This short film will screen with other short films in Block 9 | CHEEZTOSOS(TM) COMEDY JAM
Saturday, December 10th at 8pm
Palm Springs Art Museum. Palm Springs, California.
Buy Tickets Here
This short film will screen with other short films in Block 9 | CHEEZTOSOS(TM) COMEDY JAM
Saturday, December 10th at 8pm
Palm Springs Art Museum. Palm Springs, California.
Buy Tickets Here
A breakup comedy short film inspired by true events that happened in my Mexican-American family. It tells the story of Sally Garcia as she goes to desperate lengths to get her long-term boyfriend back, even as she nearly destroys her own family in the process. It is an outrageous comedy inspired equally by Pedro Almodovar, Desperate Housewives, and 1950s Douglas Sirk technicolor melodramas. This short has proven somewhat controversial in its unique blend of political hot button issues, a deeply flawed Latina antihero, and its lightly comic approach. But for me, the message is true, from my heart, and it exemplifies my approach to filmmaking – to not judge my characters’ morality, but rather to reflect in the distorted mirror of my art the humanity and complexity of Latinx people.
DAVID AGUILAR RODRÍGUEZ is a queer Mexican-American filmmaker in Los Angeles. David holds an MFA in Film & TV Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he won the school’s prestigious Entertainment Partners Producing Scholarship for his work producing short films. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Harvard University, where he graduated Cum Laude and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
In 2015, David landed his first job in the film industry as the assistant to legendary producer Roger Corman. In David’s first year on the job, Roger sent him to Peru to be his man on the ground and help produce Death Race 2050 – the sequel to Corman’s cult classic hit and most iconic work, Death Race 2000.
In 2022, David completed his USC Thesis Film – “Yo soy Sally, la loca.” Inspired by an outrageous true story about David’s Latinx family, Psycho Sally is a breakup comedy that follows Sally Garcia’s quest to get her man back by any means necessary… even if it means risking the only family she ever had.
In 2018, David traveled to Beijing to direct the film Barbarians, a documentary about a team of Chinese football players playing the first game between China and an American university. The same year, he also produced the short film Callback, a narrative film about sexual assault in the film industry, which was featured in a segment on the BBC.
In 2017, David wrote and directed the short film Four Latinas Walk into a Restaurant, a story inspired by a real-life racially charged encounter. The film has screened at the Fort Myers Beach International Film Festival, United Latino Film Festival, and others throughout the country.
Outside of his work at USC, David produced the independent web series The Filth. The show is a five episode half-hour comedy series about a group of queer friends navigating career and relationship issues in Los Angeles. The Filth celebrated its world premiere at Inside Out Fest in Toronto, and its U.S. premiere at Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco in 2019.
As a filmmaker and cinephile, I tell audacious stories driven by madcap heroes using melodrama, irreverent humor, strong colors, and glossy décor, often drawing on my passion for film history and my Mexican-American heritage.
My style is rich in humanity and bold in subject matter. While exploring deep themes of identity and desire, my filmmaking embraces wit, elegance, and a counterpoint of sadness and joy. I have a critical affection for flawed individuals torn between their hopes and their circumstances.
I center the narratives of the people I know and the life I’ve lived to share my perspective with the world.
