Global Foundation for Democracy and Development to Take Part in Providence Latin American Film Festival with New New Dominican Short Film “Milk of Hope”

Thursday September 19th, 2013

New York, September 19, 2013

Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) is very pleased to announce that, for the second year it will be joining forces with the Providence Latin American Film Festival (PLAFF) to participate with a Dominican Short Film at the 2013 edition of the event, to be celebrated September 26-29.

This year’s GFDD choice entry, El Seno de la Esperanza (Milk of Hope), by Dominican film director, Freddy Vargas, is based on the true story of a poor Dominican mother of five, Sonia Marmolejos, who helped orphaned Haitian babies after the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti. Sonia became a national hero in the DR when people heard she was breast-feeding Haitian babies whose mothers were either dead or injured.  Sonia happened to be at a trauma center in Santo Domingo when the earthquake hit. As one injured or traumatized Haitian baby after another came into the hospital, Sonia stayed to help them and essentially save their lives. When then Dominican President Leonel Fernandez learned of the situation, he offered Sonia new housing and medical help for two of her children who suffer from a form of polio. She was also awarded the highest civilian honor from the government “La Orden del Merito Duarte, Sanchez y Mella.”

The short Film, which features award-winning Dominican actress, Cheddy Garcia, forms part of PLAFF’s Dominican Night program, and will be screened along with Dominican full feature film, La Guagua a comedy of errors about two unlikely people traveling from Providence to NYC on a cut rate Dominican bus service. The director and other cast members, all residents of Rhode Island, will be present at the screening.

Date: Saturday 28, September 2013 – 8 pm: URI Providence Campus

About the GFDD Dominican Film Showcase Program
In an effort to endorse the burgeoning film industry of the Dominican Republic, GFDD organizes Dominican Film Showcases in different cities in the United States, with the intention of sharing and celebrating the stories, history and talent of the Dominican Republic through spotlighting a sample of the best films produced in the Dominican Republic, by Dominican filmmakers on Dominican topics.

The Dominican Film Showcase aims to:
Facilitate the enrichment of the film culture of the Dominican Republic and bring its unique brand of cinema to a wider audience; Utilize the seventh art as a platform for discussion and as a medium for enhancing social awareness and promoting constructive change; Raise awareness internationally of issues of historic and cultural importance to the Dominican community; Cultivate an appreciation of Dominican cinematographic talent.

For More Information: https://www.dominicanfilmshowcase.org