Nekflix: Stories from Vermont's Northeast Kingdom (2020-2023)

 

I left my teaching role at Ramapo College in 2022 and moved past my work in video art. During the pandemic lockdown, my wife Rachel and I sheltered in our house in Vermont, staying until winter which made the un-winterized house and icy road too risky.

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In 2020, I reconnected with Darryll Rudy, a local actor and activist I knew from California Institute of the Arts. We gathered a small circle of local friends to create films about an ex-prisoner. The story follows a man freed after 50 years who seeks redemption but must complete one final criminal act before his death.  Eddie Garcia, a local DJ, was part of the first film and continues to contribute ideas, writing, and acting.

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Days of Atonement (2020) 70:00 led to the formation of NEK Flix.  Our films blend planned storylines with natural, unscripted conversations. I handle all filming and editing. The stories touch on life after prison, the opioid crisis, and protection of the environment. We also take a playful look at how movies get funded and developed

 

Gully's Paradise (2024) 90:00, a NEK FLIX and JUWS Productions film, follows a traditional bookie facing the challenges of AI and online betting while battling a fierce rival. The film features poets David M. Katz, Rachel Hadas, and John Foy, alongside actors Stephen Wisker, Annette Fox, and Ann Barcan.  Eddie Garcia, a local DJ, was part of the first film and continues to contribute ideas, writing, and acting since.

 

Shot across Manhattan's Upper West Side, the film captures scenes at Columbia University, Suite Tavern, and the Fireman's Monument. The story weaves in Jewish cultural elements, including Manhattan Borough Historian Robert Snyder's insight into NYC's Jewish gambling heritage over the past century.