Private Project

Bye Luna

Michael is trying to teach his seven-year-old daughter, Luna, their native tongue. As Luna resists to speak in Spanish, an abrupt hostile confrontation presents itself to both Michael and Luna. Michael's experience that evening will give him an unexpected reality of fatherhood.

  • Alexis Duran
    Director
    Chato, I Will Return
  • Alexis Duran
    Writer
  • Alexis Duran
    Producer
  • Jose Yenque
    Key Cast
    "Michael"
    Traffic, Lucifer, Miss Bala
  • Amani Solorio
    Key Cast
    "Luna"
  • Lolly Boroff
    Key Cast
    "Mean Lady"
    Blue Thunder, South of 8, Sweet Taste of Souls
  • Lucas Williams
    Director of Photography
  • Daniel Castro
    Music Composer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 57 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 18, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    900 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - SDSU
  • Campus Movie Fest
    San Diego, California
    United States
    November 7, 2019
    North American Premiere
    Jury Winner
  • Cannes Film Festival
    Cannes
    France
    May 23, 2019
    European Premiere
    Marché Du Film Selection
  • Sunday Shorts Film Festival
    London, England
    United Kingdom
    July 14, 2019
    Semi-Finalist
  • Miami Independent Film Festival
    Miami, Florida
    United States
    September 28, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Chihuahua International Film Festival
    Chihuahua, Chihuahua
    Mexico
    November 15, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji International Film Festival
    Pune, Maharashtra
    India
    December 28, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Show Me Justice Film Festival
    Warrensburg, Missouri
    United States
    May 1, 2020
    Official Selection
  • San Diego Latino Film Festival
    San Diego, California
    United States
    March 14, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Latino Film Market
    New York, New York
    United States
    June 17, 2020
    Official Selection
  • SPLICE Fim Fest
    New York, New York
    United States
    June 19, 2020
    Winner
Director Biography - Alexis Duran

Alexis Duran is an award-winning filmmaker and educator residing in San Diego, CA. As the founder of Oxford&Claire Productions, he’s filmed and directed short documentaries for clients such as: OnlyGoodTV, Barcroft Media(Truly), BBC Three, PBS and Business Insider. Alexis has a background in television news broadcasting where he's worked for NBC San Diego 7 as an operations technician. Alexis is an adjunct professor in the Film, Television & Media Arts department at Southwestern College. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Film+Digital Media from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an MFA in Film&TV Production at San Diego State University.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I wrote the screenplay to, Bye Luna, in the wee hours of the morning on a November day of 2018. There were two on-going instances that were occupying my mind for some time as well evoking an emotional reaction- fear. The first is, with our current social-political climate towards individuals for speaking Spanish in the U.S., and the rise of online video sharing of those choosing to act in a hostile and aggressive manner towards Spanish speakers has become inescapable. I personally experienced it during my childhood in subtler ways that resulted in a direct effect till this day. One part of the film deals with handling such a confrontation with pride and class. It’s the way I envisioned myself handling a situation of that degree in present time. The second instance on my mind was the fear of becoming too attached to my girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter and dealing with prospective situations between her daughter and her biological father. I was experiencing something completely new that I had never envisioned for myself. In the second half of the film, it shows the emotional heartbreak of what a boyfriend/stepparent can go through.