Barriga Llena, Corazón Contento (Full Belly, Happy Heart)
Directors: Jordana Rubenstein-Edberg and Marshall Hanig
Crew:Producer & Writer: Natalia Fuentes. Co-Producers: Antonio Vaca, Beatriz Perez.
Email:jordana@understorydocs.com
Synopsis
Barriga Llena, Corazón Contento (Full Belly, Happy Heart) is a chorus of stories from the organizers of Fenix Community Fridge, a grassroots food pantry in Ridgewood, Queens, run out of a local car service. The film interweaves migration journeys, home-made meals, and the everyday acts of care that bind a community together.
About the directors
Jordana Rubenstein-Edberg - Jordana Rubenstein-Edberg (she/her) is a documentary filmmaker and community-engaged artist; she collaborates with activists and policymakers to share narratives that challenge dominant histories and imagine liberatory futures. Jordana holds a degree in Human Rights Journalism from Bard College and an MFA in Social Practice from the Corcoran School of Art. Through her documentary production company, Understory Docs, she shares stories as tools of resilience.
Marshall Hanig - Marshall Hanig (he/him) is a socially-engaged filmmaker and journalist based in Ridgewood, Queens. His path to documentary filmmaking was forged through involvement in grassroots organizing and community radio. Marshall co-produced the feature documentary film Homegrown, which premiered at Venice Critics’ Week. He also served as an Impact Producer for the award-winning short film Water Warriors (POV).
Filmmakers' note
Created by filmmakers and organizers Jordana Rubenstein-Edberg, Marshall Hanig, and Natalia Fuentes Amaya through the UnionDocs Collaborative Studio Fellowship, this film documents the care, resilience, and collective effort that sustain grassroots mutual aid. Our collaboration grew from a shared interest in Ridgewood’s vibrant network of community groups that emerged during the pandemic, and from time spent with organizers at the Fenix Community Fridge, where food distribution becomes something deeper: a space shaped by shared experiences of migration, loss, resilience, and love for community.
Our time at Fenix was guided by presence, listening, and relationship-building. As organizers share stories—from personal loss to treasured family recipes—food becomes both anchor and metaphor, opening space for reflections on migration, identity, and belonging. As one organizer told us, sometimes you have to “hold the line.” Barriga Llena, Corazón Contento is a meditation on that holding—the rhythm of collective care and the nourishment that comes from feeding and being fed in community.