My american girls

Antonia "Sandra" and Juan "Bautista" Ortiz are hardworking immigrants who live frugally in Brooklyn and dream of retiring to their native Dominican Republic.  Their American-born daughters have other ideas and dreams.  Welcome to the bittersweet contradictions of contemporary immigrant life as revealed in MY AMERICAN GIRLS, the dramatic portrait of one year in the life of a Dominican family as it struggles to sort out the rewards — and costs — of pursuing the American dream. WATCH HERE.

Role: Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Editor
Grants: POV, The Brooklyn Arts Council, Latino Public Broadcasting
Distribution: P.O.V. , True Lives, Discovery, Alexander Street
Released: 2001

“My American Girls stands as one of the strikingly few full-length profiles of Dominican immigrants in any genre.”
-The New York Times

“Packed with uncommon honesty and humor.”
-Los Angeles Times

“A heart-warming story of bi-cultural vitality.”
-Chicago Sun-Times