Chasing The Cure

Synopsis

Chasing the Cure follows a group of young New Yorkers who come together to fight the effects of the pandemic on their community, including Tomas Ramos, a 2020 Congressional candidate who refocuses his efforts and community-building abilities towards tackling the challenges the Bronx faces that were being exacerbated COVID-19. Eventually, Ramos launches a nonprofit with the help of his friends, Jason Autar and Cyrille Njikeng, and together through the Bronx Rising Initiative, they tackle one of the biggest challenges of the pandemic – getting New Yorkers vaccinated.

The film gives an up-close and personal look at how the early days of COVID-19 impacted New York City, its poorest borough and the country’s historically marginalized communities. Taking us through the ups and downs of pandemic response, the film brings together activists, community members and healthcare workers fighting to vaccinate and heal their community. Chasing the Cure reminds us that, together, we can conquer all and rise together.

Trailer

Filmmakers

Cyrille Njikeng

Director

Cyrille Njikeng works as a Managing Director at the Oyate Group’s Bronx Rising Initiative. He has a passion for community engagement and hopes to continue positively engaging youth and inspiring the Bronx community through filmmaking.

Greg Parker

Assistant Director

Greg Parker is one of the co-founders of Top Notch Cinema. He is an Emmy award-winning producer who understands video production for business. Over the past two decades, he has dedicated himself to the complete understanding of Cinematography, Editing, and Sound.

Marco Vitale

Editor

Marco Vitale is an award-winning filmmaker with over 10 years experience in cinematography. During his career, which includes filming the Obama’s meeting with Castro in Cuba back in 2016.

Cast

Tomas Ramos

Tomas Ramos

Founder and President

Tomas Ramos is the founder and president of the Oyate Group and all its initiatives. Tomas founded the Oyate Group in July 2020 to address the effects of the pandemic on his community and has since fought food insecurity in the Bronx, created a sought-after scholarship for Bronx youth headed to college and launched the organization’s COVID-19 vaccination initiative, leading to over 40,000 New Yorkers being vaccinated in 2021.

Jason Autar

Jason Autar

Chief Operating Officer

Jason Austar is the chief operating officer of the Oyate Group and all its initiatives. He oversees the programmatic work of the organization and all of the nonprofit’s staff. Jason has been featured in local, national and international media and has been recognized as one of New York’s top Black leaders and executives by Crain’s New York and a Black Leader Worth Watching by Diversity Journal.

Lymarie Francisco

Lymarie Francisco

Project Manager

Lymarie Franciso is the Oyate Group’s project manager, overseeing the organization’s field work for its Bronx Rising Initiative and Uptown Rising Initiative. She and her team have knocked on over 10,000 doors to sign New Yorkers up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and fight vaccine hesitancy and led to 40,000 New Yorkers being vaccinated.

Richard Hernandez

Richard Hernandez

Outreach Coordinator

Richard Hernandez is an outreach coordinator for Oyate Group’s Bronx Rising and Uptown Rising Initiatives. In his role, he has conducted door-to-door outreach in public housing to sign up residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and fight vaccine hesitancy.

Israel Otero

Israel Otero

Outreach Coordinator

Israel Otero is an outreach coordinator for Oyate Group’s Bronx Rising and Uptown Rising Initiatives. In his role, he has conducted door-to-door outreach in public housing to sign up residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and fight vaccine hesitancy.

Melanie Pena

Melanie Pena

Outreach Coordinator

Melanie Pena is an outreach coordinator for Oyate Group’s Bronx Rising and Uptown Rising Initiatives. In his role, he has conducted door-to-door outreach in public housing to sign up residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and fight vaccine hesitancy.

Nelson Washington

Outreach Coordinator

Nelson Washington is an outreach coordinator for Oyate Group’s Bronx Rising and Uptown Rising Initiatives. In his role, he has conducted door-to-door outreach in public housing to sign up residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and fight vaccine hesitancy.

Reviews

There was a lot of skepticism during that period for our community and the way they captured that, I really love that part of the documentary. 

Doralyn De Dios Brito 

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It was inspiring to see people get together to improve their communities and make change.

Diógenes Brito 

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To see it play out in film was to relive a lot of the good things that we did together…specifically cater to all people of color in my community

Edwin Rosario Mazara
Director of Communications office of state senator Robert Jackson 

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These are stories that are often untold. During the pandemic the media was covering just the loss.

But no one was covering how an organization was literally knocking on doors and saving lives.

Janet Peguero
Deputy Bronx Borough President 

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We have so much work to do to uplift the families in the Bronx and this is a great reminder of the work we need to do. 

Paola Martinez
Programing Strategic Program Development Catholic Charities 

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Media

Awards