Alarcon 1

Daniela Alarcon
Professor Shahrazad Encinias
CAS 115
24 November 2023

LALIFF's "Sol Supernova" Premiere

On June 2nd of this year, I had the privilege of participating in the Los Angeles Latino
International Film Festival (LALIFF) as a member of the Youth Cinema Project Fellowship. The
Youth Cinema Project (YCP) is an organization providing opportunities for students interested in
filmmaking. This particular day was dedicated to premiering the short film “Sol Supernova”,
made entirely by Latinx high schoolers.
The reason this student film was a cause for celebration is that it was a professionally
produced film, made in partnership with Amazon Studios with the goal of bringing Latino
representation to Hollywood. The students involved were placed into roles based on their
interests - YCP appointed the director, producer, cinematographer, and more. I was given the role
of cinematographer and assigned a mentor, Mariscela Mendez, who greatly helped me learn the
craft.
It was rewarding to see Latino students connect through this creative process. We learned
a great deal in a unique and memorable way. Even though we only spent a few days together
working on this film project, we bonded quickly and deeply over our common cultural
background. At the premiere, we each had the chance to discuss our roles and reflect on the
experience. One director, Kimberly Mendiola, claimed this would be “one of the best
experiences of our lives.” An enthusiastic production designer, Emily Ontiveron, represented the
collaborative spirit of the project, saying “I had so much fun on set with everyone!” We
developed our technical skills enormously. Being at the premiere to witness the fruits of our
efforts made it even more thrilling. I have to agree with Diego Estrada from the production
department when he thanked YCP saying, “I’d like to shout out YCP for making this possible…
thank you very much!” It was impactful for us students to receive such life-changing
opportunity.