Support Armando Ibanez's New Film
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ABOUT MYSELF AND MY WORK
My name is Armando Ibanez. I am a queer immigrant artist from Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. In 2016, with limited money and resources, I created a scripted Youtube series called “Undocumented Tales,” which follows the life of an undocumented queer immigrant living in Los Angeles. My vision for that project was to change the narrative around LGBTQ+ undocumented immigrants on the screen and educate audiences about the experiences of LGBTQ and immigrant communites. I was able to write, direct and produce the four season series and has been screened at different universities, community spaces, and film festivals throughout the country.
In 2023, The Center for Cultural Power organization created a case study to test audiences with different points of view. The participants watched part of the series and the results led to a 3.4-point increase in the audience recognizing that undocumented immigrants face many obstacles in their process to gain legal status in the United States. More than half of the viewers (58 percent) wanted to see more videos/content like it. This data proves that our stories are changing the perceptions of general audiences about undocumented immigrant and LGBTQ communities. Art has the power to change hearts and minds and move audiences.
THE NEW PROJECT: A SHORT FILM
HER LAST DAY IN THE U.S.
When Leonor, an 80-year-old undocumented single immigrant mother, decides to return to her homeland Mexico, her children have trouble accepting her decision, stirring
a wave of emotions and drama difficult to process.
The film will detail Leonor’s last day in the U.S. The story follows the impact her decision has caused in her family when she decides to return to Mexico after living 35 years in the U.S. Leonor has 3 children: Daniela(46), Zeferino(42), and Chabela(35) who happened to be undocumented immigrants too. Her decision to leave has stirred a wave of emotions among her children since they know, that if she leaves, she might not be able to return to the U.S. Meaning that this could be the last day they see her in person and so they spend time with her because they might not be able to visit her in Mexico. Meanwhile, Daniela, Zeferino, and Chabela are dealing with their own lives.
REPRESENTATION:
The character Leonor and her children are from a poor community in the state of Guerrero, and have indigenous roots. People from Guerrero are hardly represented on the screen. The characters will be played by a cast that comes from those communities.
THE IMPACT:
Her Last Day in the U.S. will fight stereotypes of our communities and will show the nuances and complex experiences the immigrant community lives in the U.S.
The themes in this film are migration, LGBTQ, mental health, trauma, perfectionism, drug addiction, forgiveness, and healing.
WHAT I NEED TO MAKE THIS PROJECT A REALITY:
Art can move audiences. And we need resources to create social change through the screen. We need your donations and your contributions will be part of social change. With your donation, the film will have a better production value and reach bigger audiences to expand our message of compassion, respect, and unity.
BUDGET
I’ll use a big part of the budget to pay the cast and crew. Our team will be mainly POC, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ community. and I strongly believe in the need to compensate artists for their time and work. Making a project takes a lot of work and resources, here is an overall breakdown of how the funds will be utilized.
$10,000 Crew (including DP department, make-up, wardrobe, production designer, and others)
$3000 - Cast
$2000 - Camera, equipment and rentals
&2000 - Insurance
$2500 - Food
$1000 - Location fees
$2000 - Production design costs and props.
$4000 - Post-production (editing, color, sound correction, photoshop)
$2500 - Distributions( poster, film festivals fees, graphics)
Creating my own projects is the only way I have to continue pursuing my dreams of filmmaking and creating change through art. But I cannot do this without resources. Please consider donating and supporting my filmmaking dreams.
De corazón, muchas gracias.
Thank you all!
Armando Ibanez
Organizer
Armando Ibanez
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA