Exit Fee

EXIT FEE follows Skye the night she desperately tries to save her 15-year-old sister Carina from being trafficked alongside her.

  • Emil Gallardo
    Director
    1, 2, 3, All Eyes On Me
  • Emil Gallardo
    Writer
    1, 2, 3, All Eyes On Me
  • Derek Ho
    Writer
    1, 2, 3, All Eyes On Me
  • Miranda Guzman
    Producer
    No Vayas a Clase Mañana
  • Miranda Pacheco
    Producer
  • Jessica Ramirez
    Key Cast
    "Skye"
  • Alex Felix
    Key Cast
    "Carina"
    Last Days of the Lab, Netflix's Never Have I Ever
  • Keith Machekanyanga
    Key Cast
    "Two Piece"
    Showtime's Your Honor
  • Hannah McKechnie
    Key Cast
    "Bliss"
  • Alain Emile
    Composer
    Mara Has Three Jobs in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mancha, A Place In The Field
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 47 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 9, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • HollyShorts
    Los Angeles
    August 17, 2023
    World
Director Biography - Emil Gallardo

Emil Gallardo is an Oscar-qualifying Mexican-American writer/director from Los Angeles. He's a 2023 CDDP Finalist, an HBO Directing Fellow, and the recipient of Panavision's Future Filmmaker award. He has been recognized for his ability to tell evocative stories that stand out for their authenticity and willingness to confront uncomfortable truths. Emil's latest film, EXIT FEE is no exception.

The success he had on his first festival run was a surprise with 1, 2, 3, ALL EYES ON ME winning the Grand Prix Best Film award at HollyShorts, a Jury Award at the Austin film festival, Best Short at the NY Latino Film Festival and being nominated for a John Singleton Impact Award. In June of 2023, clips of the film also went viral on TikTok, being seen over 40M times.

Emil's excited to be back with EXIT FEE, a short that challenges misconceptions about sex trafficking.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

EXIT FEE is being made to challenge the pervasive misconceptions about why young women fall into prostitution and why they stay.

This story was written alongside Caridad "Cari" Johnson, our story consultant. Cari was trafficked at the age of 14 and many of the experiences portrayed in EXIT FEE come directly from her life, including the ending.