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The CAC Youth Advisory Board
The Cinema Arts Centre's Youth Advisory Board is a group of volunteers age 14 - 25 who meet monthly to plan and promote special events for young people at the CAC. YAB member Josh Suarez shares explores his history of a love of film:
There’s just something about movies that makes them special; something that sets them apart from any other form of entertainment. Sure, there’s no limit to what can be said or imagined in a book. A simple progression from a musical note to another can elicit a wide spectrum of emotions. The rush one gets when knee deep in an exciting video game is almost incomparable. But movies have all three: there’s no limit to what can be visualized on the big screen. Music, or a lack thereof, can heighten the emotions felt from what is already happening on screen. Also, no offense to video games, but there truly is no comparison to the rush felt when you feel like you’re truly in the movie you’re watching. You simply haven’t felt excitement until you’ve gone to an opening night screening of a movie filled with hundreds of people just as invested as you are.
Movies, to put it quite simply, are my life. My love of cinema started when I was really young, and was fostered by my parents introducing me to many classics at a young age. My parents had escaped the repressive Castro regime in Cuba during one of its harshest economic periods in the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse. After moving around for a little bit, they settled on the south shore of Long Island. My parents were both doctors in Cuba. Had they had the time and resources, they could’ve both redone their medical residencies to become licensed physicians here in the states. But instead, they had me, so my dad embarked on that journey while my mom stayed home to take care of me.
Due to that arrangement, I wouldn’t see my dad for long stretches of time. By the time I woke up to go to school, he was gone. He would come home every night well beyond my bedtime. I would really only see him on the weekends. To make up for the fact that I rarely saw him, he would always come home with a gift. What he didn’t realize then was that his little gifts, for better or for worse, would come to define the rest of my life.
Every time my dad brought a new DVD home, he inadvertently hardened my desire to make movies for a living. He would later come to regret this. Obviously he’d rather me try my hand at something more prestigious, like being a lawyer, a professor, or a doctor like him. Instead, he’s got a college dropout trying to stand out amongst millions of other guys like me who want the same thing.
The best thing about a DVD were the special features. That’s what truly hooked me. I could watch a movie, and then see how it was made immediately after. That was truly life changing. There was one DVD I would watch way more often than any other. If I remember correctly, it was 2008, I was four, and I was up way too late. But I knew my dad was going to be home soon, and I knew he would have a new movie for me to watch. I honestly was more excited about the DVD than I was about seeing my dad. When he finally came home, I gave him a hug and a kiss, and then said “gimme.” He rummaged through his bag, and pulled out a new DVD. I snatched it out of his big and hairy hands. I carefully studied the front cover. This was a movie I’d never heard of - the cover art featured a man surrounded by thick jungle leaves and an assortment of different animals. There was some sort of brown box in the center of the image. I read the words at the top of the box: "Robin Williams," and "Jumanji."
“Weird word,” I thought. Nevertheless, I didn’t have any plans the next day. Why would I, I was four! So I sat down the next day and watched Jumanji for the first time. Then I watched it a
second time, and a third. I pored over the special features. There were so many that they came on their own separate disc! There were hours of content: interviews with the actors, special effects breakdowns, behind the scenes featurettes, storyboards, concept art, the list goes on and on. It was all just so mesmerizing. I found the idea that they rammed a giant blue prop rhino through a wall and then added a realistic looking rhino in later just mesmerizing. To this day I still think the original Jumanji is severely underrated in terms of just how creative and groundbreaking the special effects were. It was a perfect mix of computer generated imagery and in-camera practical effects. I mean, the lion in the movie was sometimes an animatronic, sometimes a guy in a suit, and sometimes CGI! That blew my little four year old brain. I think it’s impossible to quantify the exact amount of times I’ve watched Jumanji. All I can say is that I played my DVD so much that it stopped working, and I had to get a new copy.
I don’t think that four year old who watched Jumanji like a marathon runner drank water ever really grew up. He was hooked then, and he’s still hooked now. Yeah, going to college and getting a degree in something more useful would probably be the smarter choice. Hell, I started down that path at first. I took two semesters as a history major! Yes, a history major. I guess life as a history teacher could’ve been interesting, but that’s not what I wanted - that’s never what I wanted. I’ve known what I wanted since I saw Robin Williams sink through his floor while he was surrounded by giant spiders during an earthquake. (Jumanji really is a wild movie.)
So I decided to take a more reckless path in life and dropped out of college to put all my energy into pursuing film. Oh, my parents were so happy. Everyone thought I was crazy. Though they all made sense in their pleas to me. “If you put all your chips into this, if you don’t have a plan B, what will you do if you fail?” That’s some sound logic. They’re right. I don’t have a plan B. What will happen if I fail? But that’s exactly why I’m going about it how I am. If I don’t put all my chips in, if I give myself the option to fail, then I will. But if I don’t give myself that option, if I make it my only option, by hook or by crook, I will eventually succeed. Failure is simply not an option.
I’ve already taken a few steps towards my goal. I’ve worked my absolute ass off waiting tables to save money for all sorts of film equipment. I’ve been attending classes at the newly opened Second City comedy club in Brooklyn, where I’ve made a plethora of strong connections with a bunch of New York City’s budding actors, comedians, and filmmakers. I started my own little production company, The Keep Me Company, to officially produce any ideas I might have. Our
first project, Order Up, will be a weekly comedy podcast where I’ll follow the ups, downs, and hilariously chaotic moments behind the scenes as servers spill the beans on life in the fast paced world of waiting tables. (Coming July 1.)
Finally, I’ve also found a new home at the Cinema Arts Centre as a member of their Youth Advisory Board. The Youth Advisory Board is a volunteer group of Long Island residents ages fourteen to twenty-five. Together, we collaborate to make sure the Cinema Arts Centre meets the needs of young film goers across Long Island by creating youth programming and planning all sorts of fun events! Members of the YAB get a free Young Film Fan Membership while they serve. This membership grants discounts on all CAC screenings and events, and as an extra bonus, a free movie every month.
The Youth Advisory Board is also proud to announce our first inaugural Long Island Youth Film Festival! We are seeking young filmmakers under the age of twenty-five that reside or create films on Long Island (Brooklyn and Queens included) in four categories: documentary short and feature, and narrative short and feature. Submissions are open now, and close on August 1, 2024. Selected films will screen at the Cinema Arts Centre from September 20 to 22. For more details and rules, please visit filmfreeway.com/LIYouthFilmFestival.
I truly hope we get to see a lot of great films from our local filmmakers. Movies are my life, and it’s still pretty surreal that I get to be a part of such a momentous occasion honoring the creation of motion pictures. I’m sure my four year old self would’ve been pretty psyched, too.
The Youth Advisory Board has many great events planned:
Friday, May 17th at 6:00 pm - THE HUNGER GAMES, with Pre-Party at 6pm and film at 7pm
Friday, June 28th at 7:00 pm - SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD, with After Party
If you or someone you know is interested in joining the YAB, please contact Ted Cavooris at ted@cinemaartscentre.org
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