I’m a filmmaker, graduate student, and storyteller in the IMA Master’s program at Hunter College. Rusted is my thesis film—a historical documentary about Holyoke, Massachusetts, and its working-class and immigrant communities facing the deep impacts of deindustrialization from the 1970s onward.

This project is a labor of love and a commitment to historical justice: preserving the voices and memories of those often forgotten in the wake of economic collapse. It reveals how federal neoliberal policies reshaped Holyoke and many industrial cities across America, leaving behind poverty, abandoned mills, and a community fighting to be heard.

As a Latino filmmaker with dyslexia, I bring a unique sensitivity to how these stories are told—listening deeply, honoring real experiences, and creating space for dignity and respect.

To fully dedicate myself to completing Rusted , I need your support. Together, we can preserve this collective memory and ensure these essential stories reach future generations.

The film includes interviews that capture what life was really like for Holyoke’s workers and families during the industrial decline. While only some footage will appear in the final cut, all interviews will be archived online as a public resource for anyone wanting to hear the full, unedited stories.

How Your Donation Will Be Used:

Your support will directly fund essential elements to bring Rusted to life and preserve Holyoke, Massachusetts’s working-class and immigrant history:

Production Costs: Equipment rental, crew payments, travel expenses to interview community members, and location fees.

Archival Research and Licensing: Accessing, digitizing, and legally using historic photos, footage, and documents essential to telling Holyoke’s story.

Post-Production: Editing, sound design, color correction, and graphic design to create a professional, impactful final film.

Community Engagement: Hosting screenings, Q&A sessions, and creating an online archive where full interviews and materials will be available publicly.

Project Sustainability: Covering administrative costs like website hosting, marketing, and legal fees to ensure Rusted reaches as wide an audience as possible.

Every dollar brings us closer to completing this labor of love and historical justice. Thank you for helping keep these voices and memories alive.

Rusted isn’t just a documentary—it’s a reckoning, a preservation of history, and a tribute to the strength and resilience of a city left behind.