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* Winner *
Best Short Film NYU Fusion Film Festival |
* Winner *
Maurice Kanbar Achievement in Directing Award |
* Winner *
2nd Place Best Cinematography Palm Springs Film Festival |
World Premiere
Tribeca Film Festival April - May 2005 |
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F I L M S Y N O P S I S A pregnant Mexican woman is determined to have her baby on American soil. In order to take advantage of immigration policy, she waits until her cervix is dilated enough to cross the border in “active labor.” To complete her journey, Maria must face the intense physical strain of childbirth and the dangerous complications of illegal border crossing. |
| D I R E C T O R ' S S T A T E M E N T I dreamt of women being stuck underneath a low bridge with the water up to their waist. As the water level rose, they struggled to hold their babies above the surface. Even after they died, their floating arms kept their babies from drowning. The image was so powerful. Less than a week later, when I heard of women swimming across the Rio Grande to give birth on U.S. soil, again I was inspired. I wanted to tell the story of motherhood as altruism, the pure, unselfish love between mother and child. I wanted to create a character both determined and vulnerable, a woman that could defy tremendous odds while captivating the sympathy of the audience. Having grown up the daughter of an immigrant mother in San Diego, writing this script allowed me to explore issues of guilt and priviledge. Knowing that my mother had left her country and witnessing the injustice suffered by the illegal immigrants in Southern California created powerful emotions within me. From the start I knew the film would be extremely difficult: foreign locations, rivers, bridges, extras, directing in Spanish, but the challenges inherent in this story drove me to fight for the authenticity of my vision in every aspect. The DP and I drove 5600 miles from California to the east point of Texas and back up to the Rio Grande to find the perfect locations. I flew to Mexico city just to find the enormously talented, award winning actress Pilar Padilla to play Maria, my protagonist. Everything came together, cast, crew, and locations to allow one woman’s story of struggle and endurance to be told on film. This film was made by an almost entirely female crew: the Director of Photography, producers, production designer, script supervisor, and assistant directors all were women. It was an amazing experience making this film and I’m very pleased to share it with an audience.  Director Laura Richard, Actress Pilar Padilla  Actress Pilar Padilla see gallery for more images | |
