Grovite films 'A New Dawn' documentary in Grove   February 2, 2019

Left: Manny with Ileana Bravo; right, Manny with his niece Angie Sigler.

Grovite Manny Soto shot a documentary this past Sunday and Monday at the Mayfair Hotel. It's called "A New Dawn" which is a documentary depicting the lives of Cubans departing and arriving into the United States as they escaped from the Castro Communist Regime in the early and late sixties and seventies.

There was a cocktil party and meet and greet the night before. The documentary will premiere in the fall at the Tower Theater and may run through some film festivals around the country.

"Most Cubans arrived into Miami but many went to New York, New Jersey and Chicago. It was a very traumatic time in our life’s because we had to leave everything that we knew behind including our life style and in most cases family," says Manny

"Most did not speak English and found themselves in an unwelcome environment. Not all Americans were rude or offensive to us but we did hear many times, 'Why don’t you go back in your banana boat'?"

Children of these immigrants are the ones who are telling the stories in the documentary.

Each story will be different. The setting will be different but the longing to belong and the desire to get ahead were all the same.

Well-known newswoman Ileana Bravo does the film interviews and Angie Sigler, Manny's niece, owner of Moisture Rid Company, funded the film.

Manny and Marta Alvarez at Grove Fine Art, who sponsored the wine and champagne.

Mi and Two Book reading,   Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Kids show up on a rainy weekend for book reading

The Loft hosted local author Manny Soto last weekend for a children's book reading. Manny wrote the book "Mi & Two." It's about Two, the bulldog and his friend Mi.

About two dozen children and their families showed up on a rainy day to enjoy the reading. There were cupcakes, juice and other goodies for the kids and Mimosas for the parents. And as a surprise, Two showed up to say hello!

There are still signed books available for purchase at The Loft at 3190 Commodore Plaza. They open daily at 11 am.

The Loft: http://www.theloftmiami.com/