Private Project

The Land of Claus

With Christmas looming, a newly undocumented Mexican child awaits her father in NYC to teach her how to ride the bike she asked Santa Claus for.

  • Antonio Salume
    Director
  • Antonio Salume
    Writer
  • Desi Pancham
    Writer
  • Antonio Salume
    Producer
  • Laila Núñez
    Producer
  • Maghali Silva
    Producer
  • Eric Laufer
    Producer
    Disobedience, Magic Magic
  • Patricia Olvera
    Key Cast
    The Amazing Ray, Get Away, Camilo
  • Rosa Salvatierra
    Key Cast
  • Bárbara Jimenez
    Key Cast
    Orange is the New Black, Law & Order, The Return, A Miracle in Spanish Harlem, Red Dead Redemption II
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    La Tierra de Clos
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 18 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Oaxaca FilmFest
    Oaxaca, Mexico
    Mexico
    October 18, 2019
    Mexico
Director Biography - Antonio Salume

Antonio Salume is a film director, writer, and producer from Mexico City, where he is currently based. In 2018, he graduated magna cum laude from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, earning a BFA in Film & TV Production and a minor in Business of Entertainment.

Antonio has worn many hats in productions in the United States, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates. He has produced music videos for Grammy Award-winning artist Miri Ben-Ari, as well as working as a producer, coordinator, and assistant in productions with companies such as LG, Honda, Canon, H&M, and the Varkey Foundation.

Besides production work, Antonio has worked as an International Distribution Coordinator for A24 at the Berlin and Cannes Film Festivals. He has also served as a Seasonal Reviewer at Cinereach, where he combed through thousands of project submissions looking for material worth supporting, as well as a Film Selection Screenr for the Austin Film Festival.

The films Antonio has worked on have screened at film festivals such as the Chinese American Film Festival, the Oaxaca Film Festival, and the Chicago International Film Festival. He has also won awards, such as the 2016 Sight & Sound Showcase Viewer's Choice Award for his short documentary I Know No Country, which is based around Mexican-American poet Paco Marquez and how he depicts poetry as the essence of his life.

Antonio currently works as an assistant to a high profile Mexican director. He is also developing his first feature script with Karla Luna Cantu for Confidential Cartoons. He loves to listen to Elvis Presley, cook Mexican food, and go for outdoor runs. Through film, Antonio seeks to invite audiences to ponder on questions about existence, identity, and the human condition.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As a Mexican living in the United States, I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to tell the stories of Latino immigrants, which rarely go beyond terms such as “illegal.” My own experiences as a Mexican immigrant and that of many other fellow immigrants inspired me to tell this story.

This film delves into the difference between one’s expectations and the too often crude reality of moving to a new land as a hopeful foreigner. I seek to expand on these stories, touching upon the immigrant experience through a more subjective and less stereotypical lens. I want to deepen on the humanity that our stories carry from far away as I believe it can help bridge the gap between indifference and care.