Private Project

Cranberry Nights

Juana's life is uprooted when her friend unwittingly reveals the secret that she's undocumented.

  • Sara Robin
    Director
    Bottled, Listeners, Am I Not Your Girl
  • Sara Robin
    Writer
    Bottled, Listeners, Am I Not Your Girl
  • Matias Letelier
    Producer
  • Sara Robin
    Producer
  • Inde Navarrette
    Key Cast
    "Juana"
    13 Reasons Why, Wander Darkly, Superman & Lois
  • Sarah Sawyer
    Key Cast
    "Kelly"
    I'm Sorry I Love You
  • David Murillo R.
    Music
    Between Sea and Land, Y Donde Es El Partido, Prime Contact
  • Casey Stolberg
    Director of Photography
    Thoroughbred, Speed, Gigi Boy
  • Jess Weber
    Editor
    Garage Squad
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 53 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, ProRes4444, Alexa Mini
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Female Eye Film Festival
    Toronto
    March 5, 2020
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Lakeshorts International Short Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    September 25, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Online New England Film Festival
    Boston
    United States
    September 8, 2020
    Best Drama
  • San Antonio Film Festival
    San Antonio, Texas
    United States
    August 4, 2020
    Texas Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Geelong International Film Festival
    Geelong
    Australia
    September 11, 2020
    Australian Premiere
    Best Director
  • LA Women in Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    September 10, 2020
    California Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Charlotte Film Festival
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    United States
    September 23, 2020
    North Carolina Premiere
    Honorable Mention – Social Justice Category
  • SCAD Savannah Film Festival
    Savannah, Georgia
    United States
    October 24, 2020
    Georgia Premiere
    Official Selection
  • St. Louis International Film Festival
    St. Louis, Missouri
    United States
    November 5, 2020
    Missouri Premiere
    Official Selection
  • San Francisco Short Film Festival
    San Francisco, CA
    United States
    October 9, 2020
    San Francisco Premiere
    Official Selection
  • HollyShorts Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    November 9, 2020
    Los Angeles Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Montreal Independent Film Festival
    Montreal
    Canada
    October 10, 2020
    Montreal Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Anchorage International Film Festival
    Anchorage, AK
    United States
    December 4, 2020
    Alaska Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Toronto Independent Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    January 4, 2021
    N/A
    Official Selection
  • Dublin International Film Festival
    Dublin
    Ireland
    February 16, 2021
  • Courage Film Festival
    Berlin
    Germany
    January 4, 2021
    Germany Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Roxbury International Film Festival
    Boston
    United States
    June 17, 2021
    N/A
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Piko Productions
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Sara Robin

Sara Robin is a German director, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles. Her work centers on stories of social empowerment across narrative and documentary formats. Sara has written and directed a multitude of projects, from her 2013 LGTBQ short Am I Not Your Girl that was screened in festivals all over the world, to her science-fiction short Listeners, a chilling tale about a world without privacy. Sara is a Fulbright Alumna, and her student work at Boston University awarded her a place in Variety’s 110 Students to Watch List in 2015.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I have lived on visas for the past 10 years of my life. I know what it feels like when your home is uncertain. When you cannot plan the future beyond the next two years. I of course put myself into that position by choice. I did it for the same reason that many undocumented immigrants come to the US: in search for a better life. And yet, I was lucky enough to have the resources to get a visa and navigate the jungle of immigration laws. The people who most need a chance for a better life rarely have the resources to achieve it legally. The odds are stacked against them.

At its core, the American Dream is the idea that if you work hard, you can achieve your goals. Yet, there are millions of young people who have grown up in the US who have no avenue to build a lasting future in this country – no matter how hard they work, no matter how much they achieve. The only home they know does not offer them a path to citizenship. Under our current administration we are no closer to fixing that, but instead DACA was rescinded and deportation efforts ramped up.

In times where the political discourse increasingly divides us, I want to make a film that reminds us about the things we have in common. I want to show an undocumented teenager who so much appears to be a regular American teenager, that it takes the audience half of the film to realize that she is undocumented. I want to create the opportunity for a young Latina actress to star in a role that moves beyond gender and race stereotypes. Amidst the exciting rise of content showcasing black talent and storytellers, nuanced Latinx characters have yet to find their foothold.

Cranberry Nights is a coming-of-age story told through the lens of the undocumented experience. On the surface, it is the story about broken trust between two friends. It raises questions of identity, what it means to grow up never being able to disclose who you truly are. The film shows Juana’s efforts to “fit in”, an experience we’re all too familiar with when we think about high school. Yet in Juana’s case the stakes are higher: going out drinking with her friends can risk everything. Telling her friend the truth, might destroy her life.

Over the course of researching and writing the film, I was lucky to get in contact with several undocumented young people. Their stories are full of sacrifice, frustration, and disillusion. But also full of hope. I am excited and honored to have several undocumented team members in our cast and crew. Having people on our team, who experienced the story we're telling first hand made all the difference!

I hope you enjoy watching the film. Thank you for your consideration!

Best,

Sara Robin