MICHELLE, 2min,. USA, Animation
Directed by Sarena Vasquez
With the assistance of a casino waitress, Michelle moves to eliminate her next hit assignment— a perpetrator of sexual assault named Julius Lopez de Villalobos. Before Michelle can finish the job she must first get through Julius' bodyguard. However, Julius won't go down without putting up a fight of his own.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I adore making art that can authentically represent my values and touch on some of my life experiences. MICHELLE's themes, to me, encompass concepts like contradicting symbols and the "feminine" which are fascinating. This was a very fun project to serve as my first animated film; additionally, the sheer impact of the story and imagery were very motivating to see how the film all came together in the end.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

MICHELLE took about ten and a half months. As my senior thesis film, our class started playing around with film concepts by spring of our Junior year, then boom right as Senior year came we hit the ground running, animating like hell until graduation.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Two words to describe my film are powerful and vicarious.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Funnily enough, my biggest obstacle was the work-life balance outside of working on this film. Having just come out to my not-so-accepting family as bisexual with a myriad of life and health problems, it was a struggle to get back on the animation grind when so many things were working against me. It would have been just so easy to call it quits and drop out of college to deal with everything else going on, but I'm proud of myself for sticking to it and creating something this cool.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

MICHELLE has pretty intense and violent visuals. I noticed in the feedback video, many of the women enjoyed what MICHELLE and I had to say. Most of the men were shocked at the violence, which I was expecting. Overall, I'm happy with the feedback I received and I appreciated how multiple members of the audience noticed my comic book-esque shot choices.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I knew I wanted to be some sort of visual artist when I was really young, probably around the fourth grade. I always could imagine these "movies" in my head to songs that really called to me. Then and now, I find myself obsessing over these ideas until they come to fruition on the page.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

The film I would say I have seen the most is Pixar's Luca. The story, atmosphere, and relationships enamored me.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I know it can be difficult to garner interest after the devastating effects of Covid on social gatherings, but I would love to participate in more in-person events.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

It was really easy and streamlined to submit to festivals on FilmFreeway!

10. What is your favorite meal?

My favorite meal right now is Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I'm exploring a myriad of options in my career at the moment. I feel called to try illustrating children's books, publishing my own comics, and continuing my freelance illustration and storyboarding. Hopefully, I can get my dreams of a picture book flying or be able to storyboard musical sequences for television.