This film is available for the run of the festival starting the day of Thanksgiving 2021. To watch or to vote for this film please click on the orange “TICKETS” button below and purchase a ticket for BLOCK 3. You also have the option to buy the Movie Buff Pass to watch all the films of the festival until December 15, 2021.
Synopsis
Meet four “second” responders employed at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Queens, NY, where the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in NYC. While doctors and nurses are rightfully praised as heroes, the support staff at St. John’s –the Head of Security, a Janitor, a Logistician, and a Chaplain— must also bear witness to the untold ravages left in the wake of a worldwide pandemic.
Director Biography – Julissa Xena Delacruz
Julissa Xena Delacruz is a proud Latinx/a-American, born and raised in New York to an immigrant family. Her lifelong passion for Film Production, Directing, and Screenwriting, led her to a BFA in Production from the New York Film Academy, Los Angeles (NYFA, LA). Ms. Delacruz lives in Burbank, CA.
This pandemic has affected communities of color in disastrous and disproportionate ways. Few continue to bear the brunt of this trauma as brutally as “second” responders of color. SECOND RESPONDERS seeks to shed light on their truth. We hope this platform lets them –and all “second” responders– know that they too are heroes, their stories matter, and there is healing to be found within the very communities affected by this unprecedented event.
