Venturing onto the Bronx River is a launching point for these teens.

Twice a week, teenagers make the trek to an after-school program in the Bronx where they learn how to build boats, sail, and monitor fish. Once seen as a symbol of decay, and still afflicted with pollution, the river is now becoming an urban oasis where young adults are launching into adulthood. The film follows students as they explore the city’s waterways and learn to navigate adolescence.

An intimate and universal coming of age story, Stay the Course explores how to find one’s voice through unique ways of self-expression.

Stay the Course was co-directed with Teresa Cebrían Aranda and premiered at DOC NYC 2022.