Private Project

ZZZ

In this fantasy / science-fiction short film, a widow tries to reunite with her deceased husband inside a dream. She turns to the illegal services of a ‘Sleep Dealer’ who sells hand-tailored dreams... And nightmares.

  • Felipe Vargas
    Director
    MILK TEETH
  • Felipe Vargas
    Writer
    LOTERIA
  • Michael Lappen
    Producer
  • Norris Palmer
    Producer
  • Nick Scully
    Producer
  • Julieta Ortiz
    Key Cast
    "Marcella"
  • Elena Rojas
    Key Cast
    "Ella"
  • Jamaal Avery Jr.
    Key Cast
    "Chronic Kid"
  • Eddy Martin
    Key Cast
    "Sebastian"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 57 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 29, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Felipe Vargas

Felipe Vargas is a Colombian-American Director attached to helm Lionsgate's reboot of LEPRECHAUN, as well as a horror feature for Paramount Pictures. He’s currently directing his debut feature ROSARIO in Colombia this summer. Felipe is also the Pilot Writer and Co-Executive Producer of the fantasy-adventure series LOTERÍA produced by Norman Lear, Sony, and Amazon. He recently directed GENESIS, a project for Disney Channel.
Felipe's work has garnered over 13 million views on YouTube for his films MILK TEETH and THE GUIDE. He's been awarded a DGA and Imagen Award and was named one of Variety's Latino Creators to Watch.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

ZZZ is a project born out of a dream three years ago. The night after I lost my great-aunt, I saw her again. In a dream in a vast desert, there she was, with her cane and big smile and dimples and doe eyes. I tried to tell her everything I never had a chance to... But before I could let my Tía know how much she'd meant to me, I woke up. This led to the seed of it all:

What if there was a service which could reunite us with our loved ones in hand-crafted dreams? And who wouldn't want to live in a dream as the pandemic and recession and political divide took hold in 2020, fueling this escapist fantasy.

Wouldn't we all love to step away from it all, diving out of reality into a boundless world of memories and desire? An endless dream seemed more and more appetizing... And more dangerous.

But the final piece of the puzzle came from my grandmother. I saw my abuelita deteriorate physically, stuck at home during the pandemic. She retreated into herself, the chronic pains too much to bear. The only escape was memories, opiates, and sleep.

Often pushed aside to the role of grandmother or witch, it's so rare to see a nuanced Latina protagonist. And yet their lives are so often filled with stories, memories, wisdom, loss, and an incredible depth.

If you know any older Latinas who've ever felt unseen or unheard, ZZZ is a film for them. I look at the women in my life, who's campfire stories, legends, and magical tales shaped the very fabric of this film. I'm from Colombia, where the stars were guardian angels, the woods were full of monsters, and dreams were messages of the divine.

ZZZ is teeming with the magic and mayhem the director grew up with in Colombia, imbued with the magical realism born in Latin America.