Mother-daughter short animated film ‘The Kitchin’ to be screened at Vizcaya

Communal storytelling is key these days and one filmmaking mother-daughter team explored this in their short animation called “The Kitchin.”

It is the first-ever community-made stop-motion film produced on the grounds of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.

After a call for submissions from Miami-based artists, the Community Arts Program selection panel chose Karla Caprali and Sophia Cabral’s proposal.

Their theme: The kitchen is the heart of the home.

Caprali is a Brazilian visual artist and filmmaker who lives and works in Miami. Most recently, she directed and produced the animated short film “Light” and the animated short documentary “South of 5th.”

Cabral is an architectural designer, professor, and head of Cinza Lua Studio.

“As part of Vizcaya’s annual Participatory Public Art program, this unique initiative aims to foster a deeper connection between the museum and the local community while promoting collaboration and artistic exploration,” said Vizcaya’s Senior Community Program Manager Rebecca Peterson.

Set and production designer Manuel Fernandez shared his expertise on the project to help bring “The Kitchin” to life on screen. The artists also gave free filmmaking workshops, teaching the art of stop-motion animation, throughout June in the Vizcaya Village.

The debut screening of “The Kitchin” will be 7-9 p.m., July 15. There will be live music by Miami string quartet, Baby B Strings, under the direction of Belinda Niling Stohner; poetry by Oscar Fuentes aka The Biscayne Poet; and behind-the-scenes videos. Tickets are $10 at https://vizcaya.org/event/

Celebrating Marlins for years and years

Special moments and creating traditions are at the heart of family. For one, it’s attending Miami Marlins games.

Members of the Nine family in Miami have been sharing their love of the game with each other for almost three decades.

Evan Nine, a single father back in 1996, wanted to give his kids Dylan, Darryn and Haley some of the same ballpark memories he had with his dad growing up. So, the Nine family attended their first game at the then-Joe Robbie Stadium and were “instantly hooked.”

Little did they know that Miami Herald photographer Walter Michot would capture that first experience.

As the story goes, the kids were bickering over who got to look out of the pair of binoculars when the photographer snapped a pic. Fortunately, it was right before the kids dropped the binoculars and they broke.

The picture made the Miami Herald front page with the headline “And Now Let The Game Begin.”

The Nine Family has attended countless games since, witnessing some of the team’s greatest moments. Dylan, Darryn and Haley even got their first jobs and grew up as Marlins’ bat kids during spring training.

And, recently, after 27 years, the trio — now adults — came back to recreate that front page picture from 1996.

“People always say to live your life through the eyes of your children. Watching these games with mine over the years has been one of my greatest blessings,” said Evan Nine, the patriarch of the family, who encourages other families to start their own traditions.

“No matter how the team is doing, we always have a great time at the games. It’s a bonding experience for our family.”

He said they hope to continue their tradition for many years to come. The oldest son has already started passing it down to his children.

Youth of the Year honored

Community partners served as judges with Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade to name Ariana Luis,17, the 2023 Youth of the Year.

Ariana, who attends Miami Killian Senior High, will graduate in 2024. She is the current president of the Kendall Club’s Keystone Chapter and has been a member since 2020. She regularly participates in park cleanups and mentors junior youth members.

“We are incredibly proud of Ariana for being named the 2023 Youth of the Year,” said Alex Rodriguez-Roig, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade.

“She has proven to be the model ambassador for Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade as she embodies the Clubs’ values including leadership, service and academic success. All of us congratulate her for her hard work and commitment to the Club and our community.”

And at its recent 12th annual “Claws for Kids,” South Florida’s top community leaders, philanthropists and influencers raised over $200,000 for Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade. The event was presented by the Carmen Rebozo Foundation in memory of Judy Kramer at Joe’s Stone Crabs. For more, visit www.bgcmia.org

Write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com with news for this column.

This story was originally published July 7, 2023 at 3:00 PM.