Pa'Lante Film Premieres in Brooklyn (5/10/2025)

New York City, New York Apr 29, 2025 (Issuewire.com) Brooklyns AbunDance Academy of the Arts Presents

PaLante

A New Short Film that celebrates the Humanity of every Powerful Female Athlete.

PaLante FILM PREMIERE

Crown Hill Theatre, NYC

Saturday, May 10th, 2025

2:00 PM

AbunDance Academy of the Arts, an established 501(c)3 arts organization dedicated to offering children and adults affordable dance, theater, and musical instruction at all levels, presents a new short film by Afro-Latina Karisma Jay, MFA entitled PaLante.

PALANTE, a short film written and directed by Karisma Jay, MFA ( STOMP, Commons When We Move, The Juilliard School) features Madison and KaMani Brown (Beyonce's Levi commercial Launderette, The Equalizer, Story Ave) and Jenelle Valle ( Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021), Manifest (2018) and Jessica Jones (2015). Inspired by the real lives of young female athletes, Pa'Lante honors the legacy of Miriam Brown, a former track and field star who was selected to represent Panama in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

In a world of endless victories on the track, PALANTE tells the story of Afro-Latina twin siblings who dominate every race except the most elusive one: navigating the complexities of being human. With an Afro-Latino cast and original music by Afro-Panamanian Alessandra Clarke, also known as "La Panameñita, PaLante is a love letter to legacy and lineage. PaLante redefines what it means to be #AfroLatina. Inspired by dynamics between mothers, their daughters and their granddaughters, PaLante aims to showcase the multidimensionality of the Afro-Latina and Female Athlete experience.

With a diverse cast of New York natives and actors of Afro-Latino, Caribbean and African American backgrounds, PaLante aims to celebrate and amplify the diverse and vibrant Afro-Latino matriarchs while putting the human back into the human race for female athletes.

To view the film trailer, visit: Pa'Lante

Press passes are available for the premiere. Please contact [email protected]

"This film is my love letter to my legacy and lineage being a Black woman, Caribbean woman and Afro-Latina. Pa'Lante is a tribute to my great-grandmother, who was selected to represent Panama in the 1936 Olympics. Pa'lante amplifies the matriarchs in families and explores the dynamics between mothers, their daughters and their granddaughters, including my own interactions with my mother, grandmother and grandmother in our Panamanian household. I am grateful to all that my great-grandmother endured and sacrificed as a female athlete and an Afro-Latina woman, being the first of our family to come to America. This film only scratches the surface in telling her universal story - Writer/Director of Pa'lante, Karisma Jay

Most recently, Ms. Karisma Jay MFA was featured in The New York Post as a NYC Go-Getter building an empire in NYC and beyond and also on Lifetime as a Local Hero who has created a dance studio and safe space where women and girls can feel free to express themselves openly. Her lessons inspire conversations about body positivity, creativity and community. Karisma and AbunDance in the NY POST Karisma and AbunDance on Lifetime

This event will include a moderated talk-back/panel discussion, Live DJ, Live Vocal performance and host local vendors. There will be group discounts provided for School Assemblies, Girl Scouts, Womens Groups and Neighboring Senior Centers to attend the evening screening for the General Public.

This event will also help to raise funds to support the AbunDance Academy of the Arts ongoing commitment to offering top notch instruction to people of all income levels so that they can experience the arts and history, first-hand. From full scholarships to low sliding scale fees, the organization makes the arts accessible through its hands-on instruction and partnerships with community organizations that provide after school programs centered on the arts and youth mentorship.

For more info and flyers: HERE

WHO: Interviews available with the cast and crew of the film, including:

* Madison and Ka'Mani Brown (Beyonce's Levi commercial Launderette, The Equalizer, Story Ave)

* Jenelle Valle ( Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021), Manifest (2018) and Jessica Jones (2015)

* Haydee Rosario (Mangu Aqui, Mangu 2)

* Writer and Director - Afro-Latina Entrepreneur and Artist, Karisma Jay, MFA (STOMP, Commons When We Move, The Juilliard School)

* Alessandra Clarke "La Panameñita" (Afro-panamanian artist)

Ticket Information

PaLante Film Premiere

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Film Running time: 18 minutes

Event Running Time: 4 hours

Tickets: $25 - $75 (Group/ Institution Rates Available)

2:00 PM (2pm 3pm VIP Reception)

CROWN HILL Theatre, 750 Nostrand Avenue, Bklyn, NY 11216

Purchase online: http://palantethefilm.eventbrite.com

AbunDance Academy of the Arts is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to provide stellar arts programming to students who seek enrichment within the AbunDance that all of the arts provide. We foster a nurturing environment that emphasizes a well-rounded and thorough approach to the arts and more importantly, to life. With a healthy and robust curriculum, we offer specialized classes in dance, martial arts, theater, vocal and music performance as well as adult programs for fitness, health and wellness at accessible rates so that people of all income levels can experience the arts first-hand. Our diverse faculty roster includes highly skilled teaching artists who are passionate about their artistry and the budding artistry of each and every student that attends classes at AbunDance Academy of the Arts. Our goal is to groom artists of vast backgrounds and hone creativity and superb talent in one place. AbunDance Academy of the Arts gives our students/ clients the opportunity to explore their passions, and is truly a place where In AbunDance, theres Dance! For the most up-to-date information on AbunDance Academy of the Arts classes and programming, follow us via the below links and visit www.abundancearts.org for information.

Twitter: @AbunDanceBK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abundancebk

PaLante is produced with support in part by AbunDance and all of the wonderful members of the AbunDance network.

PR CONTACT: Contact: Karisma Jay - [email protected] - 718-710-6710