Watch his preview featuring our Executive Director Lindsay Mis HERE!
Kerri Tallman
SouthCoast Today
Drew Furtado’s film will show positive side of city
NEW BEDFORD – Local filmmaker-turned high school teacher Drew Furtado has hopes of putting New Bedford artists in the limelight.
Furtado, filmmaker, digital artist, former Boston News photographer and current media arts teacher at Fairhaven High School, began a documentary in February 2020 focused on local artists and their stories. Formerly in the news industry, he noticed that he only reported negative news in New Bedford.
In late 2019, while selling posters at the New Bedford Folk Festival, Furtado struck up a conversation with a man from Montana who was passing through the city. The man asked, “how did this happen?” referring to the arts community, which prompted Furtado to begin a documentary about the arts culture.
“I was fascinated with the idea of moving and living and working in the city,” Furtado said.
He proceeded to interview local artists and sculptors such as painters Alison Wells and Kat Knutsen as well as Massachusetts Design Art and Technology Institute executive director Lindsay Miś. When the pandemic hit in March, Furtado said all artists’ projects came to a halt. Little did the public know that it was just a pause, and when the artists hit “play” again, the city would blossom into their canvas.
“Despite COVID, to create artwork for residents is quite remarkable,” Furtado said.
The filmmaker took the art scene in a pandemic world and incorporated it into his most recent documentary, “Restart 2020.”
The film, still in progress, showcases the resilience of local artists and how they have used their abilities to express their love for the city. Unfortunately, due to restrictions on large public gatherings, Furtado said it has been difficult to arrange a screening.
read the full article HERE!