NEWS RELEASE | Short Film “I Am Julia” sheds new light on Teen Violence

Posted by DirectorUncut on August 15, 2011 · Leave a Comment 

“I am Julia… caught in the bully’s lair”, a short film that brings to light the subject of teen violence in the public schools.

“I am Julia” will have its first screening in October at the Colombian Consulate as part of this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month and it is also being integrated into an educational workshop,  targeting students in middle school to college freshman.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

AUGUST 15, 2011

CONTACTS: Marisol Carrere / marisolcarrere@gmail.com / 646-229-6022 
Grace Lloret / lloret57@msn.com / 516-770-0729 

(New York, NY)  “I am Julia… caught in the bully’s lair” is a powerful short film written and produced by the Colombian actress Marisol Carrere and directed by David Capurso. This central subject, bullying and cyber-bullying is a constant topic of discussion in today’s media worldwide. The film examines both the bullies and their prey; giving us a glimpse into their personal stories and an incident involving the bullies which questions school officials, and their accountability in this matter. 

“My goal is to make a film based on true events that would touch a chord deep inside the spectator. I am also hopeful that our young people will be able to relate with the film’s characters and trust that it will start a conversation and instill the importance of how urgently a transformation is needed in our educational system, and an awakening for some parents”, said Carrere. Last March, President Obama and the first lady took a stand against bullying, urging parents, schools and community leaders to look for ways to address a problem that they say has gotten increasingly worse in the age of internet and social media. “If there’s one goal of this conference, it’s to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It’s not,” said Obama, who acknowledged that he was bullied when he was younger. 

According to numbers published by the National Anti-Bullying And Cyber-bullying Program for Kids And Teens, 1 out of 4 kids in the US has been a victim of bullying, adding to a shocking number of 13 million children annually. But Carrere, besides doing her part to alerting everybody about this issue brings a solution with I am Julia: “I want young people to learn how to become more tolerant, because bullying does not end when we graduate from school, it carries on into adulthood”. 

Shot on location at the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center in New York’s lower east side, a former school, which created the perfect setting for I am Julia.The film follows the main character, Julia, a 16-year-old Colombian immigrant, recently matriculated into the inner city high school system. She finds herself as a fish out of water. With her sister as her only friend, Julia must fend off bullies and struggle with a language problem that creates barriers. Wishing to be back in her home country, she bemoans her situation with her sister Diana during lunch hours while they eat inside the girl’s bathroom, hiding from the bullies. 

Marisol Carrere a bilingual actress whose credits expand over 2 decades has worked on stage productions in New York, Puerto Rico and Latin America. She has also appeared on film and TV including commercials and voiceovers. Carrere studied in France at the University of Reims and graduated from Hunter College in Theater Arts, receiving an award for Excellence in Acting. She’s also the recipient of an ACE Awards for her versatile performance in Epoch theater with OH!YANTAY, directing & adaptation by Walter Ventosilla, which toured  New York and Peru. Marisol also won an HOLA Award for her outstanding performance as Lina in the Absurd comedy You Always Forget Something/Siempre Se Olvida Algo, by Virgilio Pinera, directed by Angel Morales, in addition to having received various other nominations for acting. The list of networks associated with her career includes CBS, Telemundo and MTV. The shot film “I am Julia….caught in the bully’s lair” is Carrere’s first credit as a producer-writer, whose script is based on her own childhood experience as an outsider being thrust into a hostile school in New York and becoming lost in the system as she struggled to fend off bullies.

For further information about the film please visit: www.iamjuliamovie.com

For interviews contact Producer Marisol Carrere: 646-229-6022 |  marisolcarrere@gmail.com

or Director David Capurso: 917-573-0846 | davidcapurso@gmail.com

For press materials please contact Marisol Carrere. 

### 

Filed under Cyberbullying, Educational Film, Film, Film Premieres & Screenings, Short Film, Teen Violence · Tagged with Cyberbullying, Film Premieres & Screenings, High School, Short Film, Teen Violence, Teens