MIJA MIRA ESTO ....LATINA FILMS

Currently, there are over 60 million Latinos in the United States and growing.  Rather, legal or illegal, Latinos have been and will continue to be an important piece of the fabric that makes America great again and again and again!  The sweat of our backs have served the fields that feed the masses, the endless hope of our mothers have kept us alive and the resiliency of our youth keeps us smiling through the pain.  Language barriers have not and will NOT stop us from conquering the American Dream and writing our own stories, adding to the quilt of America one patch at a time.
 

I Am America is that story, it is a film about Yami, a young afro-latina woman that was brought to the U.S. as a toddler illegally.  She encapsulates the image of the perfect daughter, the unproblematic teen that knows what she wants and a plan on how to get it.  She is the pride of her family.  Though she has to face the cards life has dealt her and pay the consequences of a decision her parents made 15 years ago.  
 

I want to tell this story because it shows not only the resiliency of Yami, the main character, but we also learn about the courage, the love and determination of her family.  La familia (family) is everything and we see the importance of sticking together through thick and thin.  With over 60 million Latinos in the U.S., of which millions are Afro-Latinos, this story is more common than not, but arguably one of the least talked about.  
 

It is important that I tell the untold stories of our people.  Those that resonate with the inner core of our humanity despite your upbringing, background or level of education.  The character of Yami is both relatable, and incomprehensible.  She’s attempting to thrive in an environment that is as hostile as it is loving.  Simultaneously, she’s trying to lose and find an identity she never knew existed within her.
 

As a filmmaker, I am enamored by super-SHEroes, mostly the non-fictional ones. I am looking forward to telling anecdotes of women such as Yami and so many others that have paved the way through their sacrifices.  These real life characters and their narratives are extraordinary, they transcend borders and generations; they teach us of our strength and our keen spirits. 

My goal is to represent women in a positive light, to use the art of storytelling to inspire others, that they may find that their own story is a compelling and powerful gift.