Hoopla Productions

08/28/2025

Boston friends! Please join us on 9/8 for the FIRST JAMAICA PLAIN screening of the short documentary film, Open Your Heart: Immigrant Stories from Boston and Beyond!

The film was created by JP filmmakers, Jesse Epstein and Monica Cohen, and produced by Hoopla Productions, the folx who founded Jamaica Plain Porchfest! Following the screening, we'll have a post-screening conversation with youth from ZUMIX and other community activists.

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Open Your Heart is a deeply moving short documentary about a group of young people who embark on a creative, year-long research and performance project about immigrant stories. The film traces their journey, from interviewing seven immigrant activists to performing these stories, along with professional actors, in a live staged production at Boston City Hall Plaza in 2023.

Touching, powerful and inspiring, Open Your Heart demonstrates the power of community, support and love, as we immerse ourselves in the complexity of immigrant stories.

Open Your Heart has had multiple community screenings, and has also been screened at the Roxbury International Film Festival and CineFest Latino Boston, and was just accepted to be screened in Toronto at the Commffest Global Community Film Festival in October.

12/05/2024

We don't talk openly enough or often enough about what it feels like to grow older, especially as women. How our sexuality, our bodies, and our relationships change later in life. How ageism makes necessities like housing, work, and health care more challenging. How growing older intersects with other forms of discrimination for BIPOC women and LGBTQIA+ women.

Please support the creation of a dynamic new podcast about growing older called Next Chapters*. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/next-chapters/x/390601 #/

In our 9-episode series, we'll take on critical issues with honesty, humor, the truth (!), and sometimes even irreverence. We'll center the stories of a diverse array of older women, and provide analysis and perspective from activists, policy wonks, aging scholars and program innovators.

We're ready to dive in and create Next Chapters! Please help us get there... https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/next-chapters/x/390601 #/

* Next Chapters is a project of Our Bodies Ourselves!

BTW, if you want to donate without selecting a perk, just click on "Pick a perk" and you'll have the option to donate whatever you want!

Next Chapters is a dynamic new podcast about growing older. No glossing over the tough stuff! | Check out 'Next Chapters' on Indiegogo.

07/28/2024

Debo Ray totally rocked at the Eliot Schoolyard concert today!

06/22/2024

Please join us this coming Wednesday, June 26th, at a free screening of Hoopla Production’s new film: Open Your Heart: Immigrant Stories from Boston and Beyond, which will be shown at the Roxbury International Film Festival! Woohoo! We're so excited...

Date/Time: Wednesday, June 26th from 6-8pm (it’s part of a local filmmakers session!)
Location: Hibernian Hall @ 184 Dudley St #200, Boston, MA 02119
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/roxfilm-local-filmmakers-shorts-free-tickets-917669212317

Open Your Heart is a powerful film that traces the journey of a curious, smart and adventurous group of young people who research and perform the stories of seven immigrant community activists from East Boston at Boston’s City Hall Plaza. Empowered by this experience, the youth open their hearts to their immigrant neighbors and deepen their commitment to their community. As one of the youth researchers/performers said, “I hope that (audiences) take the info and fight for immigrants. I hope they support them and I hope that they’ll bring people into a community instead of pushing them away.”

Join us for a special senior luncheon screening (but open to all!) of the Paul Laurence Dunbar documentary. Box lunches provided.

03/22/2024

A film premiere is not complete without a cake from Bono Restaurant and Catering! Thank you so much to Fernando Rosas for sharing a bit of the flavor that we got to appreciate on screen in Open Your Heart – a documentary following the process of our curious youth producers as they got to know the stories of seven immigrant leaders who've been instrumental in making Eastie a great place to live.

Luz Zambrano from the Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity-CCDS spoke about the mentors who shaped her appreciation of cooperatives. Charley, Robin and Angelica took us on a walk down memory lane to some of their favorite moments from this artistic process since it all started in the fall of 2022. If you missed this one, stay tuned for a screening of Open Your Heart in the coming months in East Boston!

Sweet tunes by and Angelica
Production in collaboration with Hoopla Productions
Filmmaking by Jesse Epstein and Monica Cohen
Beautiful space provided by Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture Boston

More about the film, Open Your Heart: https://www.hooplaproductions.org/open-your-heart-film/

03/22/2024

Our premier screening of Open Your Heart was fantastic! And there are 4 more screenings to come. Stay tuned. And check out our website: https://www.hooplaproductions.org/open-your-heart-film/

03/22/2024

Thrilled that we had such a great crowd at our first screening of Open Your Heart - the film! 4 more screenings to come. Stay tuned! And meanwhile, check out the trailer and more...

A deeply moving short documentary about a group of young people who embark on a year-long research & performance project about immigrant stories.

03/22/2024

Our premier screening of Open Your Heart was fantastic. And there are more screenings to come! Check out our website, which includes the film's Trailer, and links if you want to get the film to do your own screening! https://www.hooplaproductions.org/open-your-heart-film/

08/03/2023

Boston Friends! Join us THIS Sunday, August 6th at 5pm at the Eliot School for an amazing musical experience with Grooversity! Brought to you by Hoopla Productions

Marcus Santos' Grooversity drumming ensemble melds world rhythms into a highly engaging show that will make you sweat! Their special sound and energy is inspired by Marcus' hometown of Bahia, Brazil and combines West African Kpanlogo, Brazilian Samba, Japanese Taiko, American Funk, and Hip Hop. From Aaron Siegel, Carnegie Hall: “I have never seen people as engaged and excited!”
And here's the FB link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/581555774163506