first short film.
“Filmmaking is a recent pivot for me. This was my first short film, and it was definitely a learning experience. My goal is to keep shooting and eventually direct,” Gonzalez said.
Alongside those films and Leshaw’s ‘Jean Claire,’ the program includes ‘Liturgia’ by Josafat Concepción, ‘I Am You’ by Erzsébet Fodor, ‘River’ by Katarina Parks, and ‘A Gift to Remember’ by Harry Santiago.
A bicycle rests beside a railing at night in Liturgia, a short film by Josafat Concepción. Image courtesy of Josafat Concepción.
Concepción, who also serves as the collective’s program director, hopes the experience carries beyond the screening. “I hope this film leads our neighbors to see the Bronx River with fresh eyes, recognize its value, and take pride in the river as part of our shared home,” he said.
The anthology premiered July 16 at Bronx River House. The October screening gives Bronxites another opportunity to see the films and ask the people behind them about their work.
With Climate Week NYC underway, Concepción’s hope that neighbors will see the Bronx River “with fresh eyes” turns attention to a waterway close to home.
The Bronx River Anthology screens Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. at BronxArtSpace, 700 Manida St., with the entrance on Spofford Avenue. A filmmaker Q&A will follow. Advance registration is encouraged through The Bronx Filmmakers Collective.
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