Private Project

Bad Child

Bad Child is a short documentary about childhood sexual abuse. The film focuses on the outcomes of one survivor while expert interviews place emphasis on the importance of parental support. Multiple layers of images, sounds, and animation overstimulate the viewer, effectively conveying the complexity of living with trauma.

  • Nicole Emilíana Mendez
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Experimental Documentary, Poetic Documentary, Documentary Film
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 17 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 4, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    1,700 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, VHS
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - San Diego State University
  • Drexel University - Tilt/Shift: An International Film Series on Mental Health
    Philadelphia
    United States
    May 20, 2022
    World Premiere
  • Warsaw Film Festival
    Warsaw
    Poland
    October 19, 2022
    International Premiere
    Grand Jury Award Nominee - Best Short Film
  • Eastern Oregon Film Festival
    La Grande
    United States
    October 20, 2022
    Western States Premiere
  • Key West Film Festival
    Key West
    United States
    November 19, 2022
    Southeastern States Premiere
    Grand Jury Award Nominee - Best Documentary Short
  • Oceanside International Film Festival
    San Diego, CA
    United States
    February 22, 2023
    California Premiere
    Grand Jury Award Nominee - Best Editing + Best Documentary
  • McMinnville Short Film Festival
    McMinnville, Oregon
    United States
    February 24, 2023
    Winner - Best Student Film
  • CSU Media Arts Festival
    California
    United States
    Winner - Best Creative Non-Fiction
  • Film Short Creative Awards
    Nashville, Tennessee
    United States
    Winner - Best Editing
  • Global Music Awards
    La Jolla, California
    United States
    Award - Best Original Soundtrack
  • Hollywood Music in Media Awards
    Los Angeles, California
    Nominee - Best Score, Documentary Short
Director Biography - Nicole Emilíana Mendez

Nicole Emilíana Mendez is a filmmaker and visual artist with a background in contemporary figurative painting. Born in Key West, Florida and moving many times as a child, she grew up with a love for people watching in ever changing environments. A survivor of childhood sexual trauma, her work focuses heavily on the emotions of young girls and their interactions with the world around them.

Mendez only recently discovered her love for filmmaking while attending graduate school. Her first short film, The Dress, screened on five continents and won several awards. She just completed her second short film, Bad Child, a documentary about childhood sexual abuse. Between projects, Mendez freelances as an editor and film colorist.

Mendez has exhibited her artwork around the country. She has had work featured at the Oceanside Museum of Art, has been published in several local magazines throughout southern California, and has had her work discussed on KPBS’ Midday Edition. Her original paintings are in private collections throughout the United States, Canada, Sweden, Iceland, and Germany. In 2016 Mendez was nominated for the San Diego Art Prize. She studied at Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon after changing her major from chemistry and mathematics to fine art, and she received her MFA in 2022 from San Diego State University.

Nicole lives in Southern California with her three children.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Bad Child is about the more intimate, less visible outcomes caused from enduring repeated childhood sexual abuse. It is about my own personal history, and I’ve combined poetic, experimental, and traditional techniques in an attempt to express that which is inherently unrepresentable: trauma.

On the one hand, the film remembers the past through a child’s eyes, and on the other, it has elements of a more traditional form with expert interviews that underscore the importance of parental support. The layers of images, sounds, and animation convey the complexity of living with trauma and work together to overstimulate the viewer. The constant music and dialogue create a sense of anxiety as it carries on with little reprieve, while the somewhat obscured speech as I address my parents mirrors my relationship with them.