Brian Rashid’s “Love Letters to Washington, DC.” is a phenomenal celebration of D.C.’s tradition, creativity, power and resilience. That includes the tales of Keyonna Jones founding father of Congress Heights Arts and Tradition Middle, Tsion Tekie of Kidovation Stage, Colleen Shumaker of Discovering the Implausible, Dryy Garment Care’s Ken Sandy, and Balmore Artwork’s Andrew S. Jacobson (who additionally writes for The Washington Informer), the 11-minute movie dives into the lives of cultural innovators and curators working to make a distinction within the District.
Birthed from a pressured pandemic pivot that became a phenomenal 12 months for Rashid, “Love Letters” is a sequence celebrating cities world wide.
“In 2020 I went all the way down to Uruguay in South America, with the plan of being there for one month, and the week earlier than my flight again to New York Metropolis, the airport closed due to the pandemic and I used to be there for one 12 months. And on the finish of the 12 months, I wrote a love letter to the nation of Uruguay that had been so variety to me,” Rashid stated.
Whereas he determined to publish his love letter to Uruguay on Instagram, he had no concept it could go viral – resonating with lots of of 1000’s world wide.
“I believed, ‘If that is the influence one letter can have, what would occur if we flip this into an precise world motion,’” Rashid defined.
He started the “‘Love Letters’ documentary sequence in his dwelling, New York Metropolis, the place he stated has at all times had his “coronary heart and soul.”
Rashid tapped entrepreneur Sandy to assist with the Washington, D.C. movie.
“I’ve been down each avenue on this metropolis, I’ve lived in each pocket, and I simply can’t think about why we’re nonetheless so divided,” Sandy proclaimed. “I don’t have the key sauce, I don’t even know what… I’m doing apart from main with my coronary heart and fervour.”
The Dryy Garment Care founder stated he’s impressed by the Washingtonians he’s met, not solely inspiring him to present again, and create alternatives within the District, however to proceed combating for fairness total within the nation’s capital.
“I met a few of the most unimaginable … folks on this metropolis, doing a few of the dopest [things] on the planet,” Sandy stated. “They expertise adversity each single day, and are stronger and extra resilient than most of us,” he continued, “and get up with a smile and lead with essentially the most unimaginable cost.”