Private Project

Let Life Happen 10 min version

"Let Life Happen" previously known as "Life in the Key of Delusion" is an autobiographical account of a day when I had to do one of the most difficult things any son or daughter should have to do, choose one parents welfare over the other's. My personal "Sofie's Choice" so to speak. It was the day I had to move my father into a Senior Care facility, but the film is also about healing and the journey back from that day.

  • Daniel Bolero Zaldivar
    Director
    In the Heights Broadway
  • Jeffrey Nunez
    Key Cast
    "Robert Rivera"
    In the Heights
  • Joseph Thome
    Key Cast
    "Cesar Rivera"
    n/a
  • Daniel D Zaldivar
    Key Cast
    "Lydia Rivera"
    Roughly Speaking
  • Daniel Bolero Zaldivar
    Writer
  • Daniel Bolero Zaldivar
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 31, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    250 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    I Phone
  • Aspect Ratio:
    15.9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Spotlight Short Film Awards
    Atlanta
    United States
    Gold Award Winner
  • Lift Off Global Network

    Firsts TIme Filmmakers Selection
  • Indie Short Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Semi-Finalist Best Mobile
  • Indie Short Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Semi-Finalist Best Short
Director Biography - Daniel Bolero Zaldivar

Daniel Bolero Zaldivar, AKA Danny Bolero is a native Angelino who hails from East Los Angeles. As a professional actor he has appeared on Broadway , in films, television and commercials. He made his Broadway debut in Joseph in 1993 and moved to New York in 2009 to work with the brilliant Lin Manuel Miranda in IN THE HEIGHTS which he toured with throughout the country, including our very own Pantages theater.
He recently originated the role of Manuel in The Public Theater's MISS YOU LIKE HELL, (soundtrack available) . He is a first time film maker and is now obsessed to learn more and create more stories that need to be told.
" As Latinos move more and more into the mainstream, its imperative now more than ever to tell our stories, to see ourselves represented. I was taught and have always believed that "dreams can come true" and it's what has driven to move forward. Films, theater, music and books have been my inspiration, they set me free, gave me wings. With the current political climate our voices must be heard,. It is important to have projects written by Latinos, produced by Latinos about Latinos so that the next generation can have a foundation to fly from. . Mold the next Lin or Lina Miranda, because they are out there." As an actor, Danny has two films due to be released in 2019, Rapid Eye Movement and Low Tide.. He will be appearing in the new comedy American Mariachi for the Arizona Theater Company and is happy to get out of New York and head for warmer weather.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Well to start off, this is my first time producing, writing, directing, filming and editing anything even close to a project like this. I make my living as a professional actor. I moved to New York in 2009 to join the Broadway company of Lin Manuel Miranda’s IN THE HEIGHTS and decided to stay and I must say as much as I miss LA, New York has been good to me. As an actor, I knew it was only a matter of time until I felt the itch to dabble on the other side of the lens. If I had to say why I put all the effort into making a short film, the first thing that comes to mind is that I am and have always been a storyteller and secondly this story is a part of my soul, and in a lot of ways by making this film, I have been able to close old wounds, . This film is a true story based on a performance piece I wrote in 1998. It was originally written for the one man show I was creating, but it never seamed to fit. It needed to be it’s own thing. So it sat in my external hard drive for 20 + years. Outside of my close friends, this is the first time my baby breaths air. The performance piece it's based on and about a day in my life that I thought I would never recover from. One of the hardest and most painful things I've ever had to do. The day I had to place my father in a senior care facility. For four years I was caregiver to both my parents who were diagnosed with Alzheimers. In the fourth year, my mother was diagnosed with Lung Cancer and given 3 months to live. With her chemo treatments, and round the clock care and his behavior becoming more uncontrollable , it became necessary to place my father in a home. A Sophies Choice so to speak, choosing the welfare of one parent over the other. But the short is also about moving forward, and discovering that there is no right or perfect way to life, neither mother, fathers, sons or daughters come with a book of rules, its learn as you go. It was shot bare bones on an I phone 7, with a 350 dollar budget. I had never produced, cast, directed, edited, written, filmed or designed anything even close to a short.
It has been an amazing experience because I created something that I never thought was possible. It has really opened my eyes to the art of film making, it takes a lot of hats to make a film, believe me,,,I barely tried them on. Now that I am bitten by the bug, I am thinking of my next project. As an actor, I have created roles, moments but as a director/writer I get to create relationships, worlds and paint them in the colors I want to use. That's an amazing way to tell a story.