Chocolate Caliente was my first-ever film and directorial debut. Produced for my Intro to Video Production class in 2022, this ten-minute film follows Fernanda Jimenez, a Mexican-American student struggling to find her place at a PWI. After a failed attempt at connecting with her roommate, Fernanda finds comfort in traditional Mexican hot chocolate sent to her by her mother.
This project came from a very personal place as a Mexican-American filmmaker, based on my complicated feelings toward my time in the Northeastern United States. Despite knowing little about filmmaking, I completed this ten-minute film in collaboration with Fiona Beere (sound and assistant editor) and DP/Co-Editor Em Judkins, whom I later worked with again for Historically Women’s College in 2024.
Chocolate Caliente was an official selection for the 2023 Five College Film Festival and the 2022 UMass Amherst “HOME” Film Showcase.
