Once I Left to Become Maria
TFI Suppport
Logline
In the wake of her father’s death, filmmaker Sofia Castellanos begins to reconnect with her mother, María. Little by little, she begins to understand the woman that was left abandoned all these years – her identity stored and buried in dusty old boxes, her beautiful singing voice no longer nurtured. As the filmmaker questions why her mother abandoned her dreams, the film explores themes of gender and femininity.
Sofía Castellanos
Director
Sofía Castellanos is a Mexican filmmaker with a degree in Audiovisual Arts Image and Sound Department from the University of Guadalajara.
Eduardo Esquivel
Producer
Mexican. Director and producer. He has a degree in Audiovisual Arts at the University of Guadalajara. His first documentary "Uriel and Jade" premiered at the Sheffield Doc|Fest. His second short film “Under the sun” won the Prix Révélation in the Cinélatino Rencontres de Toulouse and is part of the official programme of La Semaine de la Critique at Cannes 2018. He currently works with his production company Tardigrada in the production of documentary and fiction films.
Omar Robles
Editor
Mexican. Director and producer. He has a degree in Audiovisual Arts at the University of Guadalajara. His documentary "Aurelia y Pedro" won a Special Mention in the Berlinale 2016, the Ariel Prize of the Mexican Academy and was nominated for the Students Academy Award. His second short film "The Banished" premiered at the Festival du nouveau cinéma. He is especially interested in LGBT+ films, and currently works with his production company Tardigrada in the production of documentary and fiction films.
Bruno Santamaría
Cinematographer
Bruno has a degree in Communication and Cinematography from the Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica (CCC). He works as a documentary cinematographer and director. Among his works include the films MARGARITA, THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR LIFE and ARTEMIO. He is a FONCA grant recipient, and is currently working on his second film as a director.