Emergencia Youth Film Competition
As a celebration of filmmakers on the rise, the Emergencia Youth Film Competition represents a special section of the festival showcasing works by filmmakers 19 years of age or younger. The lineup represents a selection of fourteen titles from the USA and abroad. The films are eligible for an audience award for “Best Emergencia Youth Film.”
Free & open to the public
June 11, 2022 at 11:30am, ESB-MACC
Reception to follow screening
Recommended “All Ages”
Comiendo Pan Dulce // Making Sweet Bread
A film by Ebony Ramos
United States, 2021
Food & Culture
2 min, Color
A low-key documentary about the realities of working in a Mexican panadería (bakery).
Ebony Ramos (she/her) is an 18-year-old filmmaker based out of San Antonio, Texas. She is a student at SAY Sì, a creative youth development program on the westside of San Antonio, and KIPP University Prep High School. “Comiendo Pan Dulce” is her first film.
Gone But Not Forgotten
A film by Cira Garza
United States, 2021
Drama
4 min, Color
English, No subtitles
A man grieves for his deceased father on Dia De Los Muertos.
Cira Garza (she/her) is a 15-year-old filmmaker based out of San Antonio, Texas. Her first film, “Gone But Not Forgotten,” was showcased at the annual Muertitos Fest presented by SAY Sí, a creative youth development program on the westside of San Antonio. In her off time, you can find her with a book in her hands or her head buried in new poetic works of her own creation.
La Voodoo Femme
A film by Kristin Quintanilla
United States, 2019
Comedy
8 min, Color
English, No subtitles
A portrait of Gina Yvonne, a Santera and spiritualist living in San Antonio, TX.
Kristin Quintanilla (she/her) is a 16-year-old sophomore in high school, as well as a filmmaker, actress, and singer based in San Antonio, TX. She began acting and singing at the age of 12 and has been involved with the arts and entertainment industry ever since. After being accepted into the cinema, creative writing, technical theatre, and musical programs at North East School of the Arts (NESA), she has attended their cinema program and intends to join the musical theatre program for the rest of her high school career while pursuing film. Kristin also attends Say Si, a non-profit youth development art program in their film and photography studio. Kristin has worked as an actress on stage and film, writer, director, cinematographer, editor, and more. While maintaining a high level of academic achievement, she is involved in many extracurricular activities and has intern experience with the San Antonio Film Festival. She spends her free time attending rehearsals for musicals, writing screenplays, or working on pre-production for her upcoming films.
Lilly Goes to the Dogs
A film by The Bum Family
Canada, 2020
Animation
6 min, Color
English, No subtitles
Lilly, a 10-foot-tall orange monster, visits the Victoria Dog Show, but her friend, Fluffle, gets sequestered in the mutt pen! Will Lilly take “Best in Show”?
The Bum Family is a group of 6 cousins from Calgary, Canada, who create short animated movies together. Maezy, Medina, and Zaiyah Dennie (ages 19, 17, and 15), and Berlin, Ocean, and Sol Demuth (ages 19, 17, and 12) write their concepts, create the artwork, direct, animate and edit their movies. Their short films have screened at over 100 film festivals, and have won awards for Audience Favourite and Best Animation. They recently made a short film for pre-schoolers for Sesame Street.
Pollution Solution
A film by The Bum Family
Canada, 2020
Education
7 min, Color
Spanish, No subtitles
A short documentary that explores what people are doing about pollution. Made by a group of 6 young cousins who fear the world is ending due to human activity. By asking people how they address the pollution crisis in their everyday lives, and using animation to illustrate the responses, the filmmakers hope to inspire viewers to do their part in solving the pollution solution.
The Bum Family is a group of 6 cousins from Calgary, Canada, who create short animated movies together. Maezy, Medina, and Zaiyah Dennie (ages 19, 17, and 15), and Berlin, Ocean, and Sol Demuth (ages 19, 17, and 12) write their concepts, create the artwork, direct, animate and edit their movies. Their short films have screened at over 100 film festivals, and have won awards for Audience Favourite and Best Animation. They recently made a short film for pre-schoolers for Sesame Street.
Sol
A film by Cody Salais
United States, 2021
Drama
15 min, Color
English, Spanish; English subtitles
18-year-old Sol must confront her painful past when her tranquil existence is abruptly interrupted by an unsettling dream and her estranged mother’s dachshund.
Recommended “Ages 14+”
God Willing
A film by Pablo Ferrando
Spain, 2021
Drama
12 min, Color
Spanish, English subtitles
A young man seeks to learn a little more about the Christian religion together with a priest who has helped him and his widowed mother during these difficult months.
Pablo Ferrando (he/him) is a young Spanish director, screenwriter, and producer of three short films. Lover of the darkest corners of society, interested and focused on capturing the evil of the human beings.
Inside the Dark
A film by Ivan Almendros
Spain, 2021
Horror/Thriller
5 min, Color
Spanish, No subtitles
Aurora finds herself trapped in a nightmare come true. She will have to go through a frightful journey to get out of there alive.
No Tengas Miedo a Llorar // Don’t Be Afraid of Crying
A film by Adrián Lozano Mateos
Spain, 2021
Science Fiction/Dance
9 min, Color
Spanish, English subtitles
Clara is a girl who lives in isolation. She’s afraid to go outside, interact with people, or carry out any activity for fear of breaking into pieces.
Adrián Lozano Mateos’ (he/him) first contact with cinema was in 2019 when he was in his first year of high school, where he had a subject called Image and Sound. At that time Adrián created SOLO, his first short film. Since then, he has known that his passion is to create and direct stories. He has created a total of thirteen short films. He has won awards at various festivals and has been nominated for numerous national and international festivals.
Objeto Descartable // Disposable Object
A film by Nina Torres Loiseau
Argentina, 2020
Experimental
3 min, Color
Spanish, English subtitles
The narration of a woman in the first person about the submission she suffers when wanting to be loved. A short film made by a 15-year-old girl about gender violence. In Argentina, femicide yields an average of one woman murdered every 40 hours.
Nina Torres Loiseau (she/her) is a 17-year-old actress and film student who lives in Jujuy, northern Argentina, and has a special interest in gender issues. She made this short film independently during the COVID19 Pandemic with her cell phone.
Tetronina
A film by Adrián Lozano Mateos
Spain, 2021
Science Fiction, Experimental
4 min, Color
Spanish, English subtitles
A young woman mysteriously appears in a fantasy world. Little by little she will discover why she is in that place.
Adrián Lozano Mateos’ (he/him) first contact with cinema was in 2019 when he was in his first year of high school and had a subject called Image and Sound. At that time Adrián created SOLO, his first short film. Since then, he has known that his passion is to create and direct stories. He has created a total of thirteen short films. He has won awards at various festivals and has been nominated for numerous national and international festivals.
The Fruits of Our Labor
A film by Maddie Valdez Clark
United States, 2021
Experimental
3 min, Color
English, No subtitles
A teen reminisces about her past emotional experiences through a bag full of fruit, revealing both her unstable and vulnerable sides.
Maddie Valdez Clark (they/them) was born and raised in San Antonio. The community and the city itself have influenced most creative endeavors for Madeline, who uses any medium that seems to fit the occasion. Their most recent work, The Fruits of our Labor, was showcased at 42CineFestival in San Antonio through the encouragement of the Media Arts Studio at SAY Sí, a creative youth development program. With recent events in today’s world, regardless of how or where one might express themselves artistically, Madeline encourages channeling that passion to effectuate visionary work. Outside their artistic life, Madeline is busy with schoolwork, skating, and waiting for the next full moon with a playlist chock full of Ms. Lauryn Hill and Sufjan Stevens’s oldest hits.
Volo Mori // I Crave Death
A film by Wiley Martinez, E.K. Lewis
United States, 2020
Stop-motion
4 min, Color
English, No subtitles
A comedically macabre stop motion film that examines the process of what happens to your remains once the mortician gets a hold of you.
Wiley Martinez (he/him) is a 19-year-old artist and filmmaker from San Antonio, Texas. He attended San Antonio College through a dual credit program, graduating with a diploma from UT high school. Wiley is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on visual art and music. He has worked in art and music education, teaching guitar and drum lessons while also working at SAY Si as a youth mentor. Wiley is currently attending Oberlin College. Wiley likes to make work about societal alienation, existential crisis, and love.
Eclectically Kinetic (E.K.) Lewis (they/them) is a San Antonio-based artist, born in Great Falls, Montana, who focuses primarily on illustration, tattoo art, and soft sculpture work. Their favorite mediums to work in are Prismacolor, felting, gouache painting, and good old pen and ink. However, EK loves exploring mediums and takes interest in basically anything they try, most recently getting into multi-panel work as well as acrylic painting and paper-cutting. Work available to buy, commissions open, looking to move out of state. Volo Mori is their first film.
Recommended “Ages 18+”
Es Real Pero No Existe // It’s Real But It Doesn’t Exist
A film by Jaime Venegas
Ecuador, 2020
Drama
12 min, Color
Spanish
Maria Grazia was admitted against her will to a neuroscience institute which caused a stigma toward psychiatry. However, the director of this project decides to invite her to his center to participate in a dialogue with a psychiatrist in order to teach her a new point of view on psychiatry.
Jaime Venegas (he/him) is a cinematographer focused on documentaries. His work has been selected for several national and international festivals and he has received an international prize in nature photography.