Mi Alma

Directed by Nathalie Villarpando
DRAMA

This film is available from November 27-30, 2020. To watch or vote for this film please click on the orange “TICKETS” button below and purchase a ticket for BLOCK 2.

Synopsis

A coming of age story that surrounds Alma who was raised in an American society, but roots deeply from her Latin culture represented by her mother Viviana. Struggling with her identity, Alma finds a way to combat her internal struggles through her multiple identities represented in her portraits.

Director Biography – Nathalie Villarpando

Nathalie Villarpando hails from San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Wrote and directed her first narrative short film, Mi Alma. She wants to be a part of a movement that tells real, inclusive, and classic stories that will shape this generation and for generations after. What inspired her to pursue a career in film was 3 years ago, right after she took a trip to Peru and Bolivia for 3 months. Peru and Bolivia are the countries her parents were born in, and she loved every second of her experience. Her mission later became learning about the culture, the land, and its people. She began to do her research by engaging with those in her generation who lived in these countries. She realized that even though the countries were considered Third World countries, the impact films had on them being educated about diverse cultures and their stereotypes were eye-opening. From that moment Nathalie knew she wanted to change that narrative.

Director Statement

Mi Alma is a coming of age film that tells the story of a young woman named Alma who is torn between her Latin, and her American culture. She also uses poetry and art as a way to understand her identity. I also want to focus on bringing diversity, the Latinx experience, Latin American culture, and women to the forefront of everything I put out and the stories I create.

There are many stories to be told and it takes all of us to collaborate to work together in a creative space in order to achieve authenticity in our media. What inspires me to create are the number of stories that still need to be put out into existence. What inspires me are the subjects in our world that people have not yet experienced in physical form, and in a mental/emotional form. For me, that is breathing ground for storytelling and evolvement.

To enhance my collaborative process on set and during the making of this film, I make sure to listen to insight from crew and creatives around me who have ideas and who bring their input into the creative space. Learning is always my priority, to evolve as an artist and to bring my story to life with my perspective. My main objective going into a collaborative process is to have an open communication amongst every dept. of the film set and provide space where using your voice is welcome. Another important fact to note was how diverse our crew members were, about half women and half men on this set. Incredibly proud to put this out to showcase.

Photo Gallery

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