Join RoxFilm and JustBook-ish for a neighborhood screening of:
She Dared to Dream: Ayanna Pressley
Followed by:
Post-film discussion moderated by Paloma Valenzuela, writer/filmmaker and curator of the film series NOW PLAYING at JustBook-ish.
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Director Abby Ginzberg (USA 2025. 28 mins)
A film about Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. A leader in reproductive rights, criminal justice reform, and opposition to Project 2025. She stands for abolishing capital punishment and solitary confinement, and shrinking the US prison population. She has also pushed for student debt relief during the Biden administration and is an outspoken advocate for the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. Pressley has broken through quintessential barriers for women of color in a state mostly known for dynastic politics. An activist politician, who believes “those closest to the pain, should be closest to the power”, her own path reflects the lessons learned as a Black woman and a committed representative in Congress.
Paloma Valenzuela
Paloma Valenzuela is a Dominican-American writer, director, producer, lecturer and actress originally from the city of Boston. She is the creative director of the production company La Palomita Productions. She is the writer/producer/creator of the comedic web series “The Pineapple Diaries.” In 2017 the show was featured in Latina Magazine “5 Web Series Every Latinx Needs to Watch Right Now.” Her work has participated as Official Selection at film festivals such as the New Orleans Film Festival and Miami Short Film Festival among others. In 2019 Paloma was featured in Boston Magazine’s “Boston’s New Creative Guard” and selected as one of the WBUR The Artery 25, a series highlighting millennials of color making an impact in the Boston arts scene. In 2019 Paloma won Best Supporting Actress at the Premios IRIS Dominicana Movie Awards for her role as Lolita in the film “Un 4to de Josue,” which streamed on HBO. Paloma has collaborated with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum as a museum Neighborhood Salon Artist Luminary. From 2020-2021 she directed an edited the 7 episode series for the Gardner Museum entitled “The Luminary Lens Series”. She is the recipient of the 2016 Creative City Grant and in 2019 she was granted the City of Boston Artist Fellowship. In May of 2024 her documentary film "The Seltzer Factory" premiered in Boston. She has worked as an educator and lecturer at Brandeis University, GrubStreet and taught the Fast Forward film program at the Institute of Contemporary Arts Boston.