December 17, 2018
FEMINICIDIO IS FINISHED.
"FEMINICIDIO", my short film, is finally finished. After all these months, these past two years, my creative child is ready to be put out into the world. I'm planning to screen it here in El Paso sometime in February; I still have to find a venue, as well as have the courage to submit it into film festivals.
Hopefully I will have it out on VOD later on this year - she needs a moment to step forward, breathe, and then present herself to everyone.
Cheers!
May 09, 2018
"FEMINICIDIO" FILM SCREENING!
"Feminicidio" and "Cuarenta y Tres (43)" will be screening this Friday at the Gene Siskel Film Center in the 2018 Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Film Festival (what a mouthful)!! I'm so thankful to all of my friends, family and supporters who have made this a reality, and to all my mentors and teachers who kicked my butt (which, in turn, led to my success!). Though this is nowhere near the finish line for "Feminicidio", it is definitely many steps forward in the right direction.
If you happen to be reading this, and you happen to be in Chicago this Friday, May 11, please stop by and watch my film, which premieres between 8:00pm-9:20pm!
For more information on the 2018 FVNMA Film Festival click here
For my bio page on the Film Fest website click here
April 16, 2018
ALMOST FINISHED! (BUT NOT REALLY...)
Hello everyone!
Yes, I AM alive!
In the period of time that I've been missing, I've also taken a hiatus from social media and focusing all my efforts on my film. I'm nearly finished with the middle section of "FEMINICIDIO", the dream sequence, and it will be screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center for the FVNMA Film Festival , along with with "Cuarenta y Tres (43)" on the 12th of May. The remaining portions of "FEMINICIDIO" will be finished in time for the Princess Grace deadline in September.
And on a side note, I'm graduating in less than a month! I am SO excited, and I cannot wait to start a new chapter in my life, outside of the shackles of education.
Some goals after graduation:
- cook more and learn cool recipes
- travel more
- play more music
- make more friends
- reconnect with old acquaintances
- be more adventurous
- live my best life!
- and more...
I'll be updating this NEWS section more frequently now that I have a bit more breathing room, so stay tuned!
December 15, 2017
ANOTHER AWARD! DEADLINES!
Hi everyone! Some more exciting news!
I applied for a grant here at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago called the Idea Generation Grant, provided by student government, and I am very happy to say that I have been selected as a grant recipient! The funds, of course, will go towards funding "Feminicidio", and hiring people to help me with post-production, as well as with the sound design. I now realize it's a lot of work to do all on my own, so I applied for this grant in hopes of getting help from fellow artists! Yay for hard work!
In other news, I have received the (fast-approaching) deadlines for the FVNMA film festival next Spring - and was told I have to be within 20% of my total running time by March 19th. MARCH 19th. I have to be done with 80% of the film by March 19th.
Crazy. Talk.
I can see myself pulling many all nighters next semester, despite dedicating most of the spring to the film. Luckily, the final, final version is not due to the Princess Grace Foundation until September. I'll keep you all updated as time ensues.
Pray for me, everyone. Pray for me.
November 13, 2017
WE'RE MOVING FORWARD!
Update! It's been a minute, but it's been a busy, busy semester here in Chicago! I didn't actually receive my funds from the Princess Grace Foundation until the end of October, which was incredibly frustrating, to say the least - BUT, I have now had my beautiful, 27 inch edge to edge Cintiq for a week and I could not be happier with the product. It's making my life easier and now moving the film along at the pace I want it to be, so I'm confident that I'll be getting a lot more done over the holiday breaks.
On that...animation (YES! Actual moving images!!!!) has officially begun, and I could not be more ecstatic. Seeing Lorena come to life is seriously amazing.
Voice over work has also begun, and I will be doing voice over for other characters within the next few weeks.
More updates will ensue!
P.S. I'm thinking of starting a Patreon...I wonder if people would be interested?
August 24, 2017
WORK AND FUNDS
I have officially signed the contract with The Princess Grace Foundation - USA to receive the funds for "Feminicidio". A nerve-wracking experience, most definitely, especially because this means that I now have no other choice but to finish the film. I, of course, have no problem with that, but the experience gave me a hit of reality that I think I needed in order to get the film rolling.
I should be receiving the funds by the end of August, and I'm so unbelievably excited to finally be able to afford a proper, professional drawing tablet. Since starting my artistic career, it's been my dream to own a Wacom Cintiq; now, I won't have to spend nights in the animation studio at school! No more sleeping on the floor, under the tables!
On a separate note, my last summer as a college student is coming to a close, as I prepare for domestic students to move in this upcoming Sunday into the Residence Halls. I'll be honest - with all of the responsibilities I have to balance this year (18 credit hours, internship, SRA work, and thesis film), I'm pretty nervous about managing everything and getting it all done properly for the fall semester. However, with everyone's amazing support...I'll make it.
Here's to hoping.
July 25, 2017
PRINCESS GRACE FILM HONORARIUM & MORE
Y'all remember that I applied for a Princess Grace Award a few months ago? Well, after a few weeks of having to keep it secret, I'm finally allowed to say that I am a recipient of a 2017 Princess Grace Film Honorarium! While it's not the same thing as a Princess Grace Award, I still have the great honor of officially being part of the Princess Grace Foundation and its' family of amazing artists, and I get grant money for "Feminicidio"! This amazing journey has just opened up so many, many doors for the future, and will give me the chance to share even more stories that should be heard! So I would like to thank all of my mentors and FVNMA (Film, Video, New Media, and Animation) staff at SAIC for nominating me and believing in my work, as well as the Princess Grace Foundation for giving me the opportunity to make and share this story. And, of course, a huge THANK YOU to my amazing and wonderful friends, family and supporters who believe in my work and encourage me everyday to keep moving forward. Three steps forward, and no steps back!
On a quick side note, I had the first interview! Unfortunately, still no list - and, understandably so, it looks like there might not be one. As I mentioned in the previous post, the voice recording will be in "The Making Of: Feminicidio" next year, as all of them will be. "Feminicidio" is more than just a thesis film, and I want you all to see and be part of this journey. Updates will ensue!
Princess Grace Foundation 2017 Press Release
July 09, 2017
INTERVIEWS
After a much needed hiatus and short summer vacation, I'm excited to get back to working on my film! And within the next week - some more research! Although I've done all my reading and done as much as I could with academic journals and articles alone, Inmujeres has, unfortunately, not gotten back to me at all with the materials that I requested.
I really want that list of names, so with the help of some connections, I've managed to book an interview with a journalist from Ciudad Juarez that has written several pieces on femicide, and another interview with a woman who is a women's rights activist and an advocate for victims of femicide.
Due to serious safety concerns, I will not be disclosing the identities of those who will be interviewed; they were kind and brave enough to come forward and let me ask them some very difficult questions, for the sake of this story to be shared and spread awareness.
The voice recordings from the interview will be featured in "The Making of: Feminicidio", which will (hopefully) come out next Summer, after the film is screened in Chicago.
But for now, back to the drawing board.
June 09, 2017
ARTICLES & JOURNALS ON FEMICIDE
As I've mentioned before, I've been reading articles and journals about femicide in Mexico, and I'd like to share a few, in case anyone is interested. Just click the links below!
"Femicide in Mexico" by the Flores Family:
https://survivingmexico.com/2016/10/24/ni-una-mas-not-one-more-femicide-in-mexico/
"Ni Una Más, Not One More: Activist-Artistic Response to the Juárez Femicides" by Benita Heiskanen:
"Feminicidios de Juárez, Disparados en Sexenio de Calderón" by Lourdes Godínez Leal:
http://www.losangelespress.org/feminicidios-de-juarez-disparados-en-sexenio-de-calderon/
The journal by Benita Heiskanen, in my opinion, is one of the more interesting ones, but maybe that's just the artist-activist in me talking.
June 08, 2017
RESEARCH & INMUJERES
Over the past year and a half, I have been doing an extensive amount of research for Feminicidio; reading countless articles, peer-reviewed journals, witness testimonies, and now I am trying to get in contact with the National Institute for Women (InMujeres) in Mexico to get a list of names of women who have been victims of femicide, as reported by their families or otherwise. I've been searching for this list for quite a few weeks now, but what I'm looking for has, unfortunately, not come up on the internet.
Luckily for me, I'm back in El Paso and can cross the border to Juarez to see if any women's groups or organizations that focus on femicide know where I can find the information and list that I'd like to integrate into the film. I'm looking to include as many of the victim's names as I can in the credits, so that these women are recognized and remembered not just by myself and their families, but around the country as well.
I also spent roughly $200 on supplies for two background pieces for the film today.
Updates will ensue.
InMujeres:
June 01, 2017
PRE-PRODUCTION & PGA NOMINATION
Feminicidio is finally finalizing its pre-production stages; the main story is complete, storyboards and dialogue are in their final edits, and within the next few weeks, I will begin the background paintings for the film. To avoid major spoilers, I'll refrain from uploading the story until after the film is finished.
The project was nominated by the Film, Video, New Media and Animation Department (FVNMA) at SAIC for a Princess Grace Award (PGA) from the Princess Grace Foundation. Out of the entire institution, only one undergraduate and one graduate student are chosen for this prestigious award. I am so incredibly honored to have been chosen by the department and humbled by their confidence in me and my work. Today (June 1st, 2017) I finished submitting the application materials, and I now wait for a panel from the Princess Grace Foundation to decide whether or not they would like to invest in the creation of this story.
For more information on the Princess Grace Foundation: