In this episode, Gregory Hernandez interviews Eileen Level, the founder of PaleFO Cinema. Eileen Level, a champion of the cinema-going experience, has been working in the film festival industry since 2014 and since then has launched PaleFO Cinema, amplifying voices through the cinematic arena which seeks to look forward to the evolution of the cinescape experience in NYCHA. Beyond this she is the Head of Education at New York International Children's Film Festival, an Oscar-qualifying film festival bringing films that represent and celebrate unique, diverse, and historically excluded voices to thousands of students throughout NYC and Newark, NJ! In 2023 Level spoke at SXSW on the 90 minute Film School panel about her journey as a budding exhibitor and mission to quench cinema deserts. Later that year she Founded AniTOMO Manga and Anime Convention, a free event in Brooklyn designed to celebrate diverse perspectives from historically underrepresented communities. PaleFO Cinema Mission Statement A New York City–based volunteer organization founded to address both the diminishment ofcinemas and the lack of youth engagement in underserved communities.PaleFO Cinema Expanded Details Under the umbrella of PaleFO Cinema, Canarsie Outdoor Cinema Mural is an urgent responseto an outdated framework intended to engage our youth and disrupt gang activity and violencewhich has corroded the health, wellbeing and progression of the community. Using the ineffablemagic of film, media literacy and social engagement we would like to occupy crime concentratedareas by positively activating and transforming hotspots of crime activity into hotspots of youthcreativity by partnering with the Department of Public Safety, Local Merchants and CommunityBased Organizations. This will bring together Canarsie’s community for a multi-sensory outdoorcinema experience by transforming our neighborhood's outdoor spaces into ongoing safe andcreative third spaces.PaleFO Cinema's Current Project The Canarsie Beautification Initiative is a collaborative project involving PaleFO Cinema,Canarsie Merchants Association (CMA) The Flossy Organization, and Bink International CharityInc from Brownsville. This partnership aims to transform Canarsie’s commercial corridors,empower local youth through a multifaceted approach and provide a free third space to enhancethe psychological health and wellness of individuals living in POC communities through film andarts exposure in an urban green environment.Central to our project is the creation of an outdoor cinema created by PaleFO Cinema and of amobile community hub by converting a ground level storage container into a versatile space foryouth programming. This hub will offer diverse activities in arts, advocacy, education, andenvironmental stewardship, serving as a focal point for community engagement andbeautification efforts. PaleFO Cinema Project Funders CitizensNYC is known around New York as the city's largest and most well-connectedmicro-granting organization. We’ve spent decades working with leaders around New York tobuild up their communities. Last summer, CitizensNYC launched an exciting new program, theCollaborative Impact Grant, open exclusively to our 2023 grantee partners. This pilot programprovides one $10,000 grant per borough to groups of three grantees, enabling them to developand implement group projects that foster community building, enhance local leadership, andstrengthen partnerships. These projects were developed by our grantees, in partnership withone another, and with our support. PaleFO Cinema Mural Project is a recipient having earned$5,000 to complete the first phase of the mural.
