Eye Tooth Productions
is a team comprised of myself and Michael McWeeney, a photographer and photojournalist. Our combined skills, range of experience and shared focus have brought us together for documentary film projects which address social issues that affect us, our community and generations that follow.
To date, we've produced three films which have reached a wide audience, and we have another in preproduction
SMALL TRUTHS: THE IMMIGRATION EXPERIENCE THROUGH THE EYES OF CHILDREN 21 minutes runtime
SMALL TRUTHS portrays an integral facet of immigration via the words and visages of children.Second graders in a Staten Island, NYC public school are filmed as they present written and illustrated pieces based on an experience of their choice, “Write something, a few sentences to describe - an important memory or event - so that when you tell it, someone will understand what it’s like to be you”.
The overall tone is upbeat, often funny and charming. Their stories are simple and cheerful - washday chores in Mexico, making pizza with mom, a visit to the park; a few are recollections of upsetting or traumatic events - parent deportation, a dad as a crime victim, a house fire, a snake bite.
Additional footage was shot in their homes and neighborhood, a blighted area with a transient population, largely Hispanic with a large influx of Mexicans. Bias issues plague the community.
The principal, AP, ESL specialist and a classroom teacher offer commentary, explaining approaches employed to help students reach their potential. A charismatic social worker specializing in the challenges of newcomers provides a narrative thread. Lightly underscored is the relevance of strategically applied arts programming in public schools.
Using the reportage of children is an equalizer, an illumination of universal human similarities... and testimony to shared values. Hearing their earnest voices and learning the travails of their families spurs respect. The tenor is gently optimistic.
Southern Poverty Law Center - Teaching Tolerance (segmented for teaching)
El Diario 2015 - ‘Pequeñas Verdades’: La experiencia inmigrante contada por los más chiquitos
Commissioned by The Southern Poverty Law Center just after the initial Muslim travel ban was instituted
about WOODLAND VERSE
The Greenbelt Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization working in partnership with NYC Parks to care for the Greenbelt's 2,800 acres of open space, parks, an extensive trail system and public facilities in central Staten Island.