Acuitzeramo
Salvador, a gay Mexican elder who has lost his partner of 15 years, calls his partner's estranged son, Anthony, to tell him of his father's passing. Unaware of their relationship, Anthony travels from Chicago to a small rural town in Mexico to attend his father's funeral. As family secrets are exposed, identities and perceptions are challenged.
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Miguel Angel CaballeroDirectorBroken Sunflower Hearts
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Miguel Angel CaballeroWriterBroken Sunflower Hearts
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Miguel Angel CaballeroProducerBroken Sunflower Hearts, Cry Now, Love Concord
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Sal LopezKey Cast"Salvador"Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick), American Me (Edward James Olmos), Silver City (John Salles).
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Luis AldanaKey Cast"Anthony"Big Bang Theory, Broken Sunflower Hearts, Cry Now
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Matias PonceKey Cast"Sam"Criminal Minds, Zoot Suit
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:15 minutes 40 seconds
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Completion Date:August 8, 2019
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:Mexico
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Language:English, Spanish
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Shooting Format:RED
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Aspect Ratio:1.85
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Morelia International Film FestivalMorelia
Mexico
October 24, 2019
World Premiere
Official Selection -
Cannes Film Festival - American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker's ShowcaseCannes
France
European Premiere
WINNER: Best LGBTQ Short -
Sedona International Film FestivalSedona
United States
February 29, 2020
U.S. Premiere
WINNER: Best Short Drama -
Los Angeles International Latino Film FestivalLos Angeles
United States
May 15, 2020
Official Selection -
Outfest FusionLos Angeles
United States
March 1, 2020
Official Selection -
Reeling Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film FestivalChicago
United States
August 15, 2020
WINNER: Silver Image Award -
aGLIFF - AustinAustin
United States
August 12, 2020
WINNER Audience Award: Best Short -
QFilm Long BeachLong Beach
United States
November 10, 2020
WINNER: Best Short (Audience Award) // WINNER: Best Director (Jury Award) -
Highland Park Independent Film FestivalHighland Park
United States
October 10, 2020
WINNER: Best Short // WINNER: Best Score -
Shorts MexicoMexico City
Mexico
September 16, 2020
WINNER: Jury Mention -
Out on FilmAtlanda
United States -
OutfestLos Angeles
United States -
Inside OutToronto
Canada -
Washington DC International Film FestivalWashington DC
United States
October 8, 2020
Winner: Special Commendation -
Barcelona International Gay & Lesbian Film FestivalBarcelona
Spain -
Festival MixMexico City
Mexico -
OutfestPeruLima
Peru
Miguel Angel Caballero is an award-winning writer/director. Son of Mexican immigrant farmworkers, he grew up both in the U.S. and in Mexico, traveling back and forth each year and attending school in both countries. He received his bachelor's degree from the school of Theater, Film & Television at UCLA. His latest short film 'Acuitzeramo’ won the Imagen Award for ‘Best Short.’ It premiered at the Morelia International Film Festival and also won 'Best Short' at the Sedona International Film Festival (2020) and 'Best Short' audience award at aGLIFF - Austin. It is an official selection of the Emerging Filmmaker's Showcase at the American Pavilion in Cannes (2020). The film was also a finalist for the Cine Sony film competition for Sony Pictures. His previous film, 'Broken Sunflower Hearts,’ garnered over five awards internationally and was named by Remezcla Magazine as one of the year's 'Best Short Films’ by U.S. Latino directors. He co-wrote the critically acclaimed stage play 'Melancholia,' which had a successful run in Los Angeles and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, where it was nominated for Amnesty International's Freedom of Expression Award. Miguel Angel produced the feature film ‘Cry Now’ which featured actress Lupe Ontiveros in her final role. He also produced the short film ‘The Invitation,’ which aired on the Showtime Network. Miguel Angel co-wrote and produced the PSA 'Know Your Rights' for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), which became one of their most widely distributed and viewed tool for immigrant rights. Miguel is an Outfest 2019 Screenwriting Lab Fellow and co-founder of Cabaldana Alchemy.
With “Acuitzeramo,” I set out to explore a segment of our community that is rarely taken into account; gay Latinx elders.
I grew up bi-nationally, in Acuitzeramo, a small rural town in Michoacan, Mexico and in Pauma Valley, a small town in San Diego County in the U.S. I lived half a year in each country until the age of 13. As I grew older, I began to wonder how many men and women were gay in these small towns. And wondered how many were forced to go through the motions of heterosexual life. At a younger age, I do clearly remember some men and women that were single all their lives. I always thought they never married because they didn’t find a mate; but then as I grew older, I realized that perhaps they did not feel comfortable being with the mate they truly wanted.
I began to explore a story of two elderly men living together in isolation because of fear of not being accepted by their families and children. Then I thought about what it would be like if one of the men passed away after a decades-long relationship. This film tells the story of Salvador, a gay elder in a small Mexican town who loses his partner of over 15 years. The story begins with the partner’s estranged son, Anthony, showing up at Salvador’s doorstep for his father’s funeral. The situation immediately created an interesting dynamic where two strangers, an elderly gay man from Mexico and a young man from Chicago, were forced to interact. Both men are tested to see if through love, empathy, and tolerance they can bridge a generational, cultural, and class gap.
So often in many areas of society, it seems like our elders, especially our queer elders, are pushed aside and forgotten. I wanted to tell this story in hopes of reviving respect for this segment of our community and remind us that it is precisely at this time in their lives that they are need of compassion and love.