With many children struggling to learn remotely from home this past year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American education system needs a compelling message of optimism. The upcoming documentary, ‘My Name Is Pedro,’ is offering that sense of hope as it emphasizes the importance of having great educators within the infrastructure of America’s public education system.
The timely reminder of the need for dedicated teachers, especially during the current pandemic, is highlighted in the movie’s trailer, which, along with the poster, has been unveiled by its production company, Sweet180. The film’s assets were unveiled to help support its release on VOD and DVD on February 23 in the U.S., Canada and UK. The documentary will be distributed on such VOD and cable platforms as Amazon, Apple TV, GooglePlay, Youtube FandangoNOW, Verizon and Wave Broadband.
First time director, Lillian LaSalle, helmed ‘My Name Is Pedro.’ The movie was honored with several accolades while it played on the film festival circuit, including the Best Documentary award at the Golden Door International Film Festival; the Spotlight on Documentary Award at the St. Louis International Film Festival; the Audience Awards at the Chicago Latino International Film Festival and the Brooklyn Film Festival; and the Award of Merit at Impact Docs.
‘My Name Is Pedro’ explores the seemingly impossible journey of South Bronx Latino educator and maverick, Pedro Santana, a former “special ed” student, whose mantra is: every kid can learn despite their circumstances. A New York Times profile of his “Out Of The Box” teaching techniques thrusts him into the spotlight, which creates great opportunities for change, but also has its downside: public school politics which, despite the cries of students and parents alike, threaten to take him down.
For more information on ‘My Name Is Pedro,’ visit its
official website, as well as its Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages.
The official trailer has been released for director Lillian LaSalle's documentary, 'My Name Is Pedro.'