Private Project

Last Days of the Lab

A mother and daughter sift through old memories as they prepare to permanently close down their family's photo lab.

  • María Alvarez
    Director
  • Ethan Newmyer
    Writer
  • María Alvarez
    Writer
  • Taryn Nagle
    Producer
  • Po Wei Su
    Producer
  • Alex Felix
    Key Cast
    "Isabel"
  • Arianna Ortiz
    Key Cast
    "Lucia"
  • Juan Francisco Villa
    Key Cast
    "Hugo"
  • Lena Waithe
    Executive Producer
  • Rishi Rajani
    Executive Producer
  • Naomi Funabashi
    Executive Producer
  • Doménica Castro
    Executive Producer
  • Constanza Castro
    Executive Producer
  • Veronica Bouza
    Cinematographer
  • Eve Axness
    Production Designer
  • Emily Hadley
    Editor
  • Mikhaela Zabalerio
    Costume Designer
  • Sebastian Sack
    Composer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 53 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 12, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Tribeca Festival

    United States
    June 12, 2023
    World Premiere
    Tribeca Rising Voices Program
  • Indeed Rising Voices
    Los Angeles
    Indeed Rising Voices - Season 3 Grantee
Director Biography - María Alvarez

María Alvarez is an internationally recognized Cuban-Dutch filmmaker. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a BFA in Film & Television Production. Her films have screened at dozens of festivals such as the San Francisco International Film Festival and Cleveland International Film Festival, won awards from institutions such as Google, and screened in museums like MoMA.

Her short film, ‘Split Ends,’ was a 2021 Horizon Award Finalist, premiered at the NALIP Latino Media Fest, and then went on to screen at the Cannes Court Métrage and NewFilmmakers LA hosted by the Academy. Her short film, ‘did i look cuban then?,’ premiered at the 2022 Santa Barbara International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary at NFFTY.

María is a 2023 Rising Voices fellow (Hillman Grad / Indeed), where she directed and co-wrote her latest short film, “Last Days of the Lab.” The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and has gone on to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival and HollyShorts Film Festival.

María is a freelance director and photographer in the narrative, music video, and commercial space working for clients such as Nike, Netflix, and more. She is currently in the 2023 Sundance Institute Latine Collab Scholarship program where she is developing her feature film script, “Guava Tree.”

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