Experiencing Interruptions?

Quiet Hands

Amidst a birthright trip, a young man searches for love and friendship in a neurotypical world.

  • Andrés Taboada
    Director
    Alta California
  • Andrés Taboada
    Writer
    Alta California
  • Andrés Taboada
    Producer
    Alta California
  • Raphael Bono
    Key Cast
    "Rafi"
  • Angeline Jara
    Key Cast
    "Leah"
  • Justin Danyal
    Key Cast
    "Ezra"
  • Evan Kessler
    Key Cast
    "Yuval"
  • Raphael Bono
    Executive Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy, Dramedy
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 28 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 6, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Andrés Taboada

Andrés Taboada was born in Perú, where he stayed until a scholarship sent him off to finish high school in Germany. After receiving a Bachelor's degree in Biology in California, and working as a teacher in Southeast Asia, he eventually came back to the States, and Miami is where he performed stand-up comedy for the very first time while pursuing a Master's in Education. Andrés now lives in Los Angeles, where he won the Funny and Foreign-Born Showcase at the Glendale Comedy Festival. He also won the award for Best Comedic Actor at Miami WebFest and was a finalist at the World Series of Comedy. He then turned his focus towards his first feature film, a bilingual dramedy called "Alta California," which he wrote, produced, and directed with a budget of only $5,000. Andrés won the award for Best Directorial Debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I met Raphael Bono in a production sound class at our local community college. At the end of the semester, equipped with the material we had just learned in class, his acute sensitivity to music, and a five-minute training on the barebones sound equipment I could afford, he recorded and mixed the entirety of our first feature film.
Over the years, Raphael has shared his experiences with Autism, and how it has affected his relationships with his peers. After his birthright trip to Israel and a romantic interest that was not reciprocated, we saw a story there and decided to make this short film, this time with him stepping in front of the camera as the lead.
I appreciated how open Raphael was when talking about autism. Whenever I tried to avoid overstepping his boundaries, he would immediately shut down any hesitation and welcomed my questions, willing to be vulnerable and help me understand the complexities of his navigation through the spectrum. In “Quiet Hands,” Israel and birthright serve as the neurotypical setting to a neurodiverse coming-of-age story.