How to Clean a House in 10 Easy Steps by Carolina González Valencia
The San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) announced the winners of the Golden Gate Awards for its 69th edition, with several U.S. Latinx and Latin American filmmakers among this year’s honorees.
The Kirby Walker Documentary Award was presented to How to Clean a House in 10 Easy Steps by Colombian-American director Carolina González Valencia. In its statement, the jury praised the film’s “fanciful and deeply personal approach,” highlighting how it “transforms the reckoning of immigrant life—working far from family and home—into something profoundly relatable, accessible, and unexpectedly uplifting.”
The jury also commended the film’s inventive blending of fiction and nonfiction, noting that it “empowers its participants, fostering a process that feels both collaborative and cathartic, while playfully and boldly testing the boundaries between fiction and reality.”
How to Clean a House in 10 Easy Steps follows Beatriz Valencia, a Colombian-born domestic worker in the United States, and her daughter Carolina—the filmmaker herself—as they collaborate in the creation of a fictional writer character. Moving between truth and fantasy, the hybrid documentary explores their intertwined experiences of immigration, labor, and womanhood.
Divided into ten chapters, González Valencia’s playful and incisive debut arrives at a moment when immigrant communities are increasingly under attack in the United States, offering a timely reflection on belonging and creative resistance. Through its intimate lens, the film celebrates the resilience of immigrant workers and the power of storytelling to ignite change.
In the New Directors competition, Mexican-American filmmaker Walter Thompson-Hernández received an Honorable Mention for If I Go Will They Miss Me. The jury described the film as “an intimate, beautifully composed story of a family in South Los Angeles in the tradition of pioneering filmmaker Charles Burnett.” They also singled out performances by J. Alphonse Nicholson and Danielle Brooks, praising the film’s nuanced portrait of a family navigating incarceration, fatherhood, and survival.
If I Go Will They Miss Me follows 12-year-old Lil Ant, who struggles to connect with his father while beginning to experience surreal, almost spectral visions of boys drifting through his neighborhood. Their presence reveals a deeper link between father and son, laying bare the threads that bind family, legacy, and place.
The Cine Latino Spotlight Award went to It Would Be Night in Caracas / Aún es de noche en Caracas, co-directed by Venezuelan filmmakers Mariana Rondón and Marité Ugás. The jury called the film “an exquisitely crafted thriller that captivates from the first frame to the last,” applauding the directors’ use of genre to portray “a common person’s high-stakes struggle for survival when political violence from all sides has become the norm.” They further praised the film’s cinematography, sound design, and performances for creating “an unforgettable, deeply-felt film that reflects the painful, ongoing lived experience of millions of Venezuelans.”
Based on the novel by Karina Sainz Borgo, It Would Be Night in Caracas is a gripping thriller set in the Venezuelan capital during the 2017 protests. The film follows Adelaida—played by Colombian actress Natalia Reyes—a woman trapped in a city consumed by chaos. When regime loyalists seize her apartment, she is forced into hiding and confronted with an impossible choice for survival.
In the Youth Works category, the award went to the animated short film Cindy Undead by Mariella Gutiérrez. The jury described the short as “sincere, nostalgic, and emotion driven,” highlighting its striking visuals, evocative score, and timely themes. The film follows the mysterious and sensational ’80s supermodel Cindy Devereux as she reaches a breaking point when she can no longer keep herself sewn together.
The Audience Award for Documentary Feature was presented to Figaro Up, Figaro Down by Javid Soriano. The documentary tells the story of Tim Blevins, an acclaimed opera singer whose struggles with substance use led him to life on the streets of San Francisco.
The 69th edition of SFFILM took place April 24–May 4.
