NYFA Documentary Filmmaking Grad Lucia Florez Awarded National Geographic Explorer Grant

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Documentary Filmmaking graduate, Lucía Flórez, was recently awarded the prestigious National Geographic Explorer grant for her upcoming film Shirampari, about indigenous Amazonian fishermen. The project was awarded additional financial support from a grant made by the 10ARTS Foundation.

The film follows Ashéninka leader, Arlindo, as he teaches his 11-year-old son their community’s tradition of catfishing using just a hook. The story of Arlindo weaves together numerous social and environmental issues such as the uncurtail destruction of the Amazon, the impact on native communities that rely on the habitat that is being stolen, and the threats and denial of human rights by powerful groups against the activists and community organizers.  

Flórez is joined by Chemi Pérez, a NYFA Filmmaking graduate, who took over the producing role for the project and met Florez while they were studying together in Los Angeles. Both Flórez and Pérez attended NYFA’s MFA Programs as grantees of the prestigious U.S. State Department’s Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Program — Flórez with the support of the Peruvian Fulbright Commission, and Pérez with support by the Spanish Fulbright Commission.  Both of these outstanding graduates were also awarded the distinguished Matthew Modine Masters Scholarship (MMMS) by NYFA. “NYFA has supported us since the beginning,” Flórez shared, “Learning at NYFA gave us more tools to be able to tell the story.”