ADVOCACY AND AWARENESS THROUGH TRUTHFUL STORYTELLING.
UPCOMING:
UNTITLED PUBLIC HOUSING DOCUMENTARY
In this upcoming untitled work, the film will investigate allegations of abuse and assault against underprivileged, disadvantaged families living in government housing perpetrated by the very people charged with serving their community and ensuring a safe environment to raise families.
Currently, in the early stages of production, Virginia is working with local civil rights activists and reaching out to current and former residents who wish to tell their stories.
Unfortunately, injustice against vulnerable tenants in public housing is not uncommon. In October 2017, the Department of Justice announced the Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative, coordinated by the Housing & Civil Enforcement Section, to increase awareness about sexual harassment in housing. The DOJ investigates and files lawsuits about sexual harassment in housing and works with other government agencies, such as HUD, to help victims of sexual harassment.
About the filmmaker: While never a resident of public housing herself, Virginia is using her talents and skills as a filmmaker to amplify these women’s voices and bring their stories to the broader public, exposing corrupt and criminal elements that seek to take advantage of a vulnerable population.
PREVIOUS WORK
Deconstruction of a Church (2016)
Short Documentary | Writer, Editor
A short film by expressing my heartfelt reaction to the demolition of a local landmark: Carpenter's Home Church.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Great American Campus (2016)
Short Documentary | Writer, Editor
In 2012, the Florida Southern College Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior for being the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world. With twelve structures planned and designed by Wright, the West Campus of Florida Southern College forms a rich tableau for examining the American architect’s philosophy and design practice.
This stunningly detailed documentary tells the intriguing story of the decades-long creation of Florida Southern College’s West Campus, from the first meeting between college president Dr. Ludd M. Spivey and world-famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright to the recent completion of the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center. Through archival footage of Dr. Spivey, audio recordings of Wright, spectacular views of Wright’s West Campus, and insightful commentary from historians and architectural scholars, the film delivers a profound and unparalleled reflection on this American architectural treasure.
Mr. George (2014)
Documentary | Assistant Editor
In 1930, during the height of the Great Depression, George Jenkins opened his first grocery store with the simple goal of operating a “better grocery store than anybody else.”
So began Publix Super Markets, which grew to become the largest employee-owned supermarket chain in the world. It is a Fortune 500 company and is consistently rated tops for customer service in the country.
Narrated by Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor, Tom Selleck, this film takes a journey through Mr. George’s life of doing business the right way: valuing customers, associates, and the communities where they live. This legacy is the hallmark of Publix Super Markets.
Voices from Mariel (2011)
Feature-length Documentary | Researcher
Discontent with political and economic oppression, 125,000 Cubans fled their homes through the port of Mariel and sailed to the United States in 1980. Thirty years later, one Marielito risks returning home to a country that rejected him to reconnect with friends and loved ones he left behind and to see, touch, and remember the land of his birth. Set against the historical context of the Mariel Boatlift, Jose Garcia and other Marielitos tell their stories of leaving their homeland and coming to America.
