Until Dawn Comes

An unexpected message from the past makes Carmen get off a bus and rush to the city to sing a song to an old lover. With the reluctant help of her sister she will embark looking for the pieces of her past she thought were behind

  • Aarón Acuña
    Director
  • Aarón Acuña
    Writer
  • Érick Pérez
    Producer
  • Natalia Mariño
    Key Cast
    "Carmen"
  • Katherine Peytrequín
    Key Cast
    "Rocío"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Hasta Llegar al Alba
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, road-movie
  • Runtime:
    29 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 20, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Costa Rica
  • Country of Filming:
    Costa Rica
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • South Film and Arts Academy Film Festival
    Rancagua
    Chile
    August 16, 2018
    Latin American Premiere
    Best Road Movie, Best Supporting Actress, Lead Actress Honorable mention
  • Shnit Film Festival
    San José
    Costa Rica
    October 19, 2018
    Costa Rican Premiere
    Made in Costa Rica Section Audience Award
  • Early Bird Student Film Festival
    Sofia
    Bulgaria
    November 3, 2018
    European Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Ciclo Centroamericano de Cine de Viena
    Vienna
    Austria
    November 23, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano
    Havana
    Cuba
    December 11, 2018
    Panorama de América Latina
  • Festival de Cine Pobre Panalandia
    Panamá
    Panama
    February 14, 2019
    Panamanian premiere
    Official Selection
  • Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
    Fort Lauderdale
    United States
    November 12, 2018
    North American premiere
    Collegiate Long Narrative Winner
Director Biography - Aarón Acuña

Has a degree in Film and TV from Veritas Film School, a Bachelor's in Psychology from University of Costa Rica and a Web Development Associate's from CENFOTEC. 7+ years experience in filmmaking, producing, screenwriting and editing. His short film Tango Noir was shown around the world by the Cinefilia Tanguera showcase and awarded the Surreal Dream Award at LANEFF 2014. His previous short film Mara, María, Mar premiered at several Latin american film festivals and was selected at CRFIC and Icaro Film Festivals 2013. Director of the debut music video for the band Rialengo. AD in Jurgen Ureña's Abrázame como Antes and Producer in CR of RTVE's documentary feature Las Voces de Pilar Jurado from Spanish filmmaker Félix Cábez.

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Director Statement

Hello Dear festival programmers and organizers. This movie is the result of a very long research about road-movies and the meaning of the road in motion pictures, that ended up in this intimate and funny tale, that has a lot of myself and a lot of the worries and issues of the society I live in. I like to describe Until Dawn Comes as the Central American take on the American road movie. A Costa Rican Thelma and Louise in mid-length form. I believe this is a good sample of the meaningful cinema that my country is making. I want this short film to reach as many corners of the world as possible, since I strongly believe we have a story with a regional flavor but a universal appeal. Thanks!