Lucia & Nicole, 10min., USA
Directed by Marlene Emilia Rios
On the cusp of adulthood Lucia finds her childhood friend Nicole living on the street. Houseless after coming out, Lucia’s mother Ximena invites her into their home. However, Nicole’s re-appearance into their lives raises questions about their own daughter’s identity and how to respond to Lucia and Nicole’s re-connection.

https://instagram.com/huelgamedia

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

I wanted to make this film because growing up I had this idea of romance that came from my grandparents’ stories of how they met, their serenading—and I’d sit in my living room and watch ‘A Walk in the Clouds,’ and I’d dream of romance. As I grew older, I realized there were no depictions of this for queer love. There wasn’t a vision of the future to latch on to. It seemed to only exist to me in vague, whispered possibilities. Very rarely do we actually get to see romantic films about queer relationships. I wanted to make something that was an ode to those moments and those films I loved as a child, ‘A Walk in the Clouds,’ ‘Pride & Prejudice’ but that existed in a world that was grounded to me. And I knew I wanted to showcase the beautiful community of Albuquerque that had welcomed me as a student and seems to be in constant celebration of identity. I wanted to make the kind of story you could imagine your grandmothers or your cool old aunts telling you someday about how they met long ago, and how their romance blossomed over the years.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I was pleasantly surprised to see how people connected with the story, this film is a departure from my previous work, and I think of this film as coming from the more romantic and idealistic part’s of myself and I’m glad to see that recognized. I’d love to live in a world full of empathy and community care and I very consciously chose to reject certain narratives and stereotypes when writing and directing this project because I wanted to show that, and it’s really gratifying to see people appreciate that. It’s always meaningful to see when your intent comes through and when people are able to connect to a story that feels so personal to you. As storytellers we always strive to connect with people and stir an emotion within them, but with shorts, it’s often hard to gauge impact. Sometimes they live only in private screenings or online. Being able to hear from an audience is especially valuable in this sense.

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