“Volar en línea recta” Movie Trailer from The Ninth Octave Films

Fabretto volunteer Doug Cushnie’s film, “Volar en linea recta,” has been named a finalist for the 2013 PovertyCure short film festival! The narrative short film was shot in Cusmapa, right near Fabretto’s Education center, in the summer of 2012 (for a detailed account of the shoot, visit Doug’s blog). Doug has been an incredibly dedicated volunteer; he first visited Cusmapa on a student service trip in 2007 and returned throughout high school and college to support various projects, including his own initiative to teach children digital photography through photo workshops.

Read some of Doug’s reflections on his experience with Fabretto and his decision to film his thesis project in Cusmapa:

“While hanging out with all my Nica friends in Cusmapa in March, I came to the realization that Cusmapa was the place we needed to do it. No one had ever shot a narrative movie there, it’d be way easier than shooting something in the US, and it’d be a blast to turn all of my friends into movie stars. Plus, it was another fun way to bring attention to Nicaragua and Fabretto through a creative medium that I happen to be extremely passionate about.

Ultimately, we set out to do something unique and we definitely achieved that with “Volar en línea recta”… At the end of the day I really just wanted to make a movie with my friends. That’s really the inspiring part for me; although it’s a short film, it had a massive impact on all of us.”

None of this would have been possible without Fabretto. Apart from the incredible work that they do day in and day out, they’ve treated me like a family member since I was a teenager on my first school trip all the way through supporting me on the photo and film projects I’ve embarked on… I don’t think I EVER would have returned to the country had the people at Fabretto not been so helpful and welcoming. I’m truly grateful for that, because Nicaragua is now a massive part of my life; I talk to friends there almost daily and think about it constantly.”

Fabretto is so proud of Doug’s success! “Volar en linea recta” has already been recognized at the Mt. Hood Independent Film Festival, where the film won the Best Student Film award, and was also presented at the Hollyshorts Film Festival and the Starz Denver Film Festival. As a finalist in the festival, the film is eligible to win Best Student Narrative Short and a $3,000 Audience Choice Award powered by Facebook. Watch the whole film and vote on Facebook to support Doug’s work by clicking HERE!