A newly arrived Hispanic immigrant struggles with starting a new school year in the US when a language barrier and a hostile social environment do not welcome her.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT: In this film, I share not only my own but also the experiences of my former ESL peers learning how to live in a new country with new people, culture, and language while trying to be teenagers. These experiences have often been traumatizing and have informed the way we socialize and live our lives to this day.
English language learners are also the fastest-growing student subgroup in America, yet we have seen little to no representation of them in popular coming-of-age films or teen dramas from the last decade. I hope that this short can be a source of hope and a promise that everything will be all right for any ESL students out there right now.
An MXR FILMS Production
Starring Sara Michelle Rubio, Trish Powell, Hannah Olsen, Christopher Jimenez, Harry Baines, Ciro Saravia, Sameer Garach, Chad Mundo, Xavier Ingram
Producers: Gabriela Delgado and Athená Polymenis
Writer/Director: Marlon Rubio Smith
1st AD: Athená Polymenis
2nd AD: Shaye Wattson
Script Supervisor: Miguel Araiza
Casting Director: Marlon Rubio Smith
Director of Photography: Garrett Zartman
1st AC: Sofia Leal
BTS Photographer: Brandy Frausto
BTS Videographer: Nicole Ayen
Production Design: Catarina Flores
Art Director: Fernanda Loeza Gonzalez
Wardrobe Supervisor: Ximena Sifuentes Chavez
Chief Lighting Technician: Lou Bertram
Sound Mixer: Marco Calzada
Boom Operator: Sofia Reyes
Editor: Marlon Rubio Smith
Colorist: Garrett Zartman
Composer: Noah Salem