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.

  • Miguel Angel Caballero
    Director
    Broken Sunflower Hearts
  • Miguel Angel Caballero
    Writer
    Broken Sunflower Hearts
  • Miguel Angel Caballero
    Producer
    Broken Sunflower Hearts, Cry Now, Love Concord
  • Sal Lopez
    Key Cast
    "Salvador"
    Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick), American Me (Edward James Olmos), Silver City (John Salles).
  • Luis Aldana
    Key Cast
    "Anthony"
    Big Bang Theory, Broken Sunflower Hearts, Cry Now
  • Matias Ponce
    Key Cast
    "Sam"
    Criminal Minds, Zoot Suit
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 8, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Mexico
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Morelia International Film Festival
    Morelia
    Mexico
    October 24, 2019
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Cannes Film Festival - American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker's Showcase
    Cannes
    France
    European Premiere
    WINNER: Best LGBTQ Short
  • Sedona International Film Festival
    Sedona
    United States
    February 29, 2020
    U.S. Premiere
    WINNER: Best Short Drama
  • Los Angeles International Latino Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    May 15, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Outfest Fusion
    Los Angeles
    United States
    March 1, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Reeling Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival
    Chicago
    United States
    August 15, 2020
    WINNER: Silver Image Award
  • aGLIFF - Austin
    Austin
    United States
    August 12, 2020
    WINNER Audience Award: Best Short
  • QFilm Long Beach
    Long Beach
    United States
    November 10, 2020
    WINNER: Best Short (Audience Award) // WINNER: Best Director (Jury Award)
  • Highland Park Independent Film Festival
    Highland Park
    United States
    October 10, 2020
    WINNER: Best Short // WINNER: Best Score
  • Shorts Mexico
    Mexico City
    Mexico
    September 16, 2020
    WINNER: Jury Mention
  • Out on Film
    Atlanda
    United States
  • Outfest
    Los Angeles
    United States
  • Inside Out
    Toronto
    Canada
  • Washington DC International Film Festival
    Washington DC
    United States
    October 8, 2020
    Winner: Special Commendation
  • Barcelona International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
    Barcelona
    Spain
  • Festival Mix
    Mexico City
    Mexico
  • OutfestPeru
    Lima
    Peru
Director Biography - Miguel Angel Caballero

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.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

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.