DUTY FREE Receives World Premiere at DOC NYC 2020

DOC NYC 2020 will present the World Premiere online of DUTY FREE, filmmaker Sian-Pierre Regis' touching story of his mother's struggles to find a new job at the age of 75, and the adventure he gives her to help her reclaim her life.

When Rebecca Danigelis, a British immigrant living in Boston, is fired from her job as a hotel housekeeper at the age of 75, she is financially and emotionally devastated. Her adult son, Sian-Pierre, is living in New York City, trying to work his way into the competitive world of TV journalism. With Rebecca's reality crashing down, Sian-Pierre resolves to leave New York, and the life he expected to lead, to help his mother get back on her feet. As Sian-Pierre looks for ways to support Rebecca, he gives her an adventure spanning two continents that uncovers a surprising family saga, a story that reveals the compromises and injustices placed on single mothers, the persistence of sexism and ageism, and the difficult dance of duty and freedom where the older and younger generations come together.

Sian-Pierre Regis is a Film Independent Documentary Fellow 2019 and Firelight Media Fellow 2018-2020. He is also an award-winning journalist, on-camera personality and cultural critic with a love for both pop-culture and social responsibility. He has been a contributor for CNN, HLN, MTV and CBS, covering stories of youth political activism and pop-culture. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Colgate University in 2018. DUTY FREE is his feature-length documentary debut.

DUTY FREE is directed by Sian-Pierre Regis and produced by Sian-Pierre Regis and Meredith Chin. The executive producer is Chip Conley. The film is edited by Mitra Bonshahi and Sara Shaw with cinematography by Joey Dwyer. Original music is by Crystal Grooms Mangano.

To post a comment, you must register and login.