Memories of a Penitent Heart
World Premiere

Memories of a Penitent Heart

Documentary Competition
| USA, Puerto Rico | 74 MINUTES | English, Spanish | English subtitles
Female Director(s), Documentary, Latino Director(s)
Twenty five years after Miguel died from AIDS, his niece, filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo, embarks on an excavation into a quagmire of unresolved family drama. Like many gay men in the 1980s, Miguel moved from Puerto Rico to New York City; he found a career in theater and a rewarding relationship. Yet, on his deathbed he grappled to reconcile his homosexuality with his Catholic upbringing. Now, decades after his death, Cecilia locates Miguel’s lover Robert, who has been shunned and demonized by the family, in order to understand the whole story. Braiding recently discovered home movies, interviews, and contemporary vérité footage, Memories of a Penitent Heart dissects a family secret while exploring the AIDS crisis and the rarely heard story of Latino artists who died in the early days of the epidemic. This is a moving story about mistakes of the past and second chances that also questions how faith is used in times of crisis.

—Dan Hunt

Cast & Credits
Directed by
Cecilia Aldarondo
Cecilia Aldarondo is one of FILMMAKER Magazine's ‘25 New Faces of Independent Film’ of 2015. Her directorial debut Memories of a Penitent Heart received support from the MacDowell Colony, Sundance Institute, IFP, Jerome Foundation, Firelight Media and NYSCA among others. She is Assistant Professor of Film at Skidmore College.
Director
Cecilia Aldarondo
Producer
Cecilia Aldarondo, Patricia Benabe
Editor
Hannah Buck
Cinematographer
Brennan Vance
Executive Producer
Esther Robinson
Composer
Angélica Negrón

Contacts
US Sales Contact
Cecilia Aldarondo
Blackscrackle Films
Stillwater, NY 12118
Phone: 917 375 0081
cecilia@penitentheart.com
Print Source
Cecilia Aldarondo
Blackscrackle Films
Stillwater, NY 12118
Phone: 917 375 0081
cecilia@penitentheart.com
International Sales Contact
Cecilia Aldarondo
Blackscrackle Films
Stillwater, NY 12118
Phone: 917 375 0081
cecilia@penitentheart.com
Press Contact
David Magdael
David Magdael & Associates
Los Angeles, CA 90015
dmagdael@dmagpr.com
Press Contact
Francisco Sanchez
David Magdael & Associates
LOS ANGELES, CA 90015
Phone: 213 624 7827
FSANCHEZ@TCDM-ASSOCIATES.COM
Press Contact
Jack Song
David Magdael & Associates
LOS ANGELES, CA 90015
Phone: 213 624 7827
JSONG@TCDM-ASSOCIATES.COM
* Rush Tickets available at venue except for
Beacon Theatre
Rush will be offered when advanced tickets for a screening or event are no longer available at venues other than Beacon Theatre.
The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.

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