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🇲🇽 Mexico /Sports

“Ecatepec, My Love,” Mexican short reaches Student Academy Awards semifinals

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • “Ecatepec, My Love,” directed by Alistair Pulido, reached the semifinals of the Student Academy Awards but did not advance to the final.
  • The film follows a single mother trying to avoid long commutes while facing violence and threats in the streets.
  • It is competing at Shorts México and is scheduled to travel to other festivals, including one in Boston.

“Ecatepec, My Love” brought filmmaker Alistair Pulido to the semifinals of the Student Academy Awards, one step short of the final. The short stars Gabriela Cartol and follows a single mother living on the outskirts of Mexico City as she tries to avoid the exhausting journey to work while confronting violence and threats in the streets.

I grew up in Ecatepec and have a sister. We travelled those roads every day, and she told me what happened to her. It angered me deeply.

· Alistair PulidoPulido described the personal experience that inspired the film.

Pulido, a graduate of Mexico’s Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, grew up in Ecatepec. He said his sister travelled those roads every day and told him about what happened to her there, leaving him with an uneasy relationship with the place where he was raised.

The film was shot at night in Ecatepec and on the Mexico City metro, with permission from the authorities. Cartol said she initially joined the project as casting director and resisted taking the lead role until Pulido explained that the part had been written with her in mind.

Being considered for the Student Academy Award was a source of pride. Unfortunately, we did not make the final, but it does not matter. We saw that people could connect with the story.

· Alistair PulidoPulido reflected on the film reaching the semifinals.

The story also uses humor. Cartol described a single mother who spends three hours travelling between work and home, including a scene in which she arrives with her daughter and is not allowed to enter, while someone with an animal is permitted through.

I started as the casting director and initially refused the lead role, but then they explained the situation to me. Once I understood it had been made with me in mind, I embraced it with all my being.

· Gabriela CartolCartol described how she came to play the film’s protagonist.

The film is currently part of Shorts México, a festival dedicated to short films. It is expected to continue its festival run before reaching audiences through the CCC, in partnership with UNAM’s ENAC, and through the school’s YouTube channel.

It was also about bringing humor to the situation, about this single mother who takes three hours to get from work to where she lives.

· Gabriela CartolCartol discussed the film’s use of humor and its central character.
About this summary

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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