About The Film

Throughout the 1970’s, fires consumed the South Bronx. Black and Puerto Rican residents were blamed for the devastation even as they battled daily to save their neighborhoods. In DECADE OF FIRE, Bronx-born Vivian Vázquez Irizarry pursues the truth surrounding the fires – uncovering policies of racism and neglect that still shape our cities, and offering hope to communities on the brink today.

Through a rich seam of archival and home movie footage, DECADE OF FIRE confronts the racially-charged stereotypes that dehumanized residents of the South Bronx in the 1970’s, and rationalized their abandonment by city, state and federal governments. Vázquez Irizarry, in her role as the film’s central character and co-director seeks not only healing for her community, but to redeem them from the harmful mythology spread by the media that has continued largely unchallenged to this day. She tells the story of a people who held on, worked to save their community and start anew against impossible odds. The accounts she gathers are supported by extensive research, archival footage, print and broadcast news excerpts, testimonials from retired FDNY firefighters and brass, as well as Bronx historians.

Through exposing the history, and lifting up the stories of survivors whose deep commitment to their homes and communities saved the borough, DECADE OF FIRE offers the emergence of a new narrative for the South Bronx and places like it across the nation.

The Story

The
Filmmakers

Vivian Vázquez Irizarry

Director / Producer

An educator and facilitator, Vivian ran educational and youth leadership development programs at the Coro Foundation, Bronxworks, and until recently, served as the director of community-school partnerships at the New Settlement Community Campus. Vázquez Irizarry managed educational youth development models in GED completion and college access programs across New York City. A former member of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights, she was also a member of 52 People for Progress, a community organization that saved her childhood playground and revitalized the South Bronx for the last 35 years.

Gretchen Hildebran

Director / Producer

Gretchen is a documentary filmmaker and editor whose work lives at the intersection of politics, policy and human experience. Credits include: WORTH SAVING (2004), which was presented in HBO’s Frame by Frame showcase; OUT IN THE HEARTLAND (2005) which explored anti-gay legislation in Kentucky. A 2005 graduate of Stanford’s documentary program, Gretchen shot Ramona Diaz’s THE LEARNING (2011) and has edited for the History Channel, PBS and the United Nations Development Programme, as well as on independent documentaries. Gretchen has also made a series of short documentaries used to educate communities across the country about life-saving interventions such as needle exchange and overdose prevention.

Photo credit: Catherine Hunsburger

Julia Steele Allen

Producer / Impact Producer

Julia is an award-winning multi-disciplinary artist and a community organizer from New York City. She worked as an educational justice organizer in the South Bronx for many years (where she met Vivian!), and has worked on large-scale activist convenings such as the first Critical Resistance conference in 1998 and the first US Social Forum in 2007. From 2014-2017, she co-wrote, produced, and performed “Mariposa & the Saint: From Solitary Confinement, A Play Through Letters,” performing over seventy times across ten states for judges, wardens, and legislators, as well as thousands of students, faith-based communities, and formerly incarcerated people and their families as part of the growing movement to end solitary confinement in this country. She is also part of the queer country band, My Gay Banjo. www.juliasteeleallen.com

Neyda Martinez

Producer

Neyda Martinez is the communications strategist for public television’s documentary series, AMERICA REFRAMED. For 7 years, Neyda worked at POV supporting campaigns of over 65 acclaimed films. She earned an MPA from Columbia University in 2008. She was Director of National Engagement for PBS’ documentary, LATINO AMERICANS and she produced the documentary film LUCKY. As a consultant, she’s served Hachette Book Group USA, NYC’s Mayor’s Office of Adult Education, and WNYC and NPR’s “The Takeaway.” She is on the board of directors of The Association of American Cultures, Women Make Movies and Bronx-based dance company, Pepatian. Prior board service includes of Third World Newsreel and NALIP/National Association of Latino Independent Producers.

Edwin Martinez

Cinematographer / Story Consultant

Edwin Martinez is a Bronx-born filmmaker whose work has screened theatrically, nationally, internationally and on major television and news outlets including PBS, ESPN, Fox, CBS, and the New York Times. His first feature documentary, TO BE HEARD, was named by the New York Times a “critics pick” and “one of the best documentaries of the year.” The film went on to win awards at DOC NYC, Seattle International, Nantucket, San Diego Latino, and Sarasota film festivals among others. Martinez also co-developed and produced THE CLEMENTE EFFECT (dir. Mario Diaz), edited CITY OF TREES (dir. Brandon Kramer), and shot RACHEL IS (dir. Charlotte Glynn), LEAVE NO SOLDIER (dir. Donna Bassin), LAS MARTHAS (dir. Cristina Ibarra) and WHAT ALICE FOUND (dir. A. Dean Bell, Special Grand Jury Prize winner, 2003 Sundance Film Festival). Martinez has recently returned to his alma mater as an Assistant Professor of Film in the SUNY Purchase Film Conservatory.

Penelope Falk

Editor

Penelope has been editing documentaries for the past 17 years. Her most recent film, RECOVERY BOYS, just premiered at Hot Docs in April. Before that, STEP won the 2017 Sundance Jury Prize for Inspirational Filmmaking. Other partial film credits include BRIGHT LIGHTS: STARRING CARRIE FISHER & DEBBIE REYNOLDS (premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2016), JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK (which won her an Excellence in Editing award at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival), MAIDENTRIP (winner of the SXSW Audience Award), THE NEW PUBLIC (winner of the Golden Cine Award), SMILE TIL IT HURTS (premiered Slamdance Film Festival), TOOTS (premiered Tribeca Film Festival), STAGEDOOR (debuted at the New York Film Forum.

Sonia Gonzalez-Martinez

Editor

Sonia is a documentary editor based in New York City, who was also born and raised in the South Bronx. Her feature work includes the award-winning documentary SOUL FOOD JUNKIES; SPIES OF MISSISSIPPI and RISE: THE PROMISE OF MY BROTHER’S KEEPER for the Discovery Channel. Sonia was an editor on the news documentaries AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS WITH MARIA HINOJOSA and THE NEW DECIDERS WITH MARIA HINOJOSA. Sonia was also the additional editor on Stanley Nelson’s film TELL THEM WE ARE RISING: THE STORY OF BLACK COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES and on Michael Moore’s upcoming documentary FAHRENHEIT 11/9, about the Trump presidency.

Rachel Antell and Jennifer Petrucelli

Archival Producers

Jen Petrucelli and Rachel Antell each have over 20 years of experience in documentary film production. In 2014 they came together around their shared passion for historical storytelling and founded Sub-Basement Archival – a company dedicated to archival research and licensing for documentary films. As archival producers, they have worked on many nationally broadcast and award-winning documentaries, including DOLORES, THE GAME CHANGERS, LET IT FALL, SAVING CAPITALISM, WORLDS OF URSULA LEGUIN, JOHN LEGUIZAMO’S ROAD TO BROADWAY & MOSCONE: A LEGACY OF CHANGE.

Arturo Ortiz

Composer – Original Score

Arturo is a Pianist, Keyboardist, Arranger, Composer and Music Producer (Bronx-based, b. Puerto Rico). An active musician with broad interests, he works as a performer, producer and composer in a wide variety of genres from pop and Latin to jazz and film music. With a career that spans 42 years, he has traveled the world several times as a musician with Willie Colon, Ruben Blades (12 years), Tania Maria and Menudo, and many others. Career highlights include having served as the Musical Director for Emmanuel (Mexico), Marc Anthony (NY), and Ricky Martin (11 years). Arturo has also composed, arranged, and produced commercial music for national brands such as McDonald’s, and HBO and has been featured on recordings with renowned artists such as Willie Colon, Ruben Blades, Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe, Ricky Martin, Emmanuel and Roberto Roena, to name just a few.

Arturo makes his debut as a film composer with the original score of the documentary film, DECADE OF FIRE. He is also the director and founder of his latest musical project, Arturo Ortiz & 7 Con Calle.

Jacob Bloomfield-Misrach

Music Producer and Mixer

Jacob Bloomfield-Misrach entered the world of film as a sound engineer and composer, leading him to mix, design and compose for dozens of films. Some highlights include original scores for features THE LONG SHADOW, THE DEATH OF ETHAN RICE, CHASING PORTRAITS, YOUR STORY IS MAKING YOU SICK, and EVOLUTIONARY BLUES, as well as shorts INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S AWARENESS VIA PLANNED PARENTHOOD, SENSATORI RESORTS, THE RANCH, SPEX, and numerous others. Jacob resides in California, running his post production companies Berkeley Sound Artists and IMRSV Sound, as well as scoring films and spending time with his family.

Sam Pollard

Supervising Editor

Sam Pollard is an accomplished feature film and television video editor, and documentary producer/director whose work spans almost thirty years.  He recently served as Producer and Supervising Editor on the Spike Lee directed HBO documentary If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise, a five year follow up to the Emmy and Peabody award winning When The Levees Broke. Editor of WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS, FOUR LITTLE GIRLS, CHISHOLM ’72: UNBOUGHT AND UNBOSSED; STYLE WARS; JUNGLE FEVER; Director of AUGUST WILSON: THE GROUND ON WHICH I STAND, SAMMY DAVIS JR.: I’VE GOT TO BE ME, SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME, among others.

Yoruba Richen

Consulting Producer

Yoruba Richen is a documentary filmmaker whose work has been featured on PBS, New York Times Op Doc, Frontline Digital, New York Magazine’s website -The Cut, The Atlantic and Field of Vision. Her latest film THE GREEN BOOK: GUIDE TO FREEDOM was broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel in February 2019. Yoruba’s last feature documentary, THE NEW BLACK won multiple festival awards and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and a GLAAD Media Award. It was broadcast on PBS’s Independent Lens. Her previous film PROMISED LAND, won the Fledgling Fund award for social issue documentary and was broadcast on POV. Yoruba won a Clio award for her short film about the Grammy-nominated singer Andra Day. She has also won Creative Promise Award at Tribeca All Access and was a Sundance Producers Fellow. Yoruba is a featured TED Speaker, a Fulbright fellow, a Guggenheim fellow and a 2016 recipient of the Chicken & Egg Breakthrough Filmmaker Award. She was chosen for the Root 100s list of African Americans 45 years old and younger who are responsible for the year’s most significant moments and themes. Yoruba is director of the documentary program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.

Dave Tecson

Graphic Designer

David Tecson is a Creative Director and User Experience designer in the fields of film, television, and online media. Recent credits include THE HOTTEST AUGUST, PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN, CAMERAPERSON, REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG, and 1971. Previously he has served as President of Edgeworx, making graphics and visual effects for projects such as OPERATION HOMECOMING, HERBIE: FULLY LOADED, THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE, D.E.B.S., and HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH and Creative Director at CoSA, The Company of Science & Art where he helped develop the software AFTER EFFECTS. He is a board member of the downtown theater company Clubbed Thumb.

Bench Ansfield

Researcher

Bench Ansfield is a historian researching the wave of arson-for-profit that coursed through the Bronx and scores of other U.S. cities in the 1970s. Their work has been published in the Journal of American History, American Quarterly, the Washington Post, and Tikkun. They are a longtime member of the veteran transformative justice organization Philly Stands Up, and they are completing their PhD in American Studies at Yale University.