Empower Fernando’s Future & NYC Era: TISCH GRAD FILM FUND

My name is Adam Neustadter, and I’m a filmmaker in Los Angeles. One of the most profound things that happened to me after moving to LA from New York City was meeting an aspiring artist from Southeast LA named Fernando. He was in high school at the time, and already had a crystal clear goal in mind of becoming a filmmaker himself. Even then he could identify the value in his life experience, and knew it was near impossible to find in existing films. From the day I met Nando, he had a calling to make these films so people like him could see themselves reflected in cinema. As a mentor and friend, I tried to guide him as much as possible but it quickly became clear that Nando was a true artist who knew exactly what he had to do with his life, even when the odds were stacked against him in ways that would have deterred anyone else. Nando and I became family, and watching him mature and find his voice, seeing his talent emerge through photography, poetry, and eventually film has been a true privilege.

And now, Nando has been accepted to the most prestigious film school in the world, NYU’s Graduate Film Program at The Tisch School of the Arts. I’m ridiculously proud of him, I’ll miss him terribly, but I’m so excited for him to have this transformative experience in NYC. He leaves in two weeks, exactly ten years from the day we met. It makes me overwhelmingly happy to think about young Fernando, everything he’s accomplished in this past decade, everything he’s been through and experienced, everything that led him to this moment. He’s earned his spot at the table. But, going to the most expensive school in the most expensive city in the world will be tough. So I thought I’d see if we could raise a little money to make this massive transition a little easier for him. Anything helps, so please consider donating. Thank you!