Join us for a special advanced screening of the acclaimed film We Can Be Heroes, co-hosted by Rosendale Theater and Harana Market. Q&A with the filmmakers to follow. Popup gourmet concessions by Harana Market.
Rosendale Theater @ 408 Main Street, Kingston NY 12401
Sunday July 27th
Concessions begin at 6:30
Screening 7:30-9:00
Talkback with filmmakers 9:00-9:30
We Can Be Heroes A group of neurodivergent, queer, and self-proclaimed nerdy teenagers find solace at a LARP (live action role play) summer camp. They discover inner strength, heal from traumas, and emerge as their own heroes: both in fantasy and in reality.
We Can Be Heroes
Directed by Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons
Sometimes, finding your tribe requires a bit of magic. For attendees of a live action role-playing (LARP) camp in upstate New York, the deeply accepting environment has given neurodivergent, queer, and self-proclaimed "nerdy" teenagers the space and community for self-discovery that they have never found anywhere else. As the campers immerse themselves in this imaginative world, they discover inner strength, heal from past traumas, and emerge as the heroes they are meant to be, both in the fantasy realm and in real life.
Winner of the SXSW Special Jury Award for Bravery and Empathy, We Can Be Heroes perfectly captures and celebrates the small, fleeting, but profoundly formative moments that make up the most intense years of adolescence, with a little help from foam swords.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Carina Mia Wong is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist. She's driven to tell stories that highlight the misunderstood, the psychology of healing, and the power of magical thinking.
Her documentary directorial debut, We Can Be Heroes, won SXSW’s 2024 Special Jury Award for Bravery and Empathy, Nevada City Film Festival’s Best Feature Documentary Award, Woodstock Film Festival's Audience Award. Described by The Hollywood Reporter as “a documentary that will make your heart swell,” the film will be distributed in Summer 2025.
Carina began her career at Vice on HBO, where she earned two Emmy Awards and a New York Press Club Award. Other credits include HBO's We're Here and National Geographic's Trafficked. Carina is a regular speaker at American University's School of Communications and was a presenter at the 2023 Ferenczi International Conference on Psychoanalysis in Budapest. She's a student at the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicine.
Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Carina’s a proud daughter of Filipinx and Chinese immigrants. Today, she's based between Brasília and New York.
Alex Simmons is an award-winning director and producer. We Can Be Heroes is his firstfeature documentary. He is also a producer on Karol G: Tomorrow was Beautiful, Netflix’s documentary about the global music icon. Simmons is a co-founder of Muck Media, nominated for 29 Emmys in 2025, and has directed series for Apple TV+ (Dear...) National Geographic (Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller) and Univision (Chasing El Chapo).
His non-fiction work has been nominated for Emmys and the Livingston Award for Young Journalists, and he is a recipient of the Overseas Press Club Award. Previously, he wrote and directed the indie narrative film Buddymoon, which won the Audience Award at Slamdance and was released theatrically by Orion Pictures. Beyond film and television, Simmons has also helmed music videos and concert films for artists including Death Cab for Cutie, Sigur Rós, Yasiin Bey, and The Shins.
The Wayfinder Experience is a live-action role-playing company based in Kingston, New York. They run summer camps, events, school programs, and workshops for teens, children, and adults. The centerpiece of our programs is the Adventure Game, a transformative experience that challenges players physically, mentally, and emotionally, while immersing them in an exciting world of fantasy.