Private Project

This is What We're Taking?

As her surprise pregnancy starts to get real, Indigenous college student Luna sets off to get an abortion on her own terms. But when her lovingly naive boyfriend Gabriel discovers the real secret Luna is keeping, it’ll take forces beyond them to carry out their plan. "This is What We're Taking?" stars Isabella Star LaBlanc, Germain (Gigi) Arroyo, and Morningstar Angeline. Written and directed by Jessica Mendez Siquerios. Produced by Jessica Valenti, Kwajelyn Jackson, and MTV's Staying Alive Foundation.

  • Jessica Mendez Siqueiros
    Director
    Pozole; Last of the Chupacabras; Adeline, The Great
  • Jessica Mendez Siqueiros
    Writer
    Pozole; Last of the Chupacabras
  • Isabella Star LaBlanc
    Key Cast
    "Luna"
    True Detective: Night Country
  • Germain Arroyo
    Key Cast
    "Gabriel"
  • Morningstar Angeline
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Rom-Com, Reproductive Rights, Drama
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 28 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 21, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jessica Mendez Siqueiros

Jessica Mendez Siqueiros is a Chicana writer & director of mixed indigenous Sonoran and European ancestry. Her short films have screened at over 75 festivals, garnering an Audience Pick from Palm Springs ShortFest, the KidsEye Grand Prize for Best Live Action Short from Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival, Best Narrative Short (Comedy) from Cinequest, among other awards.

Her work has been produced and supported by Warner Media/AT&T, Walt Disney Studios, The Sundance Institute, XRM Media, and WeTransfer. Her short films The Last of the Chupacabras and Pozole can now be streamed on Disney+ and Showtime, respectively.

Jessica’s current project slate includes collaborations with Boat Rocker and Laura Dern’s company, Jay Walker Pictures. Jessica’s first feature film, Reforma, is currently in development, with the support of the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program and was the recipient of the 2021 Latinx Fellowship.

As an actor, Jessica has led films that have been selected for some of the top film festivals in the world, including BFI London, New Orleans, Nashville, Encounters, as well as featured as Vimeo Staff Picks and on Short of the Week.

Jessica is represented by WME and Writ Large.

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Director Statement

This film is a rebellion against what we know about 'abortion roadtrip movies' (which sadly is a growing genre). And that is because the Indigenous women that have been doing the real work of fighting for reproductive access aren't fighting within the rest of the country's timeline or parameters. Indigenous women, regardless of the status of Roe v. Wade, have faced restricted access to abortion due to the Hyde Amendment of 1976 which disallowed the use of federal funds for abortions. So, the federally funded healthcare system that services these communities is unable to provide the life saving care that should be an inalienable right for women around the world. And women like the ones we see in the film have taken this work into their own hands. Our liberation lies on the backs of these women, who not only cultivated the land we stand on for generations before us, but who continue to be bold and fight for their humanity with every fiber of their being. Through Luna's story, I wanted to show the form of radical liberation it takes to demand not only access to abortions, but the right to decide HOW, to decide WHERE. Because all women deserve to have the foot taken from off their necks and the many nuances of their choice put back in their hands.