Private Project

Waiting for Maria

Evelyn and Valeria wait for Maria as they contemplate their fate in a dispirited state of absurdity.

  • Ariana Cooper Bermúdez
    Director
  • Ariana Cooper Bermúdez
    Writer
  • Ariana Cooper Bermúdez
    Producer
  • Valeria Barrios
    Key Cast
    "Valeria"
  • Surena Wong
    Key Cast
    "Evelyn"
  • Boy
    Key Cast
    "Carlos Matos Taborda"
  • Oduver Cubillan
    Executive Producers
  • Ariana Cooper Bermúdez
    Executive Producers
  • Jesús Molina
    Associate Producer
  • Ariana Cooper Bermúdez
    Editors
  • Manuel Fernández
    Editors
  • Juan Manuel Salas
    Director of Photography
  • Omar Arteaga
    Assistant Director
  • Victoria Sanz
    Production Designer
  • Manuel Fernández
    Script Supervisor
  • Josué López
    Boom Operator
  • Eliud Ferrer
    1st Camera Assistant
  • José "Poppy" Gonzalez
    2nd Camera Assistant
  • Eliud Ferrer
    Grip
  • Willy Silva
    Still Photographer
  • Yanna Parra
    Still Photographer
  • Fabiana Romero
    Makeup
  • Raúl Storey
    Art Assistant
  • Max Águila
    Music
  • Max Águila
    Sound Designer
  • Juan Manuel Salas
    Colorist
  • Eliel Ferrer
    ADR Engineer
  • Juan Badillo
    Casting
  • Óscar Quintero
    Poster Design
  • Daniel Cooper Bermúdez
    Production Assistants
  • Paúl Diaz Atencio
    Production Assistants
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Esperando a María
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 46 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 25, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - The Savannah College of Art and Design
Director Biography - Ariana Cooper Bermúdez

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.

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Director Statement

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