Waiting for Maria
Evelyn and Valeria wait for Maria as they contemplate their fate in a dispirited state of absurdity.
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Ariana Cooper BermúdezDirector
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Ariana Cooper BermúdezWriter
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Ariana Cooper BermúdezProducer
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Valeria BarriosKey Cast"Valeria"
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Surena WongKey Cast"Evelyn"
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BoyKey Cast"Carlos Matos Taborda"
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Oduver CubillanExecutive Producers
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Ariana Cooper BermúdezExecutive Producers
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Jesús MolinaAssociate Producer
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Ariana Cooper BermúdezEditors
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Manuel FernándezEditors
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Juan Manuel SalasDirector of Photography
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Omar ArteagaAssistant Director
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Victoria SanzProduction Designer
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Manuel FernándezScript Supervisor
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Josué LópezBoom Operator
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Eliud Ferrer1st Camera Assistant
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José "Poppy" Gonzalez2nd Camera Assistant
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Eliud FerrerGrip
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Willy SilvaStill Photographer
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Yanna ParraStill Photographer
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Fabiana RomeroMakeup
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Raúl StoreyArt Assistant
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Max ÁguilaMusic
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Max ÁguilaSound Designer
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Juan Manuel SalasColorist
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Eliel FerrerADR Engineer
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Juan BadilloCasting
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Óscar QuinteroPoster Design
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Daniel Cooper BermúdezProduction Assistants
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Paúl Diaz AtencioProduction Assistants
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Project Title (Original Language):Esperando a María
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Runtime:16 minutes 46 seconds
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Completion Date:May 25, 2021
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Production Budget:2,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
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Language:Spanish
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:Yes - The Savannah College of Art and Design
Ariana Cooper Bermúdez is a Venezuelan-American filmmaker that aspires to work on music videos and other short films such as “Waiting for Maria”. This is her debut narrative short film, which was made for her senior thesis in The Savannah College of Art and Design, where she got her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Film and Television. She got involved in multiple student films as producer, director, editor, and set designer, and was also president of the Women’s Empowerment Club in the school.
As a multidisciplinary artist, Ariana’s talents and hobbies also include photography, jewelry-making, embroidery, painting, and installation art.
For the past decade, Venezuelans have seen their own country destroyed to pieces. With a dictatorship in place, there is mass migration, hyperinflation, lines for gasoline that last up to 40 hours, and daily power outages. These are just a few examples of how mundane life in Maracaibo has become - tedious and unbearable to the average citizen. Today, Venezuelans in and out of the country share a common feeling of desperation and nostalgia for a country that ceased to exist.
Evelyn and Valeria reflect the absurdity of the current crisis in Maracaibo. With a lack of basic resources and nowhere to go, the two friends wait for Maria hoping that she will save them from damnation.
“We lose consciousness of how absurd daily life in Maracaibo is because we are so used to it. ‘Waiting for María’ reflects a common feeling needing change, although we have settled for much less. This short film is my way of sharing that Latin-American feeling with the rest of the world. My wish is to give my city some of the kindness it has gifted me, in the moment it needs it most.”
- Ariana Cooper Bermúdez