Diego
, a short film directed by Mexican director Sara Seligman premiered recently on Remezcla, one of the most influential media outlets for Latino millennials, and was received with great reviews.
The film is set in a small town in Mexico, where violence is equivalent to manhood. Diego and his family live day-by-day. He struggles to fit in and prove his worth to his father because he is, by nature, a quiet and sensitive child. One day, he finally meets someone he can relate to, and his eyes are opened to the consequences of his family’s illicit actions. Diego is left with a choice: will he follow in his family’s footsteps, or will he risk his life and follow his heart?
Seligman’s unique perspective for the film gives the viewer an insight into what growing up as part of the violent kidnapping gangs that currently are plaguing Mexican society is like: the story underlines how we all have a choice to do the right thing.
The cast includes a combination of first timers such as Leonardo Camargo Tejeda, who brilliantly played Diego, along with experienced and seasoned actors such as Amores Perros’ Humberto Busto and Christian Vazquez.
The Barcelona Film Festival awarded the prestigious Golden Lion Award to Diego in 2014. It is finally now available for all the public to watch on Remezcla’s website.
Seligman had also been recognized previously by the Tribeca Film Institute, which awarded her its “All Access Grant” for her script Falcon Lake in 2014 as well as the Film Independent Fast Track grant in 2016. She recently finished her second short, Kosnin, that deals with the ancient Totonaca culture, in Mexico, where men used to perform a ritual for fertility known as the “Papantla Fly”. The short has been selected to form part of the Arizona Film Festival Selection 2017 as well as in the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen.
