Bronx Teen’s Award-Winning Film On Incarceration And Redemption Heads To Newark

An 18-year-old Bronx filmmaker’s documentary about his mentor’s journey from incarceration to art, which has won awards across the U.S. and Canada, will soon be featured in New Jersey.

“Tyrone,” directed by Monroe University student Shavoy Alcock, has been selected to screen at the Newark Independent Film Festival on Aug. 15. The 5-minute, 27-second short won recognition from the Toronto Short Film Festival, the Los Angeles Film Awards, and a Telly Award – an accolade given to renowned filmmakers like Spike Lee and Ava DuVernay.

The film tells the story of Tyrone Grant, an artist who reflects on his life and hardships growing up on the streets of New York City, multiple incarcerations at Rikers Island and losing his mother at age 13. Despite his struggles, the film shows Grant seeking a more righteous path after incarceration, pursuing a career in the arts and finding a new life as a painter.

“I don’t consciously set out to create anything. It’s just something that just happens. I can’t describe it,” Grant said in the film. “It’s a feeling. I do what comes natural to me.”

Though “Tyrone” is his directorial debut, Alcock told New Jersey Urban News that his professors believed in the documentary enough to submit it to various film festivals. Alcock said receiving the accolades for “Tyrone” felt “very surreal,” as he never thought he would have an award-winning short documentary at such a young age.

“It was a complete shock to me,” he added, “but I am so glad that [my professors] believed in me and my classmates, and everybody that was on the production team believed in us enough to send them out to film festivals, and just being there for us.”

Emmy Award-winner Dorothy Toran, one of the producers of “Tyrone,” said the recognition reflects the strength of the student production team behind the film because “festival recognition of this caliber is an achievement many filmmakers spend years pursuing.”

“For a student team to earn awards and selections across North America with a first major film project speaks volumes about their talent, determination, and commitment to authentic storytelling,” Toran said in a written statement.

Originally from Elizabeth, Jamaica, Alcock moved to the Bronx at age 14. He always held a passion for short filmmaking, he said. The young director is minoring in Entertainment Media at Monroe University in a program led by Toran and Jacob Huddleston. 

Alcock directed “Tyrone” as a class assignment, where he had to choose a person whose story he felt needed to be highlighted. For his project, Alcock thought of Grant, whom he had met two years beforehand as his teacher in a Manhattan teen art program. As Grant supported him in his artistic pursuits, the duo formed a friendship where Alcock learned about his mentor’s past.

Alcock credited his classmates and teachers who helped him develop “Tyrone,” saying he found the people and space he needed to learn and express himself creatively.

“It was all of us, our first time directing, producing, doing different stuff on a production set. So it was a great learning experience, because I didn’t feel alone,” said Alcock. “I didn’t feel at a disadvantage, because people knew more than me. They made sure that everybody was, essentially, up-to-date with everything and made sure that we [had] a clear understanding of what was going on.”

“Tyrone” will be screened during the seventh block of the Newark Independent Film Festival on Aug. 15 at 2 p.m. The festival, billed as a “premier destination for independent filmmakers,” will expand Alcock’s growing audience for “Tyrone.”

As “Tyrone” continues to gain recognition at festivals, Alcock encouraged other aspiring filmmakers to pursue their passion and tell the stories they feel need to be told.

“Believe in yourself,” said Alcock. “Don’t doubt yourself, and… try your best to have a great community around you that can help support you and your ideas.