2021 LUZ WIP Lab
The Philadelphia Latino Film Festival’s Third Annual Luz Work-in-Progress Lab is an opportunity for local and international filmmakers to present their work, network, and gain access to critical resources. The Lab allows for filmmakers to present films at various stages of the production process. This year, PHLAFF is proud to present four films and a panel discussion. Panelists include Peter Decherney (Professor of Cinema & Media Studies at the University of Pennsylvania), Beni Matias (Independent Producer and Founding Member of NALIP), Emily Abi-Kheirs (Marketing & Engagement Manager at Women Make Movies), and Kristian Mercado Figueroa (Independent Filmmakers).
* Please note that Mataron A Pedro by Kristian Mercado is not included in the panel recording.
LUZ WIP Lab Projects
Dear Sofia
Melanie Silva
Dear Sofia — In-Development
Dear Sofia is cinematic documentary about Melanie's—a 37 year old filmmaker—journey as mother and advocate of her daughter Sofia—a 5 year old girl diagnosed with Autism in 2019. After over a year of being together everyday, without much contact with other people due to the pandemic and, while working full time in her career and as a mother, Melanie must now prepare her daughter, and herself, for the next chapter in Sofia's life: entering Kindergarten. Though this life change is the primary focus of Dear Sofia, it is important to note 2 other things: Melanie is pregnant with her second child and the birth of Sofia's brother will no doubt shake up the family dynamic and we also see the struggles Melanie faces with being a "perfect" parent for her Autistic daughter while also trying to keep up with her work in film and video. She is at a crossroads and is considering the possibility of putting her career on pause to dedicate herself full time to supporting Sofia, which is something she is not 100% sure she wants to do.
Mataron A Pedro*
Kristian Mercado
Mataron a Pedro — In-Development
In the 1930s, a Harvard-educated black Puerto Rican faces off with the white Chief of Police on the island over island-wide strikes. What happens next forever alters the future of a colonized island.
* Although Mataron a Pedro was presented during the Luz Work-In-Progress Lab, it was not recorded during the virtual session embedded above. Kristian Mercado also served as a panelist to review the other filmmaker projects.
InVade
Eunice Levis
InVade — Post-Production
InVade is a bilingual (English / Spanish) Sci-fi short about an undocumented scientist and his son who try to stop an environmental disaster. Dominican Ultrasonic Engineer Dr. Ramon Luna comes out of hiding when he discovers a correlation between the government’s testing of super ultrasonic powered drilling in the Pennsylvania Appalachian mountains and low scale earthquakes along the coastal northeast. When the government plans to move forward with a full scale drill, Ramon’s only hope of stopping the drill is to convince an old colleague to present his evidence of the impending disaster. When that fails, all hell breaks loose and it’s up to Ramon and his 8 year old son Rudy to warn the public and stop the drilling.
Nació Simón
Pati Cruz
Nació Simón — Post-Production
Nació Simón seeks to get to know Lis and their drag persona, Simón. It explores the drag show not only as entertainment, but also as an artistic manifestation of the performer. Lis is shown in their daily life: working, taking care of her kids as a young/queer/non-binary mother, surviving the colonial landscape of the island, and how their identity faces or opposes the heteronormative society (one filled with prejudices and violence in its gender roles). The documentary explores the blurry lines between who is Lis and who is Simón–their differences and meeting points, delving into the birth or construction of Simón. The process is shown via scenes formed in a verité style, and casual conversations between Lis/Simón and the filmmakers. Toward the second half of the film, there is also an added element of fantasy within the reality we are looking to portray.