El Soldado De Marbach © 2020

Logline: After returning from Afghanistan, a forsaken veteran plays a perilous game of chess with Death in order to see his brothers who died in battle, whether they were killed in combat or battling PTSD.

Brief Synopsis: Specialist Antonio Joaquin Bloquear, or The Soldier, returns from Afghanistan to a land that murders the people he swore an oath to protect. He plays chess with Death in order to see his fallen companions. Over the course of the film, he comes across addiction, police brutality, and racism in a fantastical version of America. The Soldier also meets Esperanza in a loveless alleyway after saving her from an attack. With her by his side, the Soldier learns how to reconnect with other people on a journey to finally be with his family. Will the Soldier meet with his family or will he succumb to the deadly game he started?

LOC: PAU 4-067-706
WGA-E: I344074
WGA-W: 2113934

  • Arturo Javier Mireles
    Writer
    Marbachumentary (2020), El Camaroncito (2020),Green Revolution: Proof of Concept (2019), Simple Solution (Art Mireles,2017)
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Genres:
    Drama, Neo-realism, Fantasy, Race
  • Number of Pages:
    114
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 2021 Military Script Showcase
    Los Angeles, California
    April 5, 2021
    Official Selection
  • 2021 Spotlight Award Nominee
    Hollywood California
    March 25, 2021
    Courage & Fortitude Award Nomination
  • 2021 American Screenwriting Conference
    Sacramento, CA
    June 20, 2021
  • 2021 Sacramento International Film Festival
    Sacramento, CA
    May 15, 2021
  • 5th Annual Stage 32 Sci-fi and Fantasy Screenwriting Competition

    Quarterfinalist (still in consideration)
  • 14th Annual StoryPros Awards

    Quarterfinalist
  • 2021 Mindfield Film Festival- Albuquerque

    Semi-Finalist (still in consideration)
  • The Film Empire Diversity Mentorship

    Quarterfinalist (still in consideration)
  • MACRO Feature Screenwriter Incubator

    Second Round (still in consideration)
Writer Biography - Arturo Javier Mireles

From San Antonio, Texas, Arturo Javier Mireles graduated with great honors from the College of Arts and Media at the University of Colorado Denver during the Global Pandemic. He thrives under extreme pressure, something attributed to being a combat infantryman, and has a drive instilled by overcoming his own struggle growing up off Marbach. When he was a student attending the Science and Engineering Academy at John Jay High School, Arturo specialized in film and television being a part of the World of Jay Entertainment News, or WJEN. Arturo now specializes in Writing, Directing, Producing, Editing, Cinematography, Sound Design, & Production Management.

Developing dozens of films, work-shopping treatments for a few of them, I plan on producing my own films. My goal is to own and operate my own studios in San Antonio, Texas, in order to create the art I want to see on screen as well as assist other in the creation of their art as a means to add diversity in cinema.

Featured at:
2017 San Francisco Veteran Film Festival (Simple Solution)
2018 Denver Silent Film Festival (Prey)
2018 Portland Comedy Film Festival (Colorado’s Comedian)
2019 Colorado International Cannabis & Hemp Film Festival (Green Revolution: Proof of Concept)
2020 Rivercity Underground Film Festival (Marbachumentary)
2021 Ethnografilm Festival (Marbachumentary)
2021 Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition Semi-Finalist & Award Nominee (El Soldado De Marbach)
2021 Colorado International Cannabis & Hemp Film Festival (Green Revolution: Senior Thesis)
2021 Military Script Showcase (El Soldado de Marbach)
2021 Austin Lift-Off Film Festival (Marbachumentary)
2021 The Film Empire: The Industry Next - Finalist (El Camaroncito)
2021 Sacramento International Film Festival (El Soldado de Marbach)
2021 American Screenwriter's Conference (El Soldado de Marbach)
2021 Mindfield Film Festival - Albuquerque (Marbachumentary)
2021 Mindfield Film Festival - Albuquerque (El Camaroncito)
2021 Mindfield Film Festival - Albuquerque (El Soldado de Marbach)
2021 Mindfield Film Festival - Albuquerque (Until Valhalla)
2021 Mindfield Film Festival - Albuquerque (Green Revolution)
2021 StoryPros Awards - Quarterfinalist (El Soldado de Marbach)
2021 San Antonio CineFestival (Marbachumentary)
2021 San Antonio CineFestival (El Camaroncito)
2021 Stage 32 Sci-Fi / Fantasy Screenwriting Competition Quarterfinalist (El Soldado de Marbach)
2021 StoryPros Awards Quarterfinalist (El Soldado de Marbach)
2021 The Film Empire: Diversity Mentorship Finalist (El Soldado de Marbach)
2021 MACRO x The Blacklist Screenwriter Incubator (El Soldado de Marbach)

Add Writer Biography
Writer Statement

This script took a lot out of myself to write. After reviewing the first 18 pages of what I wrote just before my senior year, I felt a need to finish my vision. Much like "The Seventh Seal" (Ingmar Bergman, 1957) my soldier returns to a land plagued by racism and an opioid epidemic and it was a global pandemic that made the scourge of the story hits me even harder after every read.