Virgencita: NYU Thesis Film
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WHO DIS? NEW PIN #
My name is Giselle Bonilla, I am a senior at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts currently crowdfunding for my thesis film, Virgencita, scheduled to shoot November 10, 11, 12, and 13. Virgencita is a short film about a 22 year old sexually curious virgin, Josephina Hernandez, who has to move back home with her conservative Mexican mother, Carmen Garcia, after graduating college. One bored night, Josephina decides to masturbate in the shower and accidentally switches the nozzle to full blast. She slips and in an attempt to catch herself, slits her wrists on the rusty shower rings while bringing the shower rod down with her—ultimately passing out unconscious. Her mother storms in and assumes she tried to commit suicide. Once Josephina realizes the misunderstanding, she decides to go with it and ends up in therapy for being suicidal.
THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY. WHY THE HELL ARE YOU MAKING THIS?
I transferred from a community college in my hometown of sunny Los Angeles, CA. During my first two years of college all I was aiming for was transferring to a top film school to not just be the first in my family to graduate from a four-year university, but to redefine what being Latino means in our industry. Now that I am a student in New York—I am shooting my student thesis film in Los Angeles. As contradictory as it is, I may have just needed time to get over Hollywood and remember what my ultimate goal is.
I worked professionally as an actress on and off since the age of 12 and grew frustrated at the limited opportunities for Latinos to succeed as artists. We are constantly reduced to stereotypical roles such as gangsters, violent/helpless immigrants, and pregnant teens that were far too often written by professionals who could not accurately depict this fraction of under-privileged Latinos which ultimately becomes an offensive representative of our vast population. As infuriating as it is to see this on film and TV, nothing makes me more frustrated than Latinos continuing to fuel the stereotypes. In school, I soon realized Hollywood isn’t the only source to blame, it truly begins with education. The limited resources low-income students have to sex education and their opportunities to see a life beyond their neighborhoods ridden with gangs and violence is so scarce that I changed my goal from trying to evolve Hollywood to trying to revolutionize the way many of us are brought up, and that begins with the kind of entertainment brought to the table.
I am incredibly proud of being Latina, but it is disheartening to see my fellow peers and even relatives become pregnant and be completely content with that being the extent of where they see their life going. Having been a working professional since the age of 12 and brought up in an environment where higher education is spoken about and a possibility, is something I later learned was a privilege. I believe every child has the right to an education and the option to build their own path to success in life. We shouldn’t continue to repeat the cycle, as humans it is our nature to evolve and adapt in new environments.
However, Hispanics are still the highest category for teen pregnancy in the United States and it is definitely a result of the sometimes oppressive force Catholicism has in a Latin household. I was brought up Catholic, and Catholicism absolutely served as a foundation for many of the morals I continue to hold true to who I am as a person today; but I can also recognize how inhibiting it can be—especially in terms of sex. ‘Sex’ is never spoken about in the house. No matter how deeply rooted it is in our nature as human beings, as a Latin Catholic, sex is either between a married couple or a sin. That’s right, you’re faced with your sinful reflection in the always freshly windex-ed bathroom mirror and the stares of a million chubby cherubs every Latin mother has in the bathroom. As a result, parents live in ignorant bliss of their “virgin” children until they show up pregnant to the next family bbq.
I truly believe that creating Latina/o leading men and women in film and TV will serve as inspiration for young minorities who can’t relate to the privileged protagonists we all know too well. In fact, according to MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), Latinos are continuously categorized as the largest minority moviegoers in the nation; yet, the amount of content produced for this demographic is nearly nonexistent. Now, I am not looking to make a long PSA or a serious film about a pregnant girl and her illiterate boyfriend. My project, Virgencita, is a satirical commentary on the extremes of not speaking about sex at home. Our short film will ultimately be a proof of concept for the feature I have been writing throughout my time here at NYU.
I have been in development for this project since last Fall and I’m excited that it’s finally happening!
WAIT… IF YOU’VE HAD THIS PROJECT IN MIND SINCE LAST FALL? WHY ARE YOU JUST ASKING FOR MONEY NOW?
I hung back in New York this Summer saving up for the production of this short thinking being a waitress in the city, only temporarily (Giselle has been saying this everyday for the past year) would get me on my feet. It doesn’t. Seriously, they just made a musical about it.
Anyway, we’ve budgeted enough for flights and locations, but still need help pumping up that Grip and Electric/ Camera Budget to achieve the aesthetic we’d ultimately want for the feature, which hopefully after your help shooting this film we will no longer need to crowdfund! Let’s create films that represent who we are today! Sexually frustrated!! (Obviously a joke ((let's face it, it's not obvious)) (((can you add parentheticals to parenthesis? Is it now 'parentheses' if it's plural? Stop, Giselle you're revealing too much leave now while you can))))) Point is!!! Comedies don’t get made very often in film school and if I have to sit through one more rendition of "The Godfather" as an original script idea in class I may just move back home with my parents. Anything LITERALLY ANYTHING will be very much appreciated! Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Giselle Bonilla
My name is Giselle Bonilla, I am a senior at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts currently crowdfunding for my thesis film, Virgencita, scheduled to shoot November 10, 11, 12, and 13. Virgencita is a short film about a 22 year old sexually curious virgin, Josephina Hernandez, who has to move back home with her conservative Mexican mother, Carmen Garcia, after graduating college. One bored night, Josephina decides to masturbate in the shower and accidentally switches the nozzle to full blast. She slips and in an attempt to catch herself, slits her wrists on the rusty shower rings while bringing the shower rod down with her—ultimately passing out unconscious. Her mother storms in and assumes she tried to commit suicide. Once Josephina realizes the misunderstanding, she decides to go with it and ends up in therapy for being suicidal.
THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY. WHY THE HELL ARE YOU MAKING THIS?
I transferred from a community college in my hometown of sunny Los Angeles, CA. During my first two years of college all I was aiming for was transferring to a top film school to not just be the first in my family to graduate from a four-year university, but to redefine what being Latino means in our industry. Now that I am a student in New York—I am shooting my student thesis film in Los Angeles. As contradictory as it is, I may have just needed time to get over Hollywood and remember what my ultimate goal is.
I worked professionally as an actress on and off since the age of 12 and grew frustrated at the limited opportunities for Latinos to succeed as artists. We are constantly reduced to stereotypical roles such as gangsters, violent/helpless immigrants, and pregnant teens that were far too often written by professionals who could not accurately depict this fraction of under-privileged Latinos which ultimately becomes an offensive representative of our vast population. As infuriating as it is to see this on film and TV, nothing makes me more frustrated than Latinos continuing to fuel the stereotypes. In school, I soon realized Hollywood isn’t the only source to blame, it truly begins with education. The limited resources low-income students have to sex education and their opportunities to see a life beyond their neighborhoods ridden with gangs and violence is so scarce that I changed my goal from trying to evolve Hollywood to trying to revolutionize the way many of us are brought up, and that begins with the kind of entertainment brought to the table.
I am incredibly proud of being Latina, but it is disheartening to see my fellow peers and even relatives become pregnant and be completely content with that being the extent of where they see their life going. Having been a working professional since the age of 12 and brought up in an environment where higher education is spoken about and a possibility, is something I later learned was a privilege. I believe every child has the right to an education and the option to build their own path to success in life. We shouldn’t continue to repeat the cycle, as humans it is our nature to evolve and adapt in new environments.
However, Hispanics are still the highest category for teen pregnancy in the United States and it is definitely a result of the sometimes oppressive force Catholicism has in a Latin household. I was brought up Catholic, and Catholicism absolutely served as a foundation for many of the morals I continue to hold true to who I am as a person today; but I can also recognize how inhibiting it can be—especially in terms of sex. ‘Sex’ is never spoken about in the house. No matter how deeply rooted it is in our nature as human beings, as a Latin Catholic, sex is either between a married couple or a sin. That’s right, you’re faced with your sinful reflection in the always freshly windex-ed bathroom mirror and the stares of a million chubby cherubs every Latin mother has in the bathroom. As a result, parents live in ignorant bliss of their “virgin” children until they show up pregnant to the next family bbq.
I truly believe that creating Latina/o leading men and women in film and TV will serve as inspiration for young minorities who can’t relate to the privileged protagonists we all know too well. In fact, according to MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), Latinos are continuously categorized as the largest minority moviegoers in the nation; yet, the amount of content produced for this demographic is nearly nonexistent. Now, I am not looking to make a long PSA or a serious film about a pregnant girl and her illiterate boyfriend. My project, Virgencita, is a satirical commentary on the extremes of not speaking about sex at home. Our short film will ultimately be a proof of concept for the feature I have been writing throughout my time here at NYU.
I have been in development for this project since last Fall and I’m excited that it’s finally happening!
WAIT… IF YOU’VE HAD THIS PROJECT IN MIND SINCE LAST FALL? WHY ARE YOU JUST ASKING FOR MONEY NOW?
I hung back in New York this Summer saving up for the production of this short thinking being a waitress in the city, only temporarily (Giselle has been saying this everyday for the past year) would get me on my feet. It doesn’t. Seriously, they just made a musical about it.
Anyway, we’ve budgeted enough for flights and locations, but still need help pumping up that Grip and Electric/ Camera Budget to achieve the aesthetic we’d ultimately want for the feature, which hopefully after your help shooting this film we will no longer need to crowdfund! Let’s create films that represent who we are today! Sexually frustrated!! (Obviously a joke ((let's face it, it's not obvious)) (((can you add parentheticals to parenthesis? Is it now 'parentheses' if it's plural? Stop, Giselle you're revealing too much leave now while you can))))) Point is!!! Comedies don’t get made very often in film school and if I have to sit through one more rendition of "The Godfather" as an original script idea in class I may just move back home with my parents. Anything LITERALLY ANYTHING will be very much appreciated! Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Giselle Bonilla
Organizer
Giselle Bonilla
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY