What began as a YouTube project has grown to become a new documentary,
“Project Ñ,” that is beginning to make its rounds to cities around the nation. “Project Ñ” makes a stop in Grand Rapids on Monday, Oct. 10 at Grand Valley State University’s Charles W. Loosemore Auditorium (401 W. Fulton St.) as a part of their national tour. (Ñ is pronounced “En-Yeah”)
Built around personal interviews, “Project Ñ” seeks to give voice to the 16 million (and growing) American/U.S. born Latinx with parents from a Spanish-speaking country. It addresses the gaps that can occur in the lives of Latinx individuals whose identity is rooted in but with various degrees of cultural duality.
The film is the embodiment of a new social media driven movement that seeks to embolden the Latinx people of our nation, but hopes to eradicate the stigma of misinformation about Latinx culture.
Looking at not just race but also at place, the film harnesses the power of Radical Cultural Self-Awareness — a present-moment introspection of our culture, identity and self.
In addition to the screening,
Denise Soler Cox, a first-time filmmaker who created this documentary with the Oscar-nominated documentary veteran Henry Ansbacher, will be attending the Grand Rapids’ “Project Ñ” screening and conducting a short talk on the project’s history and impact-for-good possibilities.
Solar Cox’s project seeks to empower those Latinx voices of our community who identify as Ñ, as well as lift up a nation via the diverse stories she has captured here. It is an insightful documentary full of positive and inspiring narratives about the Latinx experience in our modern society.
Since many Latinx of our nation fall under the scope of “Project Ñ” and are defined as having two distinct cultures — one rooted in home life and the other in society — this documentary brings to light and celebrates through storytelling the many aspects of this dual culture that should make those both the Latinx and non-Latinx proud.
The event is organized by a partnership of the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan, Latino Community Coalition and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.
Admission: Free