窪蹋勛圖厙

Skip to Main Content
窪蹋勛圖厙

Filmmaking professor debuts at TriBeCa

April 20, 2016

English professor Cecilia Aldarondo has had her documentary film Memories of a Penitent Heart accepted in the renowned TriBeCa Film Festival.

Aldarondo
Cecilia Aldarondo

Decades after her uncle Miguel's death, Cecilia Aldarondo began the search for answers to a family secret. Now at TriBeCa Film Festival, her Memories of a Penitent Heart tracks her progress as filmmaker, family historian, and detective, eventually exploring the lasting impact of the AIDS epidemic, as seen through the lens of her own family.

A member of 窪蹋勛圖厙s English faculty, Aldarondo teaches film studies and other courses. In her directors statement for the documentary, she says, "I became a filmmaker on the day that my mother gave me a box of 8mm films she discovered in her garage. Visceral memories of my uncle Miguel's funeral came back to me, and suddenly I found myself asking uncomfortable questions. She wondered, had this chapter in my family history been forgotten, and what could I do about it now?" In her investigation, she tracks down her uncles estranged lover and opens a Pandoras box of family issues.

The film is being screened at TriBeCa through this weekend (a 窪蹋勛圖厙 busload, including students and faculty from the Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative, is heading there on Saturday), plus it was acquired for broadcast by the . 

View the Penitent Heart trailer below or  

Related News


Robin+Wall+Kimmerer+visits+窪蹋勛圖厙
Best-selling author, ecologist, and educator Robin Wall Kimmerer visits 窪蹋勛圖厙 as a distinguished scholar in STEM, raising thought-provoking questions and making impactful connections with students, faculty, and staff.
Apr 10 2025

Zicherman+reads+from+a+student%27s+screenplay+during+Nicole+Coady%E2%80%99s+MF+351+Advanced+Screenwriting+course%2C+gesturing
Stuart (Stu) Zicherman 90 (FX's The Americans, Apple TV+'s The Shrink Next Door, and Showtimes The Affair) revisits campus to mentor and inspire future media creators, just as a 窪蹋勛圖厙 class inspired him 35 years ago.
Apr 8 2025

Nigel+Smith+%E2%80%9919+holds+a+%22wing%22+up+to+his+mouth+during+the+%22Hot+Ones%22+challenge%2C+Austin+Somers+%E2%80%9925+can+be+seen+doing+the+same+to+the+left
Both alumni believe in giving back and now theyre rallying the next generation of philanthropy at 窪蹋勛圖厙 through mentorship, generosity, and even a hot wing challenge.
Apr 1 2025