Bigger

A coming-of-age story that revolves around Elena, a Latina teen dealing with body image, living in a dysfunctional Latinx household, and finding her own voice and following her dreams amid it all.

  • Melissa Morales
    Director
    “Linda & Luis”, “Honeypie”, “Perfect”
  • Melissa Morales
    Writer
  • Melissa Morales
    Producer
  • Anani Santos
    Key Cast
    "Elena "
  • Milagros Colon
    Key Cast
    "Carmen "
  • Rebecca Escobedo
    Key Cast
    "Valentina "
  • Hannibal Romero
    Key Cast
    "Julio"
  • Shenisha Mitchell
    Key Cast
    "Aaliyah"
  • Marquis Ellis
    Key Cast
    "Jay"
  • Alejandro Buritica
    Key Cast
    "Chris "
  • Lauryn Savela
    Key Cast
    "Tanya "
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Coming of age, Drama
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 28 seconds
  • Production Budget:
    12,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    BRAW
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - CUNY Brooklyn College
  • Brooklyn College 41st Annual Film Festival
    Brooklyn, NY
    United States
    May 31, 2023
    NYWIFT Emerging Female Filmmaker Award, Film Festival Official Faculty Select

  • NYIFA Best Student Director June 2023
Director Biography - Melissa Morales

Melissa Morales (she/her) is a Brooklyn, New York based multifaceted filmmaker and multimedia content creator. She is a current New Wave Member of NYWIFT and a Latina, first generation alum from CUNY Brooklyn College with a BA in Film Production.

Melissa has written, directed, & produced four short films in 2022; her latest film, her thesis “Bigger”, was one of the top scoring films in the 41st Annual Brooklyn College Film Festival (May 31st, 2023) and voted as a Faculty Select Screening, where she was awarded the New York Women In Film & Television Emerging Female Filmmaker Award and awarded with a NYWIFT Next Wave Membership.

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Director Statement

I have always been someone who loved stories. Growing up, I would write countless poems and short stories, and was inspired by the hundreds of books I read. Now, I’m making some of my dreams come through with the content I create and through this, I am creating my own story.