SHINE Nationwide Release Date October 5, 201
Dance. Passion. Forgiveness. Redemption.
And, the Pain and Change of Gentrification.
By Elia Esparza
Forgiven Films, a division of GVN Releasing, launched the first full length trailer and film poster for SHINE. The Latin Dance drama stars, David Zayas (Dexter), Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black), and world-renowned dancers, Gilbert Saldivar and Jorge “Ataca” Burgos.
SHINE is about two Puerto Rican brothers, Ralph Matas (Jorge Burgos) and Junior (Gilbert Saldivar), from New York’s Spanish Harlem and the street’s best Salsa dancers. A tragedy separates the brothers only to reunite years later when they are on opposing sides of gentrification.
The film is directed and written by Anthony Nardolillo via his 13 Places Productions, and produced with Sandra Varona, Varona Productions, in partnership with Sugar Studios L.A. and The Exchange.
Latin Heat’s One-On-One with Producer Sandra Varona
Varona shared insights, challenges, and glory of working on this amazing film.
LATIN HEAT: Shine showcases the best of Puerto Rico music fused with fantastic dance moves, spark and soul! But at the heart of the film is the hot topic issue of gentrification. Why this theme?
Sandra Varona
Sandra Varona: At the heart and soul of many of our neighborhoods is gentrification. It is dividing our communities and causing turmoil. Our director, Anthony Nardolillo chose this theme. He grew up in Brooklyn [NY] and saw this happen in his neighborhood and in East Harlem, where he also spent a lot of time for his love of salsa, and, where we shot most of the film.
LH: Is gentrification happening in New York’s Spanish Harlem?
SV: As a matter of fact, yes. One example I can give is that there is a cafe where we shot a pivotal scene and a year later when we went back for reshoots, it had closed its doors. The owner was a minority, and we were told she was forced out. It’s a reality that is hard to accept.
LH: From start to finish, how long did it take to finish the film?
SV: Three years — we shot the film fall of 2015, and I was briefly involved three years prior to that, but Anthony [Nardolillo] has been working on it for about 10 years. We had several pickup shoots, some even a year later– three times in L.A., twice in N.Y., and then we added a London shoot after principal photography had wrapped.
LH: SHINE’s backdrop is dance and music– with such a rich Puerto Rican culture, you could have chosen so many themes, why a dance studio versus say, a family-owned bodega?
SV: Good question. The film was written and driven by music and dance, therefore, we wanted to showcase the love and commitment the characters had for their craft in a space that felt authentic to them.
LH: Let’s talk about the fire scene. How did you pull this off? All Hollywood smoke and mirrors? Can you relate some secrets how it was pulled off?
SV: Funny you should ask… Smoke and mirrors for sure! We actually shot that scene in downtown Los Angeles! We chose a street that wasn’t busy and we had our friends come together to help us with their time, talent and resources to make that happen. I even had an old boss of mine from Maker Studios come out as a volunteer to play one of the policemen in the scene.
LH: How is your film financed?
SV: Aside from Kickstarter [crowd funding], there were several private investors who ultimately put our budget under one million dollars.
LH: Any words of wisdom to inspire future filmmakers who face the hardships of trying to get their movies made?
SV: There are many sacrifices and one must be prepared for setbacks and disappointments. I quit my day job to go to New York and make this film. It was a hard decision because I feared the consequences of giving my employer less than 24-hour notice. I normally would never do that but my love for filmmaking outweighed everything else. It made me realize I needed to take that risk and step out of my comfort zone. I was lucky enough to have the support of my family and my kids. I was in a place where I wanted more and SHINE felt right for me. So, I say to film students or fledgling filmmakers, not to be afraid of change, to keep seeking for higher and higher until they are in a place of happiness with themselves and their careers.
LH: Your credit is Line Producer– with three destinations (L.A., N.Y. and London), how difficult was it to keep the production on budget?
SV: Oh man, that’s a tough question because I did so much on the film. I was producing, line producing and production managing. As part of my duties, I hired all of the crew, negotiated deals, booked all vendors, responsible for all contracts, kept track of finances, wrote checks to crew, got talent paid via payroll/SAG, drove our production vehicle to set every day and of course would run for coffee and crafty at times. During post-production, I helped secure some positions and during the distribution phase, I helped gather all deliverables. As far as the budget constraints for the London shoot, it really wasn’t challenging for me because I also have experience working with a small crew and negotiating good deals as an independent filmmaker. However, we did have to find more funding to be able to make London happen.
LH: Wow, Sandra, that’s the reality for independent filmmakers, you wear many hats! Not easy! Your forthrightness will give up-and-coming indie filmmakers a lot to think about.
Latin Heat reviewed SHINE — it has a passionate pulse that resonates and one can’t help but stand up, dance and get involved with community advocacy. In short, SHINE, rocks!
At the core of SHINE‘s inspiration is our pride and passion for dance and salsa music.” –Sandra Varona, CEO Varona Productions
SHINE won the Audience Award for Best Feature at last year’s Urbanworld Film Festival.
When asked what Varona hopes the audiences will take away after watching SHINE, she stated:
“Overall I want viewers to leave feeling happy, hopeful, inspired to follow their passions, to love their families harder and for all Latinos to feel united. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing. To love, to feel appreciated and acknowledged.”
In theaters nationwide on October 5, 2018.
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