Proyector presents a program that explores Chicano identity. At a time when the Mexican-American population confronts new challenges in the face of the current political climate, questions of strengthened bonds, tight knit community, and secure identity become even more relevant. This program features short and feature films of Chicano/Lowrider culture in the Bronx and in Japan that bring new perspectives to the symbolic construction of identity and to cultural crossover. Join us for these three films along with Lowrider crew members, Mexican filmmaker duo Lindsey Cordero and Armando Croda in a conversation around cultivating inclusive communities and their process in documenting identity.

For Mexican undocumented immigrants, life the Bronx is though, they group in gangs to find their own territory, creating a new and unique form of identity.

An exploration between the similarities and differences between Chicano culture in America and Japan, and how the scene is not all about gang culture, but has a deep-seated root in family values.

FIRMES chronicles the hardships and triumphs faced by a tight-knit group of Mexican Lowriders fighting for survival in the Bronx. United by their love for art, culture and Mexican traditions, they’ve formed strong bonds bringing the Chicano Lowrider style from the west coast to the streets of New York.

Armando Croda
Originally from Mexico, he has been working in art and film in the US, Europe, and Mexico for the past decade. He is currently editing Matt Dillon’s documentary “El Gran Fellove” (2016), he was additional cinematographer and editor of the documentary “Havana Motor Club” (2015) about Cuba’s top drag racers and their quest to hold the first official race since the revolution that recently premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Co-Director, cinematographer, and editor of the documentary Co-director, cinematographer, and editor of “Firmes, Mexicans in the Bronx”(Nat Geo Latino, 2013) about undocumented Immigrants who have left the gang life behind and formed a Lowrider car club on the East Coast. Croda also completed the feature film, “Victorio” (2008) as Co-Director and Editor, which was awarded Opera Prima at the Guanajuato Film Festival, and screened at various festivals in Europe and Latin America, including Valencia, Huelva, St. Petersburg, Havana and selected for the Human Right competition in Bilbao film festival.

Lindsey Cordero
Cordero is a Mexican filmmaker based in Brooklyn. Cordero’s work focuses mainly on immigration, survival, and identity of undocumented Mexicans living in New York. Cordero co-directed the TV documentary FIRMES, MEXICANS IN THE BRONX (Nat Geo Latino, 2013) about a group of Mexican undocumented immigrants who left the gang life behind and formed a Lowrider car club in the Bronx. Cordero worked as additional editor and location sound recordist on the documentary feature HAVANA MOTOR CLUB (2015) directed by Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, which premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival and was acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films. Cordero received the 2015 Princess Grace Film Honorarium for her first feature documentary YA ME VOY and is co-producing the independent feature film ON THE 7TH DAY written and directed by Jim McKay. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Anthropology and an MFA at from the Integrated Media Arts program at Hunter College of The City University of New York.