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Nothing is more inspiring than when a community unites to create change. When vibrant minds of creativity, passion and clear vision unite, the results can be epic. And when that kind of change is happening in your own backyard, you have just that much more of a reason to get involved. Astoria Stand Up has emerged as a group of local artists who celebrate the notion that the greatest power we have comes when we can truly embrace who we really are. As their vision statement explains, “As a nation, we must reconcile the divide between the concept of equality that America was founded on, and the reality of the shortcomings in its practice. “Astoria, Queens, is the world’s most diverse neighborhood … we work, struggle, create and thrive as a unified community. “Astoria Stand Up is an organization serving as a platform for underrepresented perspectives and communities. A movement of artists fighting social inequalities simply by being who they are, together … and representing the change they want to see.” As this month marks the annual celebration of Pride in New York City, what better time to celebrate general self pride. ASU has recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the production of a feature film entitled “Astoria Park,” which will explore the consequences of holding onto the friction and hatred that comes along with separating ourselves into groups. Black vs. White. Gay vs. Straight. Muslim vs. Christian. Male vs. Female. The campaign will also assist in funding the film’s soundtrack, featuring the lyrics and music of local artists. “I’ve devoted the last decade of my existence and every last dollar I have to a project designed for ignored and misrepresented communities to have a voice,” explains ASU founder Paras Chaudhari. “I was told time and time again, ‘This project is not relevant enough for mainstream media.’ I couldn’t wait for the systems that marginalize us to adapt. So it was time to create a new system … one that would plant seeds of acceptance.” From the campaign website: THE FILM “Astoria Park” takes a gritty, candid look at the sociocultural shift in America right now through the eyes of characters of diverse backgrounds who have been either misrepresented or ignored in mainstream media. On the hottest day of summer on the streets of Queens, Aman and Sean—bitter enemies whose lives are tragically linked—find themselves on opposite sides of a cultural divide and clash over rights to their local basketball court. Aman and Sean lead a multicultural ensemble cast of distraught urban youth who are struggling with identity, sexuality, racism, bullying, faith and how it all plays out one hot summer day on and off the local basketball court. THE SOUNDTRACK The “Astoria Park” soundtrack will be developed as a concept called Harmony Sessions—a collaboration that brings musicians and poets of multicultural backgrounds into a space of artistic integration and exploration. Artists will not just be collaborating, but weaving their individual experiences, music and poetry into a single narrative. Meet the artists and experience the first test recordings of the soundtrack on www.astoriastandup.com. KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN Launched on May 18 and running through June 21, you can contribute by visiting the website, where you can also view prior developments of the film. TY WWW.KICKSTARTER.COM/PROJECTS/ASTORIASTANDUP/HARMONY-AND-DISSONANCE JUNE 2015 | BOROMAG.COM | 37


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