My Name Is Pedro

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My Name Is Pedro

2020

1h 36m

Documentary

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10 Reviews

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This film explores what public education meant to South Bronx Latino maverick educator, Pedro Santana, and what he, in turn, meant to public education. Infectious in his optimism, Santana becomes one of the most influential public school teachers and then administrators in the New York public school system after turning his troubled Bronx middle school, MS 391, around. He is unapologetic in his commitment to create change for kids, no matter the odds. When a glowing front page New York Times article catapults him into the spotlight, he is recruited and then accepts a promotion to use his famed 'out of the box' and transformative practices to save a corrupt and divided suburban school district.

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Claudia Puig

FilmWeek (LAist)

10/10/2020

Inspirational and poignant. It has a slow start and loses its focus, but it does have an emotional punch.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

10/10/2020

It's about the system and how it pushed back against what a true innovator wants to do.

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Phil Guie

Film-Forward.com

01/01/2021

4/5

As a profile of an inspiring figure, the documentary succeeds on the strength of its subject's personality: colorful, energetic, and empathetic.

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Andrew Parker

The Gate

10/28/2020

6/10

The equally hopeful and heart-wrenching documentary My Name is Pedro follows an unlikely academic hero as they attempt to make sizable, equitable changes.

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Robert Denerstein

Denerstein Unleashed

10/10/2020

...in its overall parameters, My Name Is Pedro, qualifies as an important cinematic document with plenty of live-wire urgency.

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Enrique Acosta

Film Threat

10/09/2020

7/10

It is an uneven and overly loving documentary from a freshman director, but we can also hope that it is also an inspiration for educators of the next generation.

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Lillian LaSalle

Director

Lillian LaSalle

Producer

Jonathan Clasberry

Producer

Mike Fowler

Executive Producer

Mark Demolar

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My Name Is Pedro: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

This film explores what public education meant to South Bronx Latino maverick educator, Pedro Santana, and what he, in turn, meant to public education. Infectious in his optimism, Santana becomes one of the most influential public school teachers and then administrators in the New York public school system after turning his troubled Bronx middle school, MS 391, around. He is unapologetic in his commitment to create change for kids, no matter the odds. When a glowing front page New York Times article catapults him into the spotlight, he is recruited and then accepts a promotion to use his famed 'out of the box' and transformative practices to save a corrupt and divided suburban school district.

Director: Lillian LaSalle
Producer: Lillian LaSalle, Jonathan Clasberry
Distributor: Sweet 180 Productions
Production Co: Sweet180
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 17, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 23, 2021
Runtime: 1h 36m

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