Experiencing Interruptions?

Miss Flores

A fiercely protective mother, Miss Flores (Pseudonym), recounts when she fled from her unstable life in Nicaragua across the U.S.-Mexico border while she was pregnant.

  • Juliana Toloza Serna
    Director
  • Beatriz Arrocha Lanzas
    Director of Photography
  • Joshua Myers
    Head Animator
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Documentary, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 14, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Colombia
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts
  • NALIP Latino media Fest
    Culver City
    United States
    West Coast Premiere
    Official Selection Audience Award
  • Atlanta Docufest
    Atlanta
    United States
    Atlanta Premiere
    Best Animated Short Documentary
  • Immigration Film Festival
    Washington D.C.
    United States
    Washington D.C. Premiere
    Best Short Animation
Director Biography - Juliana Toloza Serna

Since she was a young girl competitively roller skating in her home country of Colombia, Juliana has always kept her eye on the finish line. A lover of both animation and live-action, she refuses to be tied down to a single medium. She is an advocate for intersectionality, diversity, and representation in media. Juliana can be found reading cheesy romances at Florida State University's College of Motion Picture Arts.

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Director Statement

The concept for "Miss Flores" began with outrage. Anger towards the injustices that immigrants and refugees face every day. It was a type of anger that weighs you down and sticks to your tongue. Without any clear sense of direction, I originally sought out to inform the general public of the inaccessible immigration system of the United States.

During this time, we found that immigrants- especially undocumented ones- were afraid to share their experiences. The project came to a halt. But when the morale of the crew was at its lowest, I stumbled into Miss Flores by complete coincidence.

When I heard her story, I asked to interview her at once. It became impossible to make a documentary featuring anyone else. With such an extraordinary person hiding in plain sight, I knew I must shine a light on her story.