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Name: Yasmin MistryAKA:Director, Foster Care Film & Community Engagement ProjectNeighborhood: Windsor Terrace, BrooklynFavorite thing about neighborhood: Prospect ParkWhat did you get funded for:Foster Care Film & Community Engagement Project(FCFCEP)What’s that all about: FCFCEP gives current and former foster youth an outlet to be heard through spoken word, creative arts and writing. Foster youth share their stories through interviews and also work behind the scenes to help us create a series of live-action and animated films about their experiences in the foster care system.What else do you have coming up: Our first film “Feeling Wanted,” which received BAC funding in 2014, is screening locally at the Stony Brook Film Festival in July. Meanwhile, we’re planning to debut our second film this November, in honor of National Adoption Month. We’re also excited to work with fellow BAC grantee, STooPs, and participate in their upcoming festival in Bed-Stuy on June 28th. For a full schedule of all our screenings and events please check out this link or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.What’s inspiring you right now: The many volunteers who’ve dedicate so much time and energy to our project and the outpouring of interest we’ve received through social media.Anything you’re totally over? The lack of funding for non-profits, social work and the arts.When not making art you are: When I’m not designing, animating or filmmaking, I’m volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) to help children in the NYC foster care system. It is my work with CASA that inspired me to create this project as I wanted to give a voice to children in the system who weren’t being heard.
Yasmin Mistry is an Emmy-nominated designer and animator based out of Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been displayed in exhibitions worldwide including recent showings at the White House and United Nations, as well as film festivals such as Tribeca, Cannes, and SXSW. When not working as an artist, Yasmin dedicates her time to the foster children of New York City. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate, she received the 2012 Advocate of The Year Award for her dedication to getting services for foster care children with special needs.