Short Film Program 3
Join us for a collection of narrative short films made by the brightest and upcoming Latinx filmmakers.
Filmmakers from various films will be in attendance to participate in a post-screening Q&A.
Sweet Potatoes
Mexico / 2021/ 30 min / Texas Premiere
Synopsis
1951, Mexico City. After synthesizing the main component of the contraceptive pill, young scientist Luis Miramontes deals with the religious and personal consequences of his groundbreaking invention.
About the Director, Rommel Villa Barriga
Rommel is a director, producer, and writer born and raised in Sucre, Bolivia. His interest in telling stories started when he was a kid, creating fictional stories about his family having superpowers and fighting poverty and corruption. Rommel has a Bachelor’s Degree in Systems Engineering, a minor in Psychology, and he recently graduated from the MFA in FIlm and TV Production program at USC with an emphasis in Directing, where he directed over 8 films and wrote more than 10 scripts.
Strong
USA / 2021 / 10 min / Sci-Fi / Texas Premiere
Synopsis
With the help of her AI dog, a sixteen-year-old girl must get her sick mother to another planet where a better life awaits.
About the Director, Jean Lee
Jean Lee is a Korean American writer/director from Allentown, Pennsylvania. A lover of global cinema and universal stories, Lee has directed in 7 languages spanning 9 countries and 5 continents. Most recently, Lee’s feature directorial debut, PECADO ORIGINAL (ORIGINAL SIN) was picked up by HBO and is the first ever Paraguayan and American co-production. Her sci-fi action series proof-of-concept STRONG is in post with support from AFI DWW, Google, the Sundance Institute, the Knight Foundation, and Panavision.
Memories of the Inhabit
Mexico / 2021 / 9 min / Documentary / Texas Premiere
Synopsis
The issue is not to occupy, but being the territory.
About the Director, Renata Arzac
Mexican director and cinematographer. She was born on 1995 in Mexico City. Attended Universidad Iberoamericana where she received a Bachelor in Communication Science. She has also taken several classes of cinematography, certificated by international schools like EICTV Cuba.
Double Cultura
USA / 2021 / 9 min / Texas Premiere
Synopsis
As the only English speaker of the house, twelve year old Marisol takes on the overwhelming responsibility of being her immigrant mothers translator. Much of her own life is disrupted to aid her Spanish-speaking mother, Gloria, navigate an English-speaking world. From fully translating medical terminology and being the bearer of bad news, Marisol is thrown into an anxiety-inducing situation being the sole channel of communication between Gloria and her doctor.
About the Director, Yessenia Sanchez
Yessenia is a Mexican-American filmmaker originally from Northern California. She specializes in editing as well as writing, producing and other aspects of post-production. Most of her current work focuses on the intersectionality of Latine/x experiences and highlighting overlooked moments of life from marginalized communities. Overall, Yessenia hopes her work sparks conversations as well as curiosity amongst viewers.
Guadalupe
Mexico / 2020 / 7 min / Texas Premiere
Synopsis
An undocumented Mexican house cleaner finds something unexpected and controversial in the homeowners’ closet and leaves an unmistakable message.
About the Director, David Barba
David Barba is a filmmaker based in Mexico City and Atlanta. His award-winning short films, feature documentaries and documentary series have played at over 150 festivals around the world, in theaters, on Sundance TV, LOGO TV, AXN Latin America, HBO Latino and BBC America and on streaming platforms.
Con Su Pluma en Su Mano: The Ballad of Gustavo Arellano
USA / 2021 / 21 min / Documentary / World Premiere
Synopsis
One of the most prolific Latino journalists in America, Gustavo Arellano, faces the challenges of a changing landscape in journalism while trying to stay true to his principles and unique voice. Gustavo Arellano was the author of the nationally syndicated column, “Ask a Mexican,” and the editor of OC Weekly. He is currently a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of their daily news podcast, “The Times.”
About the Director, Brendan Bubion
Brendan has a passion for telling stories, drawn from his multi-ethnic, Asian and Hispanic heritage. He has produced and created short documentaries about community organizations. He has also worked on projects in public media, including American Masters and Great Performances.
Museum of Fleeting Wonders
USA / 2020 / 12 min / Comedy / Texas Premiere
Synopsis
Everybody experiences moments where something feels strange and uncanny: a fluke, a glitch in the matrix, a chance incident where we are unsure if we should believe what we are seeing, where our perspective on the very nature of our world is for an instant, incomprehensible, mysterious.
The Museum of Fleeting Wonders is a film that consists of a curated collection of the smaller, less life changing moments of magic, inspired by the perspective of the human beings who witnessed them.
About the Director, Tomás Gómez Bustillo
Born in Buenos Aires, Tomás Gómez Bustillo was brought up across Argentina, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the US. After studying Political Science in Buenos Aires, he relocated to LA where he earned his MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute Conservatory. After graduating, he co-founded indie production company Plenty Good.
His latest short film MUSEUM OF FLEETING WONDERS (2020) screened at Slamdance, Tribeca, Raindance, Flicker’s Rhode Island, won the Special Jury Prize at the Florida Film Festival, Best LatinX Short at the Phoenix Film Festival and Best Narrative Short at LUFF.
Report It
Spain / 2020 / 7 min / Drama / Texas Premiere
Synopsis
File a report should be a simple procedure. But the establishment is not always willing to help. REPORT IT.
About the Director, Albert Ivars
ALBERT IVARS is a Spanish Director, Screenwriter and Editor. Degree in Audiovisual Communications, he started his career as a director in 2015, with the full-length film “100% Puro Algodón” (Honorific Mention in Querétaro Film Festival).He has produced some short films, such as “Malasaña”, “Crema”, “Radio”, “¿Quieres hacer el favor de ir de una vez?” (Notodofilmfest) and “Candela”. With “Entrevistas”, he was a finalist in Clipmetrajes Manos Unidas X Edition; and with “Ana y Belén”, got a nomination from Cuarentena Film Fest 2020.
