ABOUT
THROUGH THE NIGHT is an intimate cinema verité portrait of three working mothers whose lives all intersect at a 24-hour daycare center: a mother working the overnight shift as an essential worker at a hospital; another holding down three jobs just to support her family; and a woman who for over two decades has cared for the children of parents with nowhere else to turn.
A tender portrait of titanic strength, love, and selflessness, THROUGH THE NIGHT showcases the multiplicity of “women’s work” -- paid, underpaid, and unpaid; emotional and physical; domestic and career-oriented -- all while negotiating the terms of a dignified existence under the three arrows of racism, sexism, and capitalism in America.
Directed and produced by Loira Limbal, a Sundance Institute Fellow and a former Ford Foundation JustFilms/Rockwood Fellow.
Trailer
FILMMAKER
Photo by Erin Patrice O’Brien
LOIRA LIMBAL
DIRECTOR & PRODUCER
Loira Limbal is President & CEO of Firelight Media, a nonprofit organization that supports, resources, and advocates on behalf of documentary filmmakers of color. She is a multidisciplinary artist who works in documentary film and video installation and as a DJ. Her films include Through the Night (2020) (Tribeca Film Festival, du-Pont Columbia Award, and NYT Critic’s Pick), which aired on PBS’ POV Series, and Estilo Hip Hop (2009), which aired on PBS. Her recent accolades include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Creative Capital Award, a USA Fellowship, a NAACP Image Award nomination, and a Sundance Institute Fellowship.
FILM PROTAGONISTS
Deloris “Nunu” Hogan and Patrick “Pop Pop” Hogan
Co-founders and primary care providers at Dee’s Tots Daycare in New Rochelle, NY. Deloris and Patrick, affectionately known as “Nunu” and “Pop Pop” to the hundreds of children they’ve cared for over the years, continue to provide the safety net needed by so many working parents.
Marisol
Marisol is a working mother whose children have grown up at Dee’s Tots. Marisol’s story is marked by the search for one reliable job in order to spend more time with her children. Her children are now ten and fourteen years old. Marisol is currently working six days a week for a supermarket supply company.
Shanona
Shanona is a pediatric ER nurse whose children have grown up at Dee’s Tots. She is currently juggling the responsibilities of remote learning for her 2nd and 4th graders while working on the frontlines of the pandemic.
Lt. Gov. Hochul Visits Dee’s Tots to Thank Providers
Premiering during the height of the pandemic, Through the Night became an educational tool for meaningful dialogue:
Highlighting the urgent realities of home-based child care on a statewide level, then-Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul visited Dee’s Tots in New Rochelle to meet Deloris "Nunu" Hogan, spend time with the children, and thank providers directly. Click here to watch a video clip from their visit.
The film was embraced as an educational tool for decision makers:
$2.4 billion in child care funding: Following screenings organized with statewide child care partners for New York legislators, the state passed a historic budget allocating $2.4 billion in child care funding—including $1.26 billion in direct provider stabilization grants.
Historic Dialogue: Partnering with six statewide organizations, we organized screenings and live discussions with legislative leadership, including the Chairs of the Senate and Assembly Committees on Children and Families.
Educate Decision-Makers in Your Community:
Download our Legislative Screening Toolkit & Case Study for practical guidance on organizing a screening and discussion.
