Fire Through Dry Grass, a documentary film by Alexis Neophytides and Andres “Jay” Molina, offers an intimate and often heart-wrenching glimpse into the lives of residents at a chronic care facility during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The facility depicted is Coler Rehabilitation and Nursing Care Center, located in New York City’s East River on Roosevelt Island; a spot historically known to have housed several hospitals, asylums, and a prison.
The film introduces us to a tight-knit group of residents, all men of color using wheelchairs for mobility, who create poetry and art to maintain a worthwhile, passion-filled life within the walls of the center. Calling themselves The Reality Poet Group, their moments of friendship and brotherhood are documented with a sense of purpose by one of the residents and filmmakers, Andres “Jay” Molina. But when the COVID-19 pandemic strikes, New York’s governing council transforms Coler into a shadow hospital wherein hundreds of infected New Yorkers are sent to receive treatment, while seemingly paying no mind to the tenants who call Coler their home.
This creates chaos within the facility. Staff is overworked, mental health is undermined, deaths are innumerable, conditions are unsanitary, and safety precautions feel arbitrary. To make matters worse, tenants are forced to stay within the gates of the community, cutting them off from society. This isolation and inability to leave the grounds eerily mirrors many of the tenant’s prior time spent in jail or prison; memories they’d rather not relive. However, instead of blindly accepting these conditions, The Reality Poet Group rises up and advocates for themselves, dealing with frustrating bureaucracy and discrimination throughout—but never giving up.
Andres “Jay” Molina’s gritty, roving footage beautifully captures the living quarters of the tenants throughout lockdown, which is incredibly intimate and telling, but sometimes hard to watch. Using personal iPhone footage and testimonials, along with several departures from linear storytelling to explore the character’s backstories, the film generously provides access to the lives of those within The Reality Poet Group.
Although dealing with difficult topics, the resident’s humor and resilience are a touching reminder of how tenacious the human spirit can be. Fire Through Dry Grass is a time capsule depicting an unprecedented time when the world was blindsided by COVID-19 while offering insight into the ongoing U.S. Healthcare Crisis, and how discrimination plays a role in how and where resources are allocated.
How would audiences react to this screening?
After viewing Fire Through Dry Grass, audiences would feel incensed at the clear injustices the residents of Coler face but also inspired by the tenant’s resolve to fight back against the powers that be.
What type of college/university professors would find this title valuable?
Professors of Medicine, Social Work, Anthropology, and Race Relations would find this Fire Through Dry Grass valuable.
What can this educational documentary be used as a resource for?
Fire Through Dry Grass would be a valuable resource for academic and public library collections, as well as high school and college classrooms.
Director’s Bio
Andres "Jay'' Molina grew up in the Dominican Republic where he played minor league ball. In his late teens he left the D.R. for New York's Lower East Side with dreams of going to college. Jay put school on hold, working twelve-hour days to support himself and his mother. In his late twenties, Jay found a way to make more money in a day than his whole paycheck driving a truck. He started selling drugs and spent time in prison all the while neglecting his health. In 2014 Jay developed a rare lung condition that attacked his vital organs and took his ability to walk. Today Jay is nourishing a passion for filmmaking and animation, and being of service to and advocating for people living with disabilities. His poetry and writings have been published in NYU’s Literacy Review, The Main Street Wire and Wheeling & Healing: A Poetry Anthology Edited by OPEN DOORS Reality Poets. He’s a recipient of the 2020 NYC Mayor’s Office Safe In The City Grant.
Awards
Winner - Best Feature Documentary at Blackstar Film Festival 2023
AWARD WINNER - Hernandez/Bayliss Prize For Triumph Of The Human Spirit at Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival
Purchase Fire Through Dry Grass ⮕ click here
Host a screening of Fire Through Dray Grass ⮕ click here
Learn more about Collective Eye Films ⮕ click here
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
Collective Eye Films