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Logline

Trapped in a prison of sugar cane, a man will do whatever it takes to cling to his past.

Synopsis

An exploration of PTSD, Un Hombre Sincero follows 39, a man sentenced to work on a sugar cane plantation. Every day 39 wakes up, cuts sugar cane, and is reeducated. At the end of an otherwise uneventful day, 157, an elderly prisoner, decides to stand up to Comandante, the lead guard, and resist their propaganda. 39 stands by as 157 faces swift punishment. As the abuse towards 157 escalates, 39 begins to see two Shadows following him around the camp. Despite his fear of the Shadows and punishment, 39 attempts to help 157. But when Comandante discovers the lengths 39 went through to aid 157, he is subjected to the same abuse as his comrade – a day on the flagpole.

Exposed to the elements, 39 is visited by the Shadows again but also his wife, Xiomara. Like an angel, she speaks of their time as a young couple. Her words lift 39’s spirits until he realizes Xiomara isn’t there, that he is still a prisoner. In his fear-driven rage, 39 lashes out against Comandante. But Comandante isn’t there. 39 is no longer on the plantation. He’s in a kitchen far, far away. The Shadows were his children, and Xiomara is frightened of him. In sacrificing himself, 39 became the villain.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Ann Valdés – Writer/Director
Born, raised, and based in Los Angeles, Ann Valdés is a Cuban-American artist and filmmaker who has spent 6 years working in television production. She has been nominated for two LA Emmys for her work at PBS. In 2021, she expanded into directing with her first short film, Arroró, which earned her a fellowship with Hola Mexico Film Festival’s Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today. Recently, Ann finished her second short film, Omw home. Currently Ann is a fellow in the Alliance of Women Director’s inaugural Mentor Latina Directors fellowship. Through her narrative work, Ann is interested in utilizing genre to reexamine the past.

Ann has produced television for PBS, Meta, Discovery Channel, and TLC.

Via Bia – Producer
Via Bia was raised on Long Island in a Puerto Rican and Jewish family where God was in charge (aka, her abuela). Via is the producer of Cohetes feature (dir: Drew Saplin); La Juana (dir: Anayamel); Bridge. (dir: Cristina Wolf); and Development (dir: Chloe Caudillo) – a 2023 LALIFF/Netflix Inclusion Fellowship selection.
Her screenplays have been selected by Sundance, Stowe Story Labs, Cine Qua Non, and Women In Animation. Her film, These Colors Don’t Run, was supported by Kodak and distributed by HBO. Via tells stories embroidered with magical realism and Latinx people who are chased by their pasts.

Terra Gutmann-Gonzalez – Director of Photography
Terra is an LA-based creative with a passion for visual storytelling and a foundation in fine arts. Raised bilingual in a small farm in the Andes Mountains of central Chile, her upbringing continuously inspires and influences her creative pursuits and is an integral part of her artistic identity.

Terra has worked on an extensive list of both narrative and commercial projects alongside notable talent and creatives. Her latest work includes, The Dating Game with Anna Kendrick, Old Dads with Bill Burr, and Bose: She is the Music. Creative and solution-driven, she enjoys learning and working with individuals of diverse backgrounds who similarly strive for perfection in their craft. She is motivated to design images that move audiences and allow them to self-reflect through realistic portrayals of human interaction.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.