Two Latinx films emerged as winners of the Emerging Filmmaker Awards presented by the Film Independent Spirit Awards, each securing a $25,000 unrestricted cash grant for its recipient.
Director Set Hernandez clinched the 29th Annual Truer Than Fiction Award for his film unseen. This accolade is bestowed upon an emerging director of nonfiction features who has yet to receive significant recognition. “I’m deeply humbled that a film led by undocumented immigrants and helmed by a disabled filmmaker is being honored in this manner with such a weighty award,” Hernandez remarked upon accepting the honor.
Unseen chronicles the journey of Pedro, an aspiring social worker, as he grapples with obstacles in obtaining his college degree owing to his status as a blind, undocumented Mexican-American immigrant. Employing experimental cinematography and sound, unseen reimagines cinema to be accessible for blind/low-vision audiences, while delving into the intersections of immigration, disability, and mental health. Hernandez’s documentary will have its much anticipated broadcast premiere on PBS’ POV series on Monday, March 18.
In addition, Haitian-American filmmaker Monica Sorelle was bestowed the 2024 Someone to Watch Award for her debut feature Mountains. This award celebrates a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has yet to receive adequate recognition and includes a $25,000 unrestricted cash grant.
“We’re merely working-class filmmakers who aimed to create a film about a community facing extinction… so for an institution like Film Independent to take notice and afford it the attention I believe it deserves, and to feature it on this stage, is truly invaluable,” expressed Sorelle upon receiving the accolade.
Mountains narrates the tale of a Haitian demolition worker grappling with the realities of redevelopment as he undertakes the task of dismantling his rapidly gentrifying Miami neighborhood.
The 2024 Emerging Filmmaker Independent Spirit Awards were presented on Sunday, January 25, at a ceremony in Santa Monica, California. The awards were presented by Hollywood actors Colman Domingo and Lily Gladstone.
