Private Project

Bibi

After receiving the unexpected news of his father Ernesto’s death, Ben Solis is forced to return to the Texas countryside he used to call home. On his way there, he discovers a stack of old letters from correspondence he shared with his dad. The memories triggered by these letters are both good and bad. They help explain the chasm between them, a chasm created after Ben comes out to Ernesto. Just when he’s lost all hope of finding closure, Ben finds one last letter left by his dad. The mysterious letter explains why his father became distant. He also offers a powerful way of making amends as long as Ben is willing to forgive.

  • Victor M. Dueñas
    Director
    Teach Me Tiger
  • J.M. Longoria
    Writer
  • Victor M. Dueñas
    Writer
    East Los High
  • Edward Enriquez-Cohen
    Producer
    ¿Existes?, A Force of Nature, Suripanta, Take My Wife, Fifty Pills, Ellen
  • Vanessa Perez
    Producer
    Paraíso, Miss Bala (Mexico), Come Out and Play, Cesar Chavez,
  • Victor M. Dueñas
    Producer
  • J.M. Longoria
    Producer
    Bushido Battleground, A Force of Nature
  • J.M. Longoria
    Key Cast
    "Ben Solis"
    Miracles from Heaven, Sin Vergüenza, General Hospital, The Fix, The Real O'Neals, Mulaney
  • Academy Award Nominee Adriana Barraza
    Key Cast
    "Licha Mendoza"
    Babel, Amores Perros, Cake, Dora the Explorer, Rambo 5: Last Blood, The 33
  • Omar Leyva
    Key Cast
    "Ernesto Solis"
    Ice Box, American Crime, McFarland USA, Shameless
  • Carmen Cabana
    Cinematographer
    Vida, Narcos (Season 2), Sterling (HBO Short) , ¿Existes?, A Force of Nature
  • Southern Poverty Law Center
    Executive Producers
    Viva La Causa, Bullied
  • Luie P. Garcia
    Production Designer
    Cesar Chavez, In This Gray Place, Dead House, Mosquita y Mari
  • David Rodriguez Estrada
    Editor
    ¿Existes?, Suripanta, A Force of Nature, The 33, Miracles from Heaven
  • Jen Martin
    Costume Designer
    Vice, A Wrinkle in Time, Dunkirk, American Sniper, Genti-fied
  • David Murillo R.
    Composer
    Between Sea and Land, A Billion to One, Nefertiti's Daughters
  • Blanca Valdez
    Casting Director
    East Los High, Sin Vergüeza, Tattooed Love
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 25, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    45,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri ALEXA Mini (Digital)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Austin Film Festival
    Austin, Texas
    United States
    October 25, 2019
    Austin Premiere
    Official Selection
  • L.A. Shorts International Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    July 20, 2019
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Shorts Mexico - International Short Film Festival
    Mexico City
    Mexico
    September 6, 2019
    International Premiere
    Official Selection
  • South Texas International Film Festival
    Edinburg
    United States
    September 6, 2019
    Texas Premiere
    RGV Awards: Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Actor /Official Selection
  • Seattle Latino Film Festival
    Seattle
    United States
    October 3, 2019
    Northwest Premiere
    Official Selection - In Competition
  • Nosotros and New Filmmakers LA Screening Series
    Los Angeles
    United States
    August 26, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Central American International Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    December 5, 2019
  • San Diego Latino Film Festival
    San Diego, CA
    United States
    March 14, 2020
  • Guadalajara International Film Festival
    Guadalajara
    Mexico
    March 26, 2020
    Guadalajara Premiere
    Official Selection - Premio Maguey
  • Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival
    Houston, TX
    United States
    April 17, 2020
    Houston Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Victor M. Dueñas

Victor M. Dueñas is a Mexican-American writer and director based in Los Angeles. He attended Pomona College where he studied Media and International Relations. Upon graduation, he wrote, produced, and directed several short films including "Teach Me Tiger". A few years later, he entered the educational world working as an elementary school teacher. After teaching for almost a decade, Victor had the great fortune of joining the writing team of the Emmy-nominated series "East Los High" as a Development Assistant. He used his experience as an educator to entertain audiences while giving authenticity to the show's storylines. Victor has been part of GLAAD's screenwriting program, a fellow of the National Hispanic Media Coalition's TV Writers Program sponsored by ABC and NBC, and won a highly-coveted spot in Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's inaugural Imagine Impact Program of 26 international content creators out of 4,200 hopefuls. In 2019, he was selected as a Disney ABC Writing Program Finalist.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The origin of "Bibi" can be traced to my partner J.M. Longoria’s unique relationship with his father. When he was very young, J.M. had difficulty expressing himself verbally so his dad said, “if you can’t speak it, write it.” This began a letter-writing tradition that lasted over a decade. These letters covered many of life’s most difficult topics - from puberty to the Columbine massacre to coming out – and were honest depictions full of heart and oftentimes pain between two men.

Using J.M.’s experience as inspiration, I thought it was important to tell a narrative short story about a father and a son who have a falling out but find an alternative way to reconcile other than in-person. I feel uniquely qualified to tell this story because, not only am I a gay Latino man who also came out via a letter, but I’m a former educator who worked closely with teen Latino boys, many of whom had deep communication issues. I'm proud of the impact "Bibi" has had so far because it falls in line with my overall aspirations of creating film projects that move, excite, and inspire global audiences in the way my idol Pedro Almodovar has.

Visually, "Bibi" is a unique film because I incorporated innovative transitions to jump in time between the past and present. The themes I’m most trying to express with "Bibi" are those of acceptance and forgiveness. And while this film begins with the news of death and loss, it’s the belief in rebirth that I hope audiences will leave with. Thankfully, this message resonated with national civil rights organization Southern Poverty Law Center who funded the film and Academy Award nominated actress Adriana Barraza who connect with the story so strongly that she accepted our invitation to join our cast without any reservations.

"Bibi" has had the honor of screening at three Oscar-qualifying film festivals - LA Shorts International Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, and the upcoming edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG). It’s also screened at Seattle Latino Film Festival, Shorts Mexico International Film Festival in Mexico City, Central American Film Festival, San Diego Latino Film Festival, the 2020 Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival, and South Texas International Film Festival (STXIFF) where it won three of their RGV Awards: Best Short Film, Best Director, and Best Actor.

- Victor M. Dueñas