Experiencing Interruptions?

The Good, The Bad, and Tio Umberto

For years, Tio Umberto has reigned as the supreme champion of the dominoes table at every family gathering. During that time, cousins Andres and Delia have fallen victim to his power, failing to win even a single match. Now, with their younger cousin Selena joining the game, will this finally be the year the great Tio Umberto is dethroned?

  • Danny Chicon-Ramirez
    Director
  • Danny Chicon-Ramirez
    Writer
  • Brandon Hugo-Arroyo
    Producer
  • Danny Chicon-Ramirez
    Producer
  • Sophia Radix
    Key Cast
    "DELIA"
  • Joshua Colon
    Key Cast
    "ANDRES"
  • David Soto
    Key Cast
    "TIO UMBERTO"
  • Daniella Rodriguez
    Key Cast
    "SELENA"
  • Maria Jeanniton
    Key Cast
    "ABUELA"
  • Bart The Bunny
    Key Cast
    "PIRAGUA BUNNY"
  • Danny Chicon-Ramirez
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 41 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 11, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    904 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Danny Chicon-Ramirez

Danny Chicon-Ramirez is a Latino screenwriter, director, and actor whose stories focus on larger than life characters. Using his signature brand of comedy and surrealist elements, Danny explores themes of cultural identity, hypermasculinity, and familial relationships inspired by his upbringing in the Lower East Side of New York City. Within just a few years, he has been accepted to a number of fellowships within and has collaborated with media organizations such as Hook Arts Media, FabNYC, and Loisaida Inc. His filmography has seen him selected to a variety of film festivals for projects such as JULIO: The Julio Irving Story About Julio Irving Starring Julio Irving (yes, that is the full title) and Have A Good Night. Above all, Danny looks to connect audiences through laughter, tell stories of shared human experience, and create better representation for Latiné and other minority communities. He has a B.A in Media Studies from Hunter College, where he earned a reputation for being loud enough to be heard three from three floors up. Since then, he has learned to use his inside voice, and will be making use of it as he attends the University of Southern California's MFA program for Writing for Television and Screen in the Fall of 2024.

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Director Statement

As a second generation Puerto Rican and third generation Dominican, I and many of my peers find ourselves struggling to connect with our culture, far removed from the days our grandparents spent on our islands of origin. Personally, I don’t speak Spanish and there’s always the looming threat of a broken nose whenever I try to dance bachata (for both me and my partner…). With this film, I wanted to explore the insecurity that this dissonance can create amongst my Latiné community and do so by utilizing one of our favorite pastimes: the game of dominoes! It was important for my team and I to treat the game as a rite of passage for the cousins who wish to defeat the maniacal Tio Umberto, a way to prove their “Latinoness”. At the same time, like many of my previous projects, I wanted to inject the film with comedy and surrealist elements to truly capture the feeling of the passionate, over-the-top domino games I have found myself losing at every family gathering. I believe this film will not only aid in bringing greater Latiné representation to screens and bring smiles to the faces of those who grew up caught in the middle of the competitive family activity, but also shine light on the rarely discussed issue of Latiné identity crisis.