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The American Alien

A GENRE BENDING SHORT - COMEDY, DRAMA, & SCI-FI
The American Alien is the absurd journey of a Grey Alien who gets caught at the US - Mexican border and is processed into the US immigration system.

His fellow detainees can see that he is “not one of us” and US bureaucracy only sees a small brown skin boy. He befriends Yesenia, a seven year old El Salvadoran girl who has been separated from her Mother. The two navigate the bazarr bureaucratic world of the asylum seeking migrant.

  • Rodrigo Rodriguez
    Director
  • Rodrigo Rodriguez
    Writer
  • Melissa Kirkendall
    Producer
    The Vast of Night, Chocolate Lizards, You Are Me & I Am You
  • Wilfred Shipley
    Producer
    The Good Wolf
  • Ayli Pinon
    Key Cast
    "Yessina"
  • Lucas Howell
    Key Cast
    "Grey Alien"
  • Adriana Rivera
    Key Cast
    "Carmin"
  • Scotty Walker
    Key Cast
    "Judge Lee Brown"
  • Calros Diaz-Munoz
    Director of Photography
    The Butterfly Trees, Me Late Chocolate
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-fi, Drama, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 32 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:2:39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Rodrigo Rodriguez

Director Rodrigo Rodriguez started his career working as DP for three seasons for the Travel Channels, Travelview Program, he has worked as Field Producer for Michael Moore TV Nation , Discovery Channel’s, Investigation Discover, the Learning Channels, How they do that. Rodrigo has Directed dozens of national commercials for brands like, Uniroyal Tires, Long John Silvers, Rent-A-Center, American Lung Association, and ESPN.

Fifth Generation of Mexican/Spanish descent, Rodrigo’s was raised thirty minutes form the Texas and Mexico border. He grew up crossing the, then open border, and enjoying the experience of living in a bi-cultural environment. Rodrigo’s “American Experience” has always been one of two countries and two cultures. A world traveler, Rodrigo has worked in over 25 different counties and calls Austin, Texas his home. From there he manages his two companies, Production Company, Rio Films and Equipment Rental House, Citrus Digital. His main focus is in writing screen plays like Masa and Strawberry’s In Texas, developing pilots, and directing and writing short films.

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Director Statement

I was inspired to write and direct The American Alien after spending several days being embedded with the US Border Patrol on the Texas and Mexican border for a documentary project. Seeing the process first hand had a profound impact on me. I have had a life long love of all things science fiction and have always been inspired by the surreal. It was that blend of inspiration that drove the idea of, what if a space alien was captured and process into the US Immigration system? The American Alien, is by design a genre-hybrid short mixing, comedy, drama, and Sci-fi. I wanted to the tell the story of the absurdity of the process and the blind bureaucracy that drives it.