Private Project

Separation: Short Film

On their last morning together, a father must say goodbye to his wife and six-year-old daughter before being deported back to Mexico.

This story is fiction, but it was inspired by a true story in Michigan. An immigration judge allowed an undocumented father and 30-year resident some time to say goodbye to his family. On their last day, the father hugged his wife and two kids goodbye at the airport before being deported.

  • Miguel Angel Duran
    Director
  • Miguel Angel Duran
    Writer
  • Dan Lopecci
    Key Cast
    "Father"
  • Nancy Garcia
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
  • Lynnette Duran
    Key Cast
    "Daughter"
  • Oscar Duran
    Key Cast
    "Ice Agent"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Miguel Angel Duran

Miguel Angel Durán is a Chicano writer/director whose work spans documentaries, shorts, and branded content. At the age of 23, he directed his first feature-length documentary, Unrest, where over 1,000 attendees were present at the premiere screening. He then directed The Valley in The Struggle, a thirty-minute documentary sharing the UFW’s fight for farmworker justice in the late 1960s, narrated by acclaimed actor, Jacob Vargas. Recently, he directed Immigrant Voices of America, an eight-episode documentary-series that won the Jury Award for Best Episodic Documentary from the 2020 Bentonville Film Festival. After a decade in the documentary space, Miguel transitioned into narrative work. His pilot for A Mother’s Love placed semi-finalist in the 2021 ScreenCraft’s TV Pilot Script Competition. Regardless of genre or form, Miguel strives to create compelling stories that make an impact on the viewer.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My passion for storytelling came very early in my life. I was five years old when I saw my first movie, La Bamba. That movie changed my life because I was able to see myself on the big screen. I knew then and there, that my life would revolve around storytelling in all its forms.

I’ve done everything possible to shed a positive light on stories focusing on Latinos and people of color because we need to celebrate one another. We need positive representation of our people and we need to show that people of color are part of the American family. The only way to make this happen is by being self-generating, creating the stories we want to see and by supporting one another.

Representation matters. I am a product of that saying. Movies like Coco, Black Panther, Crazy Rich Asians and shows like One Day at a Time and Pose have had a profound on our community. It shows us that we are part of the American family and that our stories matter.