Blues' gains wide recognition

Dena Greenbaum, a Woodmere resident and recent graduate of Tisch School of the Arts, directed, wrote, produced and edited a short narrative film entitled "Blues," which has received widespread recognition in the arts community. "Blues" tells the story of an unlikely friendship developed between two boys, a religious Jew and an African American during the riots that unsettled Crown Heights, Brooklyn in 1991. The two boys form their bond through their love of Blues music.

“I have always loved Blues music,” said Greenbaum. “My father is a harmonica player and recorded all the harmonica tracks for the film.”

Also, with both her parents being from Brooklyn, Greenbaum admits to being intrigued by the riots. The film was shot both in Brooklyn and at Greenbaum’s home in Woodmere. It was a five-day shoot and editing was finished in March.

In 2009, "Blues" was the recipient of the Reach Film Fellowship. Upon the film’s completion, "Blues" has been on the festival circuit and has won many awards, including the Morris Fierberg Student Film Award at the Rehoboth beach Film Festival. It also won Best Student Short at the L.A. Women’s International Film Festival, was a finalist for the Hallmark Film Positive, and was screened at the International Family Film Festival. The film was also featured at the Memphis international film & music fest, the National Film Festival for Talented Youth, the International New Jersey Film festival and the Long Island International Film Expo. It was also recently announced that "Blues" would make its international debut at the Montreal International Black Film Festival at the end of September.

Greenbaum attributes the film’s success to the two actors who play the main characters, David Thompson who plays Moshe and Mahommed Trawally who plays Ralph. “The actors are very likable and have great chemistry,” said Greenbaum. Greenbaum is thrilled with the film’s recognition. “It’s a lot of hard work to make a film and it’s great to have audiences see it around the country.”

Greenbaum herself also received the Clive Davis Excellence in Music and

Film award, and AmericanLife TV production award from New York University upon her graduation. She is currently working on new projects including her thesis film, which she shot this past March at her high school, Lawrence High School, entitled "Unwrapped." The film is expected to be finished in July. This summer, she is a producing associate on an independent feature film called "Gun Hill Road." Greenbaum is also directing a documentary about a club in Brooklyn called the Crazy Country Club.