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 | THE SECRET FRIEND | NY Premiere |
synopsis A reclusive, elderly widow lives in quiet desperation following her husband's death until she begins receiving daily phone calls from a silent stranger. At first Anna finds the calls intrusive, but as the calls continue unabated Anna finds herself waiting for her phone to ring with growing anticipation prompting her to reach out to her silent prankster. An odd and mysterious friendship evolves between the two as Anna shares her life experiences with startling honesty. Empty days are given new hope, but when the calls abruptly end a devastated Anna is compelled to surprising action to fill the unbearable void.
director Flavio Alves is a Brazilian writer, film director and producer. He was granted political asylum in the United States in 1998 with the help of the Immigrants and Refugee Rights Clinic at the City University of New York School of Law. Shortly thereafter, he attended Columbia University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science. After graduating, Alves worked as an assistant to then-New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and to then-New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner (D-NY). In 2007, Flavio returned to school to study film production at New York University, where he received the Technisphere Award for Outstanding Achievement. Since then, he has directed and produced more than 20 films. His previous film, The Secret Friend, premiered at the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival and has entered more than 90 film festivals around the world. The Secret Friend received 24 awards, including Best Short Film at Cleveland International Film Festival, Amsterdam Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, and Savannah Film Festival. Flavio Alves holds an MFA from City College of New York, and is the founder of Queens Pictures, a New York-based film production company. Alumni Filmography
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