Shorts 1: For a Better Life
Presented by ACLU of Texas
The Houston Latino Film Festival is proud to present a collection of short films about social injustice with ACLU of Texas as host. The screening will be followed by a discussion with some of the filmmakers in attendance.
FREEDOM
USA / 2017 / 2 min / World Premiere
Synopsis
Freedom addresses the empathy crisis toward immigrants by showing how the concept of living free with no borders applies to car commercials but not when it comes to human beings.
About the Director
Yuri+Ana is the name of the duo of directors composed by Yuri Sardenberg and Ana Monteiro. Married, the couple has a long and fruitful career in South America as fashion photographers, having shot covers for GQ magazine, Glamour, VIP, L’Officiel, among others, with models like Ana Beatriz Barros, Cynthia Dicker, Thaila Ayala and Bruna Marquezine, and for clients like Coca-Cola, Adidas and Dolce & Gabbana. Their directorial debut, the short film “Libertad”, won the Best Cinematography award at ARFF Berlin International Film Awards.
IT’S GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL
USA / 2018 / 9 min / Houston Premiere
Synopsis
Eight prototypes for a border wall stand on the US-Mexico border. To choose a winning design, Border Patrol officers and the military will attempt to climb dig under or breach the structures using techniques employed by immigrants and drug dealers.
ONE OF THE THOUSANDS
USA / 2018 / 13 min / Houston Premiere
Synopsis
Two Mexican refugees with different beliefs are forced to embark on a crossing border journey to America when they meet a third guy in the desert who has no water.
About the Director
Qianzi Gao, an award-winning director based in Los Angeles. She was born in a border city in the South of China. She did Bachelor’s in Film Producing from Beijing Film Academy and recently got MFA in Film & Television Production from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. She is working mainly as an independent director, screenwriter, and editor.
FENCED
USA / 2018 / 23 min / Texas Premiere
Synopsis
After the detention of a trailer truck carrying illegal immigrants goes wrong, a border patrol officer opens fire and ends up killing a little child. The officer will have to decide between his duty or the chance to help the mother that wants to say goodbye to her child.
About the Director
Rodrigo Zan has spent time living in Australia and Indonesia, and traveling all over South America by car, giving him perspective and invaluable experience learning from other cultures. He’s has spent years honing his craft, earning degrees in Multimedia, Fine Arts, and Art in Advertising from the reputable PUC-SP, Panamericana School of Arts, and the New York Film Academy. Now based in Los Angeles, he continues to create work as a cinematic reflection of life. Many have described his rare style as raw yet riveting.
CATALINA
USA / 2018 / 14 min / Texas Premiere
Synopsis
An 11 year old girl learns to fend for herself while her undocumented mother spirals in fear of being deported.
About the Director
Paola is a writer and director who also freelances as an assistant director. Her latest film, Catalina, received recognition from the Directors Guild of America where she won an award in the best women filmmaker category at the student awards. The film will be playing at film festivals worldwide in 2019. Paola’s previous works include At Last, Verity,and Night Talks. She is currently in post-production with a horror short she directed, Otttie,and a documentary,Full of Fay. She is currently in the running for a spot in the Directors Guild of America Assistant Director Training Program.
LIBRE
USA / 2018 / 12 min
Synopsis
Undocumented immigrants forced to spend months in detention are turning to private companies to secure their release on bond. In exchange, immigrants pay exorbitant monthly fees for a GPS ankle monitor they can’t remove.
About the Director
Anna Barsan is a filmmaker, writer and editor based in Brooklyn, NY. Barsan’s work has been featured at Camden International Film Festival, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans, and published by Field of Vision, NBC, and Democracy Now! Her current directing and editing projects include documenting immigrants living in sanctuary throughout the U.S. and the emergency management of the Detroit public schools.
