The Island Short Film About Lives Of Roosevelt Island Community In The 1980's After A Boy Goes Missing Selected For Showing At Latino Film Festival And Can Be Watched Online This Weekend

In 2018, writer/director Aimee Schaefer was looking for a Roosevelt Island apartment to shoot scenes for her short film, The Island, about:

... lives of a small community in the wake of a young boy gone missing in 1989 NYC...

The small community being portrayed in The Island was Roosevelt Island:

1989 New York City is bumping to hip hop. The beat echoes across the 5 Boroughs. Aids is claiming its first victims and the “Wilding” of a Central Park attack lands innocent black youths in prison. The summer heat is epic in 1989. And Jimmy is HOT.

At ten years old, Jimmy knows all about the world of his hood. Roosevelt Island is a slip of land that lies between Manhattan and Queens in the East River. Though the Queensboro Bridge intersects it, the bridge bypasses Roosevelt Island connecting Queens to Manhattan and there are practically no cars on the island.

Jimmy and his friends grew up running wild on the 2 mile by 800 foot island, and mom's feel ok about it because contrary to NYC in the 80s, there is practically no crime on the island. The residents all know each other, this especially true in Jimmy's building, a sprawling castle of concrete, a fortress firmly planted on the island community...

The Island short film was selected to be shown at the 6TH Annual Official Latino Film and Arts Festival this Thanksgiving Weekend. Ticket can be purchased to watch the film online through November 30.  

Here's trailer for The Island.                                 The_Island_HIGH RES trailer from Aimée Schaefer on Vimeo.