Thanks for joining us for the final film in our 6-week Windrider Summer Series. We are sure you will be glad you spent three minutes viewing Charlene Music’s incredible documentary, “Roz (and Joshua).”

A Day in the Life …Roz, Joshua, and three beautiful minutes

“This short gem packs an unforgettable punch. … Poignant, poetic and anguishing, [the film] moved the Angelus jurors to nominate it as a finalist immediately. The silence after the screening said it all.

“…‘Roz (and Joshua)’ bespeaks optimism amidst the utter despair of a life seemingly without hope. This short documentary offers a portrait of a nearly-destitute woman whose singular strength and saving grace is the love she has for the child taken from her, her lifeblood the prospect of one day reuniting with him …”
– Monika Moreno, director, Angelus Student Film Festival

It was exciting to be at HBO’s corporate headquarters in New York City last August, judging the finalists for best documentary at the Angelus Student Film Festival. Every entry was nothing short of incredible. The winner, “As We Forgive,” has since achieved international success as well.

But one film in particular, “Roz (and Joshua),” really grabbed out attention. Director Charlene Music brought her brilliance to the screen (as did all the finalists), but she did it with something unique, creative and courageous: a three-minute film. The jury, made up of industry executives and award-winning filmmakers, all had the same reaction — had anyone ever seen a three-minute, three-part narrative documentary? No, we hadn’t. And we lingered in our discussion about how the film entirely engaged us in such a short time span.

This must-see film is about one day in the life of an impoverished woman named Roz, and her dream to be reconciled to her child, Joshua. And, for all you budding filmmakers: Poignant stories can be delivered — clearly, efficiently and beautifully — in just a few moments. Ms. Music shows us how.

Brief Synopsis:

A mother’s longing for her child can create optimism even in the face of extreme destitution. This mother’s all-consuming love pushes her to liberate her heart and mind from the suffocating confines of her daily struggle. Roz was separated from Joshua when he was only 7 months old. Twelve years have passed, yet with hope and an unbreakable spirit, Roz lives for the time when the two of them will be reunited.

About the Filmmaker:

Charlene Music was born in San José, Costa Rica, in 1981. After studying photography and film at Harvard University (Cambridge, Mass.), she worked as a documentary filmmaker in India, where she produced domestic violence prevention films in collaboration with children in rural communities.

In Costa Rica, Music founded the video production departments at Eureka Comunicación and Café Britt and directed human rights films for organizations including the National Children’s Hospital. She also worked with children in the Costa Rican slum Ciudadelas Unidades, teaching them photography and film.

Filmmaking has taken Music to Africa, China, Cuba and the United States, where she has more recently made documentaries in collaboration with the Center for Responsible Travel and Stanford University’s Cochlear Implant Center.

Music received a master’s degree in fine arts (documentary film) in 2009, from Stanford. Her thesis film, “Danza del Viejo Imigrante,” is a documentary about the challenges and opportunities facing elderly Latinos in the United States.

Music has been the recipient of filmmaking awards from the National Academy of Television, CINE, the University Film & Video Association, and Kodak. She collaborates with international, humanitarian and other organizations to effect social change and empower communities through film and photography. Her outreach work has also included youth counseling, domestic violence prevention, and improving public health and educational programs.

Festivals/Awards Include:

• Winner, Festival International des Tres Courts Finalist
• LUNAFEST official selection
• Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival — official selection
• True/False Film Festival — official selection
• One World International Film Festival
• Cinema du Reel — official selection
• Hamburg International Short Film Festival — official selection
• Documenta Madrid — official selection
• FilmFestival FilmAcademy Vienna — official selection
• Big Sky Film Festival — official selection

We had a few technical difficulties with last weeks film, “Sebastians Voodoo”. You can still enjoy here.