INFORMATION FOR
Paterson and Its People, a documentary about Paterson, NJ by William Paterson University sociology professor Vince Parrillo, won the award for best documentary feature at the 2017 Garden State Film Festival held in Atlantic City from March 30 to April 2, 2017.
Parrillo and Jaroslaw Ziaja were co-producers of the film; Rhoderick Holliday, of the University’s Department of Instruction and Research Technology, was technical director. Parrillo was also the author, narrator, and director. Paterson and Its People explores and celebrates the diversity of ethnic and racial groups that have populated Paterson, New Jersey’s third largest city. It begins thousands of years ago when native Lenape Indians populated the area and continues on through the early English and French immigrants to the more recent arrivals of Hispanic and Middle Eastern populations.The film highlights some of Paterson’s famous residents and visitors, but focuses mainly on the ordinary people who lived and worked in the city and contributed to its social fabric. Through interviews, historic photos and on-location footage throughout the city, the story of Paterson’s evolution through demographic changes comes alive.
Parrillo is now working on his fourth documentary about Paterson, “Silk City Artists and Musicians,” which he hopes to complete this year.For more information, go to http://www.gsff.org and https://vinceparrillo.com/documentaries-2/paterson-and-its-people/.
