Persister: Women speaking up and being heard
Winner of the Audience Award at DOC NYC, La Madrina follows matriarch and healer Lorine Padilla, once the former "First Lady" of the Savage Skulls gang, now an activist in her Bronx community. Through intimate interviews and five decades of never-before-seen footage, Lorine's formidable story emerges against a rich backdrop of Bronx history, from her early experiences of single motherhood and navigating the complicated role of women in gangs to her activist work to right the wrongs of gentrification and fight for a better future for the youth in her neighbourhood. Set amid decades of racism and relentless gentrification, Lorine emerges as an archetype for powerful women?who deservedly take their place on screen. Heather Haynes
Persister program presented in partnership with Oxfam Canada

La Madrina: The Savage Life of Lorine Padilla and its Q&A are presented with support from the U.S. Consulate General of Toronto

MEDIA COVERAGE