Documentary about councilwoman debuts to cheers

PROVIDENCE — In the opening scene of the documentary “Councilwoman,” Carmen Castillo, who represents Ward 9 on the Providence City Council, is seen pushing a large cart of cleaning supplies through a hallway at the Omni Hotel and pulling a vacuum cleaner behind her. 

Dressed in a grey uniform, the councilwoman, who has been a housekeeper at the hotel for nearly 25 years, enters a room to change the sheets, wipe down the furniture and vacuum.

“To me, this film, it's about Carmen, but it’s actually about a lot more,” director Margo Guernsey of Time Travel Productions said from the auditorium stage at the Providence Career and Technical Academy after the premiere of the film on Saturday night. “It’s about the fact that working people rarely have a voice in public policy decisions. 

“Representation matters, and I hope this film can help bring more conversations to the table to talk about that,” she said.

The Providence premiere of the documentary attracted dozens of community residents, as well as Castillo’s family members and hotel coworkers. Many Providence City Council members attended, as did state politicians, including U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, General Treasurer Seth Magaziner and Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea.

The film, which is just over an hour long, documents Castillo’s political journey from her start in politics, organizing her coworkers into a union.

Highlighted in the documentary is one of Castillo’s signature efforts on the council, the Fight for 15, a push to pass a $15 minimum wage for hotel workers in the city.

Castillo, who is from the Dominican Republic, is seen in the film working tirelessly to organize workers and collect signatures to get the wage question on the ballot. But her attempts were quashed when the General Assembly passed a budget that contained language prohibiting cities and towns from setting their own minimum wages.

The movie doesn’t just show Castillo’s work as a politician. It follows her through her daily life and portrays moments of heartbreak as well as joy. Scenes of her singing in the car, shopping at yard sales and Hula-Hooping in the kitchen with her family help the viewer get to know her as a person.

“It shows the humane part of her,” said Esther Narvaez, 56, of Providence, who has been friends with Castillo for 13 years. “It doesn’t just show the politician. It shows Carmen Castillo the human. It shows Carmen Castillo the person.”

Audience members stood up, cheered and clapped during a scene depicting Castillo’s reelection victory in 2014. On screen, Castillo jumps up and down, dances and sings in the street when the results come in.

“Carmen is a lot of fun to film,” Guernsey said. “She says she’s not good on camera, but she’s always dancing and singing.”  

After the screening, City Council President Sabina Matos said she hoped the film would inspire more people to run for office.

“That’s why we need to have more people representing us that care about the working class, that care about our neighborhoods,” she said. “Because that way, we're going to be able to work together and accomplish things for our neighborhoods and for the working class.”

Members of the public can request to host their own screenings of “Councilwoman” through www.councilwomanfilm.com. The film will also appear on the Public Broadcasting Service this fall.

— mlist@providencejournal.com

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