Maia (AKA 'La Gringa') is a mixed-raced Latina woman who grew up on the white side of life. When she returns to reconnect with her Mexican roots on her grandma's birthday, she accidentally causes the death of the family's vibrant matriarch. A beacon of death and destruction, she must now fight to find her place in her family, heritage, and her own mother's heart.

Interview with Writer/Director/Editor Jessica Mendez Siqueiros

Watch Pozole on Vimeo

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

After years of being an actor, and feeling like this massive part of myself was never seen (I'm actually a mixed-race Mexicana, like my lead character), I wanted to make something that started to bridge the gaps within my own communities. There is also something deeply rooted in me about matriarchy and this very powerful connection that threads through women with indigenous and Latino heritage that I wanted to honor. And I figured, what better way than with laughter, so I made a comedy.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

You'll laugh, you'll (maybe) cry. This film may be about Latinos, but we have really hit a sensitive place for many people, of all cultures and backgrounds.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

After a long festival run, I can't tell you how many people have come up to me with stories about their boyfriends, girlfriends, mothers, sisters, etc. in their own cultures having to deal with a family that doesn't understand being vegetarian. The film really taps into the intergenerational issues every family encounters at some point.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

This movie is really fun to get feedback on, because some people really see the depth of the topic and how complex and painful these divides can be within your own culture. But then, some folks just walk away laughing. Either way, I've viewed it as such a positive. People really love it for whatever they find in it, which I think is exactly what art should be.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

When I first wrote the script, and subsequently when it was finished, I was really worried that we would be put into a 'niche' category. And the outpour of love and support has been surprising to me. People 'get' it, and that's the best kind of surprise.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

More humans in our corner! We had the immense fortune of taking home an Academy Awards qualifying award at Cinequest, and now we need advocates to get their voter friends to see the film.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Journalists! Let's talk about why this form of cinematic comedy is so meaningful to minority communities. We are fighting for space in new arenas!

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I would love to be able to create a pipeline for Latinos making really cinematic work. Work that is not just put into a subcategory, but that is winning awards at major festivals and going on to permeate the culture. That happens so often for our white, male counterparts. It's time for us.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Should La Gringa eat the pozole?

Would you like to add anything else?

Thanks for being a platform for indie filmmakers voices!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I just finished up a short film for AT&T Hello Labs, under the mentorship of Lena Waithe. Next, I'm going to try to get my feature made which centers around a young Mexican girl in the projects in the late '60s who thinks she can solve the race war in her community through dance.

Interview: November 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Pozole

La Gringa killed her nana.

Length: 10:06

Director: Jessica Mendez Siqueiros

Producer: Jenn Garcia

Writer: Jessica Mendez Siqueiros

About the writer, director and producer:

JESSICA MENDEZ SIQUEIROS' debut short film Pozole is an official selection of SIFF, LALIFF, Indy Shorts, and over 60 film festivals to date. The film took home the Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short Film (Comedy) at Cinequest, qualifying for the 2020 Academy Awards. Selected as a director mentee in the AT&T Hello Lab Mentorship Program, she is currently directing her next short film under the guidance of Lena Waithe.

Key cast: Ana Isabel Dow (Maia/La Gringa), Monica Sanchez (Lea/Mother)

Facebook: Pozole

Twitter: @pozolefilm

Instagram: @pozolefilm

Hashtags used: #pozolefilm

Website: www.pozolefilm.com

Made in association with: WeTransfer

Funders: Seed&Spark + 25K Grant from WeTransfer

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Cucalorus/Wilmington, NC - Nov 14 & 16, Shorts That Are Not Pants/Toronto - Nov 15