Private Project

iGilbert

A future fairy tale about being seen.
Gilbert Gonzalez (Adrian Martinez), feels isolated from the world. He is 39, a virgin, obese and lives with his sarcastic, overprotective mother, who owns the Manhattan brownstone.
Fearful of life and people, yet starving for human connection, Gilbert secretly takes photos of women, wherever and whenever he can. Jana, (Dascha Polanco) his tenant and the source of innumerable dreams. She is beautiful but haunted by her own insecurities that inhibit her from standing up to her ex-boyfriend Tony, (an Iraq war vet with PTSD. Gilbert dreams of rescuing Jana but doesn’t believe she could ever love him. This love triangle becomes a battle for human connection in our digital and disconnected world.

  • Adrian Martinez
    Director
    visit IMDB
  • Adrian Martinez
    Writer
  • Adrian Martinez
    Producer
    MONA (PBS)
  • Jose Rivera
    Producer
    THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (Focus Features)
  • Adrian Martinez
    Key Cast
    "Gilbert Gonzalez"
    STUMPTOWN/ LADY AND THE TRAMP (2020) / I FEEL PRETTY/FOCUS/ WALTER MITTY/ THE BLACKLIST REDEMPTION/ NO ACTIVITY/WHITE GIRL
  • Dascha Polanco
    Key Cast
    "Jana"
    IN THE HEIGHTS/WHEN THEY SEE US/ ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK/
  • Raul Castillo
    Key Cast
    "Tony"
    ARMY OF THE DEAD/ WE THE ANIMALS/ VIDA/ EL CHICANO
  • Mozhan Marno
    Key Cast
    "Detective Rivera"
    THE BLACKLIST/ HOUSE OF CARDS
  • Monique Gabriela Curnen
    Key Cast
    "Doctor"
    THE DARK KNIGHT/ TAKEN/ POWER
  • Socorro Santiago
    Key Cast
    "Carmen"
    LAW AND ORDER/ MOZART IN THE JUNGLE
  • Emilio Delgado
    Key Cast
    "Rodolfo"
    SESAME STREET/ LOU GRANT (CBS)
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Feature
  • Genres:
    drama
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 29 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 8, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    900,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    RED dragon
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Evolution! Mallorca International Film Festival
    Mallorca
    Spain
    October 26, 2020
    Spain
    Best actor: Adrian Martinez
  • Manchester International Film Festival
    Manchester
    United Kingdom
    March 14, 2021
    UK Premiere
    Best actor: Adrian Martinez
Director Biography - Adrian Martinez

Adrian is presently filming "The Amateur," opposite Oscar winner, Rami Malek in London.
Adrian is an actor, director, writer, and producer, with over 120 film and TV credits, including his directorial debut, "iGilbert," based on his original screenplay. iGilbert was purchased by Gravitas Ventures and is now available on all major streamers in the US and Canada. iGilbert has been accepted and archived as part of the Academy of motion pictures arts and sciences core collection.
Mr Martinez served as producer and executive producer on iGilbert.
iGilbert has won several international awards for best picture, and best actor— and Mr. Martinez was just nominated for best actor by the prestigious Imagen awards.
Mr Martinez served as producer on the indie, ‘Mona,’ which debuted on PBS and starred himself.
His recent major studio work as an actor includes "Renfield," side kicking with Nicolas Cage, and Awkwafina, and directed by Chris McKay for Universal, and "Unfrosted," in Jerry Seinfeld's directorial debut for Netflix.
In streaming TV, Adrian is presently filming ’Sugar,’ for Apple tv+ in a recurring role opposite Colin Ferrell, and Ben Stiller’s ‘Severance,’ for Apple TV+
Adrian's work as a series regular in "Stumptown" opposite Cobie Smulders (How I met your mother) is now available on Amazon prime video. Adrian can also be seen on season 1 of CBS all access' 'No Activity' produced by Will Ferrell and Funny or die. This is Adrian's follow up to a Series Regular role in NBC's ‘The Blacklist: Redemption’ on NBC. Adrian's career began as a high school track star on NBC's "Unsolved Mysteries". Some in casting have called Adrian, "the sidekick to the stars," as evidenced by his sidekick work in "The Guilty," opposite Jake Gyllenhaal for Netflix, Amy Schumer's sidekick in 'I feel Pretty,' now on all digital platforms, Will Smith/ Margot Robbie's sidekick in Warner Bros' "Focus," Ben Stiller's sidekick in his Fox remake of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," Will Ferrell's sidekick in Lionsgate's "Casa de mi Padre," and a lot of dogs in Disney+ "Lady and the Tramp" remake, to name a few.
Mr. Martinez's TV work also includes over seventy guest spots.
Adrian is writing and developing film and TV projects through his production company, Paloma Pictures Inc., and is in pre-production for his untitled comedy for a major streamer.
Social: @tasteOfAdrian Contact: Adrianmartinez.net

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Director Statement

iGilbert is a future fairytale about being seen.
I was sitting on the NYC subway when I saw a guy walk up to a woman, a stranger to him-- and start taking photos of her right in her face.
Feeling objectified, she said, “What the f**k are you doing?!”
The man said nothing, checked the photos he had just taken from her, and calmly walked off the train.
And I thought, “Wow. Who is that guy? Why does he think he has the right to do that? When did the pretty woman opposite him on the train stop being human, and start being an object he could photograph and manipulate? Where does that come from, and where is it going?
I see it a lot-- men taking photos of women or of other men, without emotion, without conscience, without fear of consequence, without subtlety, or with it-- SNAP, SNAP, SNAP.
And I can’t stop thinking about it now in the era of coronavirus, as we are now more disconnected physically, emotionally by necessity than ever before.
I have a young daughter. She is beautiful.
Who is going to be taking her photo on the train or street?
Will we have reached a point as a society-- ravenous for reconnection-- that stealing a person's image is just the beginning?
Where are we going with all this?!
In New York state, it is legal to take a photo of someone without their permission. So what if the guy taking the photos, was me?
I had reached a point in my life where I felt alienated from the rest of the world. What, I thought, is my place in this quarantined world?
The smart phones of today, despite all its’ bells and whistles, can for some people be a metaphor for alienation and loneliness. Technology can also save and expand lives. But where are the safety zones to keep us from going nuts one way or the other?
What was designed to get us more connected as a society-- smart phones, tablets-- seems to also be quickly separating us from who we really are as a species.
And in the case of Gilbert, my protagonist, technology is a dance on the fringes of salvation and destruction.
The viewer is left to decide for himself, where he wants to dance in the long run, and at what price.