July 20, 2019 3:15 P.M. Laemmle NoHo 5240 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601
Starring J.M. Longoria, Omar Leyva, and Academy Award Nominee Adriana Barraza
The highly anticipated short film Bibi, starring J.M. Longoria (Miracles from Heaven), Omar Leyva (Icebox/HBO) and Academy Award nominee Adriana Barraza (Babel) will make its world premiere on July 20th at the 23rd Annual LA Shorts International Film Festival. The heartfelt Bibi was written by Victor M. Dueñas and J.M. Longoria, and executive produced by the Academy Award-winning civil rights organization, Southern Poverty Law Center Breaks Diversity Barriers in Hollywood, and the film is primarily a Latino cast.
Bibi marks the directorial debut of Dueñas who co-wrote and co-produced the film alongside the film’s lead actor, Longoria. The short film is also produced by Edward Enriquez-Cohen (50 Pills) and Vanessa Perez (Paraíso), and executive produced by Academy Award-winning civil rights organization Southern Poverty Law Center, civil rights activist Monica Ramirez (Justice for Migrant Women) and Edward Enriquez-Cohen.
Bibi is inspired by the true story between lead actor/co-writer Longoria and his father. As a child, Longoria. had trouble expressing himself. So his dad would say, “If you can’t speak it, write it.” As a result, they began communicating via letters for many years. They discussed things that were difficult to talk about as a father and son such as puberty, school shootings, and sexual orientation. And it became their own little tradition.
Bibi’s plot centers around a young man who begrudgingly returns to his small Texas hometown to handle the final arrangements for his estranged father’s passing. Just when he’s lost all hope of finding closure, he finds one last letter from his dad.
“Using J.M.’s life as inspiration, this script was developed to highlight the importance of fathers communicating with their sons. Having said that, this story can apply to mothers, daughters, and all other loved ones,” stated Dueñas, the film’s director. “Bibi is a movie of acceptance, hope, and forgiveness. And while this film begins with the news of death and loss, it’s the belief in the rebirth that I want audiences to leave with.”
Bibi’s award-winning cast and crew is 90% Latinx and/or LGBTQ and includes director of photography Carmen Cabana (Vida), composer David Murillo R. (Between Land and Sea), editor David Rodríguez Estrada (The 33, Miracles From Heaven), casting director Blanca Valdez (East Los High), costume designer Jen Martin (Gentefied), and production designer Luie P. Garcia (Cesar Chavez). Southern Poverty Law Center has also signed on to be the exclusive educational distributor for Bibi by making it the centerpiece for their Teaching Tolerance program in 2020. As part of the program, the short film will be used as a teaching tool and made available to over 500,000 educators throughout the US.
“From the second I read the script, I knew I had to be a part of this beautiful project. It is such an important story that so many of us have lived,” said Oscar-nominee Adriana Barraza. “As an actor and mother, I knew that it had to be shared to help start a much-needed conversation within our families and our Latino community.”
LA Shorts International Film Festival ranks among the most prestigious and largest international short film festivals in the world. The festival is accredited by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Now in its 23rd year, LA Shorts is the longest-running short film festival in Los Angeles.
Follow Bibi on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BibiShortFilm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bibishortfilm/
For more info to LA Shorts International Film Festival premiere, CLICK HERE. And, TICKETS
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