Femme Frontera MiniFest
August 10th 2024
Join Femme Frontera for an Unforgettable Event!
Experience the power of storytelling through the lens of talented women and gender-expansive filmmakers. The MiniFest will include two poignant feature films that will captivate your heart and mind.
Additionally, our event will feature an important panel discussion, diving deep into the themes and challenges within the film industry, offering valuable insights and inspiring conversations.
As a special treat, you'll also get an exclusive sneak peek of the highly anticipated La Frontera Film Lab Documentary. This is an extraordinary opportunity to witness groundbreaking work that highlights the unique perspectives and stories from the border region.
Don’t miss out on this incredible event filled with creativity, inspiration, and community.
Mark your calendars for August 10th and join us for a day that promises to be as impactful as it is entertaining.
All events will take place Saturday, August 10th at the Philanthropy Theatre in downtown El Paso, Texas at the Plaza Theatre.
All our programs will have on site ASL & SSL services.
Hidden Flora
Written & Directed by ryan rox
10:00 AM
Hidden Flora is an autobiographical queer romantic dramedy that follows Roxii, a queer hopeless romantic, as they reflect on formative past relationships. Roxii just wants to be loved and treated the way boys do girls. A string of boys and men change Roxii’s life, for better or worse, as they discover their sexuality and identity in late aughts Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Stay tuned for a post-screening Q&A with Director Ryan Rox and Star Luca Silver, moderated by Aitch Alberto.
$5
Tickets: Femme Frontera Minifest | Paso Del Norte Community Foundation (pdnfoundation.org)
Mature Content. Viewer Discretion Advised.
Ryan Rox
Ryan Rox(she/they) is a queer, Latine Director, Writer, and Actor of Trans Non-Binary experience, living and working in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Rox recently completed her first feature film, HIDDEN FLORA. Rox is grateful to have showcased her work at TRANSlations, the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival, and many more. Rox and her work have been supported by Femme Frontera’s Filmmaker Grant with mentorship from Aitch Alberto; Film Fatales’ Fatales Forward: Trans Stories Fellowship with mentorship from Olivia Peace; and Daniella’s Guestbook. Her primary filmmaking focus is uplifting queer voices and narratives; carving out inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC employment and community building; and bringing awareness to and sparking empathy in those unfamiliar with or misinformed about the community.
TRANScending Borders: Moving Beyond Identity (2024 Featured Panel Discussion)
12:15 PM
An in-person discussion featuring a panel of all Trans+ Filmmakers, who discuss their journeys, both in life and the film industry, from just starting out to releasing films worldwide, in theaters, on television, and on streaming platforms like Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Starz, PBS, and more.
Panelists: Aitch Alberto (Dir. “Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”), StormMiguel Florez (Dir. “The Whistle”), Silvia Del Carmen Castaños (Dir. “Hummingbirds”), Ryan Rox (Dir. “Hidden Flora”), and Luca Silver (Dir. “What Is Sex?”)
FREE TO THE PUBLIC (Donations accepted)
La Frontera Film Lab Short Film Sneak Peek
4:00 PM
A sneak peek of the non-fiction short film, “Ternura Radical,” made by 2023 Femme Frontera La Frontera Film Lab fellows Celina Galicia and Sara Gonzalez, followed by a Q&A with the directors, moderated by La Frontera Film Lab Artist Development Manager Vicky Ponce and Mariana Gongóra.
FREE TO THE PUBLIC (Donations accepted)
Hummingbirds
6:00 PM
directed by silvia del carmen castaños & Estefanía “beba” contreras
Silvia and Beba tell their own coming-of-age story, transforming their hometown on the Texas-Mexico border into a wonderland of creative expression and activist hijinks. Filmed collaboratively over the final summer of their fleeting youth, their cinematic self-portrait celebrates the power of friendship and joy as tools of survival and resistance.
Stay tuned for a post-screening Q&A with Directors Silvia Del Carmen Castaños & Estefanía “Beba” Contreras, moderated by Jackie Barragan.
$5
Tickets: Femme Frontera Minifest | Paso Del Norte Community Foundation (pdnfoundation.org)
Silvia Del Carmen Castaños
Silvia Del Carmen Castaños is a Boston-based filmmaker and transit planner born and raised in Laredo, Texas. In 2018 Silvia's short film, Ocean, won a jury prize at the Laredo International Media & Film Festival. Silvia’s debut feature film, Hummingbirds, is a collaborative self-portrait directed by them and Estefanía Contreras. Their work is supported by Ford Foundation JustFilms, Field of Vision, Arts2Work, Threshold Fund, Sundance Documentary Fund, SFFILM, and Chicken & Egg Pictures, among others. Silvia has represented Hummingbirds as a 2021 NBCU Original Voices Fellow, a 2021 Sundance/WIF Financing Intensive Fellow, a 2021 Points North/LEF Fellow, a 2022 BAVC MediaMaker Fellow, and a 2022-2024 Firelight Documentary Fellow. They have pitched Hummingbirds at forums including Visions du Reel Works in Progress and CMP's Great Chicago Pitch and presented at the 2022 True/False-Catapult Rough Cut Retreat.
Estefanía “Beba” Contreras
Estefanía "Beba" Contreras is a musician, photographer, tattoo artist, and filmmaker born in Mexico and raised in Laredo, Texas. Estefanía's first feature film, Hummingbirds, is a collaborative self-portrait directed with Silvia Castaños about their friendship and life experiences coming of age in Laredo. Their Hummingbirds has received support from Ford Foundation JustFilms, Field of Vision, Arts2Work, Threshold Fund, Sundance Documentary Fund, SFFILM, and Chicken & Egg Pictures, among others. Estefanía is a 2021 NBCU Original Voices Fellow, 2021 Sundance/WIF Financing Intensive Fellow, and a 2022-2024 Firelight Documentary Fellow. She has pitched Hummingbirds at Visions du Reel Works in Progress and CMP's Great Chicago Pitch. Estefanía also presented Hummingbirds at the 2022 True/False-Catapult Rough Cut Retreat. In addition to directing and appearing in Hummingbirds, she is also creating music to accompany the film.