2024 Program
MIRAAA had it’s first open call to border and worldwide filmmakers. This year’s program will include Narrative, Documentary, Animation and Experimental films.
MIRAAA also commissioned collaborative films from Laredo and RGV artists which will premiere at our 2024 screenings.
Select a category button to be directed directly to the program,
Scroll down to read all the films programmed for 2024.
Rio Grande Valley Collaborations
Kim Sandoval + Eric Vasquez
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I am a first-generation Mexican American college graduate from Brownsville, Texas.
My art focuses on the unique culture and experiences in the Rio Grande Valley. I also want to provide a foundation of understanding and exploration in ophiological, or snake, education. My ideas focus on the deconstruction of snake-related misinformation. I create pieces that contextualize the symbol of the snake in the modern world regarding the Bible, Aztec folklore, and zoology.
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I'm a freelance director of photography and videographer producing video work for non-profit organizations, journalism, and narrative/experimental projects. I'm most looking forward to sharing my equipment and experience to collaborate with a possibly less experience filmmaker in hopes of learning new creative perspectives.
Natural Enhancement
2024
RGV
An audiovisual reflection of the homeostasis and evolution around us through a series of dissonant and harmonious photographs depicting the constant changing of landscape amidst the constant cultural background and infrastructure of which if we're not careful we'll lose.
Eva Ryan + Anastasia Waltschew
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I am a paper artist, production designer, and screen writer by trade. My practice focusses on creating soft and moving worlds for others to dive into and experience while elevating unheard voices. I care about showing beauty in mundane objects and moments. A lot of my work has 60s and 70s tones to it and is inspired by the resurgence of turn of the century art and symmetery in the 1960s. I also am a Texas Master Naturalist and hide themes of the ecosystem, science, and spirituality related to the Earth in my work. In my production design practice, I have mainly worked on films and productions that are social justice oriented. One of the short films I worked on in 2021 just won "Best Social Justice Short Film" at the Cannes World Film Festival. I would like to learn more about video work, how to use choreography in film, how to piece shots together, and honestly, more about collaborative film work on a low budget. I would also like to meet more artists from the Rio Grande Valley who are working in and pursuing filmmaking as I am originally from Brownsville, Texas.
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Anastasia Waltschew is a Bulgarian-American documentary and portrait photographer based in Brownsville, Texas. She holds a degree in Journalism and Integrated Media with an emphasis in Cross-Cultural Media from Biola University. Over the past eight years, she has ad the opportunity to produce photo and video work for various local and international humanitarian aid organizations within therelief, develomet and refuge care spheres. Her work often explores themes of forced migration and human dignity within boken systems. Her favore medium is environmental portraiture.
Everything Nice
2024
RGV
This film is about waking up and experiencing what is around you, living in all of your senses.
Laredo Collaborations
Adoa + VEneer
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I have been doing music production work for the last 13 years, recording and producing local and regional music projects aside from making my own music. More recently, I have been getting involved with video and video art production to make my own music videos and live show visuals. Since I also run a recording studio, I have been making content marketing for it and I am hoping to make local/regional culture documentaries and video art / experimental work. I am interested in collaborating with people from different types of art fields and not just music to learn from them. It allows me to expand my artistic reach and support work of other artists.
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My work explores the tension between excitement and tranquility — the sweet spot of being locked in a groove. As a DJ I'm exploring what it means to be queer and disabled in dance music spaces, and selecting deep tracks that will stir the dance floor by introducing listeners to an underground sound
Border Curios
2024
Laredo
“Border Curios” is an audiovisual meditation on border culture, identity and traditions that span from the contemporary Mexican-American sincretism present on neighboring cities from different countries. While American currency flows back and forth among nations, Mexican traditions land home on both sides.
Jason Litman + Isabella Guardiola
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I'm a film director that's been very low key but I would like to learn the process of creating a music video and getting it out there for the masses to see and listen to, that's not just limited to a few viewers.
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I'd consider myself a multimedia artist, however I mainly specialize in comic writing. I usually develop my comics through brainstoming and proceed with making rough drafts for the panels. All my comics are based off my experiences with addiction, sexuality and life transitions as a woman. I'm largely inspired by a style of comic making called underground "comix." I like to incoprate crude humor and language to convey important themes. My comics are meant to lure the viewer into challenging difficult topics through a toon's perspective. As for my portrait art, I often try to convey human emotion through them. I wish to learn how to blend more mediums togther. such as film or music, to channel my messages in an abstract way.
Never Never Land
2024
Laredo
An angsty teenager runs away to Laredo, Texas and discovers its bizarre nature.
Gil Rocha + Tres Tekuanis
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My practice consists of making visual work that currently takes the form ofbassemblages and extends to documenting observations through photography and writing. I'm interested in the growth of two collaborators and creators to merge ideas technically and imaginatively to come up with something that otherwise we couldn't do alone.
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A pragmatic intuition guides me in a search for depth and richness in ordinary behavior. I would like to learn what moves other artists and how they execute their vision.
Ingles Sin Fronteras
2024
Laredo
The experimental video is about a man named "Juan", going about his day attempting to learn and practice English. It is a narrative reflecting nuances of a border city with glimpses of visually inebriated abstraction combined with words lost in translation. It is a reflection that many citizens, have had to face, struggle with and have adapted to.
narrative
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narrative 〰️
Curated by Andrea Ortiz from Laredo Film Society and C. Diaz from Entre Film Center.
Narrative
In Time Forever
Lalo Trevino
2023
Pharr, TX
A woman lost her love and is in mourning. She hears a familiar whisper which would lead her to discover the possibility to see her love again.
Oldies
Diego Munoz
2023
Ciudad Juarez,Mexico
It's nice to have someone to talk to when you need it most.
ROSI
Monica Gaytan Inchaurregui
2023
Glendale, Arizona
Rosi, now a young woman, reflects back on the days she spent with her mother as a young child
Brown Eyes, Light Skin, Brown Hair
Sergio Muñoz Esquer
2023
El Paso, TX
A young student from El Paso, Texas brings back memories of her love story on the US-Mexico border.
Mijo
Mazdey
2023
Cuidad de Mexico DF
Mijo is a young dreamer, suddenly blessed with the gift of King Midas. However his ability has a unique twist: whatever and whoever he touches is stylishly pimped up.
Who are you
Valerie Alexander Perez
2023
Laredo, TX
iPhone shot b-roll in Laredo, TX edited to personal voiceovers about the intricacies and complexity of self-perception
Abantu - 同人
Emily Ong
2023
London, England
Stranded in an alien environment, a community struggles and perseveres to mend itself.
Documentary
doc
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doc 〰️
Curated by Lizett Montiel from Laredo Film Society and Maritza Bautista from Daphne Art Foundation
Echoes of the rio
Jackie Barragan
2023
El Paso, TX
A woman living on the U.S./Mexico border invokes the voice of the Rio Grande. Guiding her through the history of migration and the symbiotic relationship with the indigenous people of the land. As the river speaks, echoes follow, ultimately exposing the socio-ecological destruction caused when the river became a border and a political weapon.
Somos Borderlands
Dylan Hensley
2023
RGV
From Boca Chica Beach to Rio Grande City, this documentary dreamscape takes the viewer on a short personal tour of the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. The film serves to highlight some of the people, perspectives, and spaces of today through the music and lore of "Futuro Conjunto"—a prophetic trans-media art project by Charlie Vela & Jonathan Leal, intertwined with reverence and imagination.
¡Ya Basta! The Pharr Riot
Amaya Martinez Alvarez and Tati Martinez Alvarez
San Juan, Texas
2023
The Pharr Riot of Feb. 6, 1971, was a product of the times. Pharr is a small town in the Rio Grande Valley at the southern tip of Texas on the U.S. – Mexico border. The Mexicanos / Chicanos although the majority of the population for many years, were the labor to make the white settlers wealthy,Europeans maintained control of the land and the Chicanos . The Valley was segregated, the KKK was alive and well, but the Chicano Civil Rights movement would begin to change that.
Amor bruto
Melly Hinojosa
2023
RGV
“Amor Bruto" explores the intersections of love and violence in the Rio Grande Valley. Through the personal testimonies of community members, we come to understand the cyclical nature of abuse.
Stop SpaceX Colonization of the Rio Grande Valley
Bekah Hinojosa
RGV
2023
The video features testimonials from local community members speaking out about harmful SpaceX operations at the April 6, 2021, City of Brownsville Commission Meeting.
Animation
animation
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animation 〰️
Curated by Norma Ortiz from Laredo Film Society and Andres Sanchez from Entre Film Center.
Love has no Borders
Pamela Oliver Munoz
2023
RGV
Gang violence forces a loving family to leave Central America in hopes of finding a better life only to find more trouble in the U.S.
Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice!
Anoushka Agarwal
2023
London, England
A woman's meticulously organized routine gets upended when her home starts to unravel and reality starts to creep in.
LOOK
Constant Yen
2023
Toronto, Canada
A gaze into a wondrous abyss. What happens when you look at something too hard for too long? LOOK is a process-driven experimental animated film — strung together by an assortment of vignettes which revealed themselves over several weeks of assemblage and non-linear production.
Mental Games
Itzel Negrete
2023
Monterrey, Mexico
Mental Games tells the story of Luisa, whose life is altered when she falls into a bizarre and colorless world. Confused, she is welcomed by an entity who invites her to a game of chess, her favorite game. But things are not what they seem, because as she moves forward, she realizes that what is at stake is life or death. Can Luisa defeat the shadow figure and save herself?
CONDUIT
Lynn Kim
2023
London, England
A running body powers the cycle between states of being. A tribute to Korean musical rituals and the wonder of locomotion, both spiritual and physical.
Amigo
Celestino Marina
2014
Laredo, TX
A little boy befriends his birthday piñata
Fucked Up
Shokka
2022
RGV
Fucked up is an animated music video created for the band, Bikini Trill, by the artist, Shokka. The video follows two main characters, “LJ” and “Blessed”, as they navigate love and loss in a time when human connection is fleeting. The video is centered around the apartment building in which Bikini Trill recorded their EP; it is set during the pandemic and explores the small windows into peoples’ lives as they cope, carry on, and explore.
Experimental
experimental
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experimental 〰️
Curated by Josue Ramirez fromTruchaand artist Natalia Rocafuerte.
★
Anthony Perez & Hannah Guzman
2023
RGV
STAR - is a short film that tackles the emotions that come with growing up in your 20s. This film explores a human life; through moments of anger, joy, loss, friendship, and the curiosity that makes us… us.
release it all
Abigail Vela
2023
RGV
Amidst the triggers and the hurt, Shadow dives deep on a cathartic path to heal again.
Respira, There is More To Do
José Uvalles II
2016
RGV
Originally made for in Brownsville, TX for the ACTIVATING VACANCY ARTS INCUBATOR 24 HOUR FILM RACE: DAY IN THE LIFE. With the question posed to participants as a starting point, "What is the most interesting to you about Brownsville? Is it a person or place? How can you tell their story?
Amor interminable
Cielo Zuñiga
2023
RGV
Amor Interminable is a short experimental animation exploring grief as an experience to embrace, rather than something unpleasant to get through.
Part 1: ***
Dana Graham
2023
RGV
Today I went for a walk and started singing: "Ay, it gives me, what sadness it gives me. It gives me, it gives me homesickness What sadness it gives me To be so far away from my land". My mother taught me how to scream. My father taught me how to smile. I shout in Spanish and smile in English. I dress politely and order my coffee in English, and when I'm tired, I scratch my skin and cry in Spanish.
The merchant
Wayak Tzabcan
2023
San Benito, TX
In 1486, a young Huastec merchant named Six Rabbit arrives at an outpost in northern Tamaulipas, Mexico. Disregarding his duties, he instead begins gambling with the locals. He sets up a game board, Patolli, a favorite among gamblers. Atop the game board sits an effigy embodying the dual natured pair, Xochipilli, lord of gambling and luck, and his male lover, the old coyote god, Huehuecoyotl, lord of tricks and misfortune. Having earned a substantial wealth off of the poor locals, Six Rabbit decides to end his night of success. But soon after dismantling the protective effigy, gambling with luck soon turns to gambling with lives.
Blossoming Hearts
Cynthia Cárdenas
2020
Laredo, TX
This is the work that initiated a series of 6 videos, each related to a specific energy center in the body. All Meditative in nature, I utilized images of Roses, Hibiscus and other Heart-Opening Flowers to create soft, slow and calm textures. I was inspired by the warmth of pink rays and rose quartz crystals to facilitate a visualisation for open heart expression, beauty and love. Tune into your heart.
Clarifying Water
Cynthia Cárdenas
2020
Laredo, TX
This piece was inspired by Water as it symbolizes purification, renewal and transformation. The fluidity represents adaptability and embracing change. Water is often seen as a powerful force for emotional cleansing, self-reflection and a catalyst for personal growth. Being in present awareness, allows for cloudy thoughts and emotions to be observed and released, resulting in a sense of peace and clarity. It is through clarity, that one is able to focus with greater precision and fully enjoy the present without interference.
STARS BENEATH THE STRIPES
Joseph Stingley
2024
RGV
An outsider trying his best to fit in covertly navigates a desolate cityscape, yearning for peace amid the ruins. As he explores the layers of identity, belonging, & modern masculinity, the narrative weaves through moments of conflict, resilience, & joy culminating in a powerful embrace of authenticity beneath the stars and stripes.
