LUZ de la Luna
San Jose, California | Film Short
Drama, Romance
A young adult couple wrestles with privacy and independence; a couple growing into their 30s struggles to balance their life, work and love; and finally an older couple rediscovers the joy and love that has been absent in their busy lives. It’s a celebration of Latinx love and its effort.
LUZ de la Luna
San Jose, California | Film Short
Drama, Romance
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $13,405 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
157 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
A young adult couple wrestles with privacy and independence; a couple growing into their 30s struggles to balance their life, work and love; and finally an older couple rediscovers the joy and love that has been absent in their busy lives. It’s a celebration of Latinx love and its effort.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
WE DID IT. AS OF DEC. 16 WE REACHED 100%. WE HAVE GOTTEN ENOUGH FUNDS TO GUARANTEE THIS STORY BEING MADE AS WELL AS WE CAN.
But we want to raise the bar to $15,000.
The reason we’re stretching our goal is because with all your confidence in us, we believe we should go the extra mile for our crew and offer housing accommodations for those crewmembers that would need it after the long hours onset instead of driving long distances.
Thank you so much. Let’s push to a stretch goal of 150%!!
//
Luz de la Luna is a celebration of Latinx love and its effort.
In our film we ride along with Marisol and Enrique as they look for a place to be alone together and get interrupted at every turn. We sit with Verónica and Sebastián at dinner as they decide what’s really worth it in life and while they make that choice. And finally, we are whisked away with Carlos and Teresa on the dance floor as they begin a new chapter together.
My name’s Francisco Allan Alvarez, speaking on behalf of my wonderful team composed of amazing Latinx creators: Ashley Valenzuela, Joshua Pausanos, and Maria Mealla. Luz de la Luna is a labor of love, literally. I wrote this story about Bay Area Latinx lovers because I felt compelled to write something for them. For myself. But it’s not just for people like me, it’s also for anyone who believes in the effort of love.
I believe in romance, and love being tougher than circumstance. Especially the circumstance of the time we’re living in. Inequality has gotten starker, our futures all seem a little darker. However, I feel that sometimes all you need is a good love story with a happy ending. I think a good love story can uplift the soul and Luz does this with some San José flair. I think love stories need to be told honestly. All the joy, all the sexiness, and all the stress, mocos included. I grew up on novelas and Hollywood, so I know a little something about good drama. A heightened reality as opposed to pure exaggeration. It goes hand in hand with what we believe feeling love is like, extraordinary. Luz deals with many challenges of love, but the most pressing of all being time and money. When you’re busy grinding away to make something of yourself —finding your version of success— there’s barely enough time for someone else, and Luz explores how a city/place can strongarm someone to the point of almost losing out on love.
We want to make this short film because we can —because we should. Because we need to. The Bay Area has lots of untapped potential for Latinx creativity. The essence of our mission with LUZ is to grow our community of Latinx filmmakers. This is not only to prove we can make something, but also to show a real representation of people’s lives here in San Jose and the rest of the Bay. We chose the setting for our fundraising video to be the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose because it represents what we’re trying to do: connect with our community physically and through art to explore, show and celebrate our culture here. One of the things that this expanding area does is push out disadvantaged people of color; to different cities, or to the fringes or out of the spaces we used to occupy.
As Latinxs, we often find ourselves depicted with negative stereotypes, which affects the way people see us. We just want to show us being normal people living normal lives. We want to connect to people throughout the world in that struggle to succeed, and in that beauty of love. And on the other hand, because of the shared story of immigration in our community, we face a few more obstacles pursuing work in creative fields, especially ones as difficult as filmmaking. We are often not given the opportunities and resources or even chances to even attempt success when it comes to media and especially filmmaking. So we’re making our own opportunities. The only way to get more Bay Area Latinx stories to be told is to tell them. We’re hopefully just in the beginning of a wave. I feel like there will never be a time to shine offered to us, there’s only the time and effort we make now.
We are good enough to tell our own stories. We are good enough to show ourselves. We are good enough to reach for the stars.
This is the time for us to stand in our Luz.
That’s why we’re asking for your help in raising $10,000 for our short film.
We’ve already been in pre production for Luz, and this fundraiser helps us execute an awesome production. You help us execute this awesome story. When we enter Luz into festivals like the Los Angeles’ Latino International Film Festival, the Official Latino Film Festival, Bay Made, and beyond, we’re going to blow them away with the people from the Bay. And you’ll be happy you helped.
Join us in celebrating Latinx folks, lovers and filmmakers in the Bay and support LUZ de la Luna. Please follow our film’s campaign on its social media handles: luzdelalunafilm on Instagram Twitter and Facebook.
Thank you.
Special thanks once again to:
//
Luz de la Luna es una celebración del amor latino y su esfuerzo.
En nuestra película acompañamos a Marisol y Enrique mientras buscan un lugar para estar juntos a solas y son interrumpidos a cada paso. Nos sentamos con Verónica y Sebastián en la cena mientras deciden qué es lo que realmente vale la pena en la vida y mientras toman esa decisión. Y por último, nos quedamos con Carlos y Teresa en la pista de baile mientras comienzan un nuevo capítulo juntos.
Me llamo Francisco Allan Álvarez y hablo en nombre de mi maravilloso equipo compuesto por increíbles creadores latinos: Ashley Valenzuela, Joshua Pausanos y María Mealla. Luz de la Luna es un trabajo de amor, literalmente. Escribí esta historia sobre los amantes latinos del Área de la Bahía porque me sentí obligada a escribir algo para ellos. Para mí. Pero no es sólo para gente como yo, también es para cualquiera que crea en el esfuerzo del amor. Creo en el romance, y en que el amor es más fuerte que las circunstancias. Especialmente la circunstancia del tiempo que estamos viviendo. La desigualdad se ha vuelto más cruda, nuestros futuros parecen un poco más oscuros. Sin embargo, creo que a veces todo lo que se necesita es una buena historia de amor con un final feliz. Creo que una buena historia de amor puede elevar el alma y Luz lo hace con un toque de San José. Creo que las historias de amor deben contarse con honestidad. Toda la alegría, toda la sensualidad y toda la tensión, mocos incluidos. Crecí con las novelas y con Hollywood, así que sé algo sobre el buen drama. Una realidad exagerada frente a la pura exageración. Va de la mano de lo que creemos que es sentir el amor, extraordinario. Luz aborda muchos retos del amor, pero el más acuciante de todos es el tiempo y el dinero. Cuando uno está ocupado esforzándose por hacer algo de sí mismo -encontrando su versión del éxito- apenas hay tiempo para otra persona, y Luz explora cómo una ciudad/lugar puede forzar a alguien hasta el punto de casi perder el amor.
Queremos hacer este corto porque podemos, porque debemos. Porque lo necesitamos. El Área de la Bahía tiene mucho potencial sin explotar para la creatividad latina. La esencia de nuestra misión con LUZ es hacer crecer nuestra comunidad de cineastas latinos. Esto no es sólo para demostrar que podemos hacer algo, sino también para mostrar una representación real de la vida de la gente aquí en San José y el resto de la Bahía. Elegimos como escenario para nuestro video de recaudación de fondos la Plaza de la Herencia Mexicana en San José porque representa lo que estamos tratando de hacer: conectar con nuestra comunidad físicamente y a través del arte para explorar, mostrar y celebrar nuestra cultura aquí. Una de las cosas que hace esta zona en expansión es expulsar a la gente de color desfavorecida; a otras ciudades, o a los márgenes o fuera de los espacios que solíamos ocupar.
Somos suficiente buenos para contar nuestras propias historias. Somos suficiente buenos para mostrarnos a nosotros mismos. Somos suficiente buenos para alcanzar las estrellas.
Este es el momento de que nos pongamos en nuestra Luz.
Por eso te pedimos ayuda para recaudar 10.000 dólares para nuestro cortometraje.
Ya hemos estado en la preproducción de Luz, y esta recaudación de fondos nos ayuda a ejecutar una producción impresionante. Tú nos ayudas a ejecutar esta impresionante historia. Cuando presentemos Luz en festivales como el Festival Internacional de Cine Latino de Los Ángeles, el Festival Oficial de Cine Latino, Bay Made, y más allá, los vamos a dejar boquiabiertos con la gente de la Bahía. Y tú te alegrarás de haber ayudado.
Únete a nosotros para celebrar a la gente latina, los amantes y los cineastas de la Bahía y apoya a LUZ de la Luna. Por favor, sigue la campaña de nuestra película y sus manejos en los medios sociales en Instagram luzdelalunafilm Twitter y Facebook.
Gracias.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Capitol Drive-Ins Location
Costs $3,000
The drive ins are a unique part of San Jose that is integral to our story.
CAST
Costs $2,400
We will pay our actors for increasing visibility of Bay Area Latinx faces.
SECURITY
Costs $1,450
We need to hire a professional security team to keep our set safe!
LENSES & EQUIPMENT
Costs $1,500
We have a camera, just need lenses and accessories.
GRIP & ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT
Costs $1,000
We need LUZ (light) to tell our story. Covers the cost of the truck and equipment!
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Costs $500
We want to show off the art and culture of our city and people to tell a stronger story.
Make-Up & Wardrobe
Costs $150
We want our cast to look like ESTRELLAS, so we're gonna glam them up for their dates (in the short)!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Joshua Pausanos - Director de Fotografía | Cinematographer
Joshua Pausanos is Mexican-American cinematographer based in the Bay Area, CA. His passion as a visual storyteller is inspired by the collaborative spirit of community and the belief that inclusion is the best ingredient for truthful imagery. With this purpose, Joshua strives to uncover the heartbeat of each story, whether in narrative, documentary or commercial projects.
Ashley Valenzuela - Directora de Fotografía | Cinematographer
Ashley Valenzuela is Mexican-American cinematographer from San Jose, CA. She strives to shed light on the untold stories of underrepresented groups, while also advocating for women empowerment and Latine representation in front of and behind the camera. No matter what she does, Ashley’s focus is to connect people on a deeper emotional level with the characters on screen.
Maria Mealla - Productora | Producer
Maria Mealla was conjured in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. She spent her formative years traveling back and forth between Bolivia and the United States, crafting her writing and directing skills for the stage. Mealla attended St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX where she received a BA in Theater Arts before moving to the Bay Area where she ventured into independent filmmaking through work trade by collaborating with other filmmakers. She founded the San Francisco chapter of the Film Fatales Shorts, which later became Cinefemme, and led the group of female-identifying filmmakers for 5 years. She has spent the last five years working as a commercial producer and director at agencies across the Bay Area. Her award-winning feature debut Bring me an Avocado is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Francisco Allan Alvarez - Escritor/Director | Writer/Director
Francisco Allan Alvarez is a Mexican-American writer and director from the south Bay Area. He attended San Jose State University where he realized his drive to work in films and media. Francisco crafts worlds from words and does his best to transform them into something for all to see on screen. He likes science fiction the most, but at the core of everything that he creates is the dynamic of human relationships and love. He strives to represent the lives of the people, Latinx or otherwise, as best and as beautifully as he can with his work.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
WE DID IT. AS OF DEC. 16 WE REACHED 100%. WE HAVE GOTTEN ENOUGH FUNDS TO GUARANTEE THIS STORY BEING MADE AS WELL AS WE CAN.
But we want to raise the bar to $15,000.
The reason we’re stretching our goal is because with all your confidence in us, we believe we should go the extra mile for our crew and offer housing accommodations for those crewmembers that would need it after the long hours onset instead of driving long distances.
Thank you so much. Let’s push to a stretch goal of 150%!!
//
Luz de la Luna is a celebration of Latinx love and its effort.
In our film we ride along with Marisol and Enrique as they look for a place to be alone together and get interrupted at every turn. We sit with Verónica and Sebastián at dinner as they decide what’s really worth it in life and while they make that choice. And finally, we are whisked away with Carlos and Teresa on the dance floor as they begin a new chapter together.
My name’s Francisco Allan Alvarez, speaking on behalf of my wonderful team composed of amazing Latinx creators: Ashley Valenzuela, Joshua Pausanos, and Maria Mealla. Luz de la Luna is a labor of love, literally. I wrote this story about Bay Area Latinx lovers because I felt compelled to write something for them. For myself. But it’s not just for people like me, it’s also for anyone who believes in the effort of love.
I believe in romance, and love being tougher than circumstance. Especially the circumstance of the time we’re living in. Inequality has gotten starker, our futures all seem a little darker. However, I feel that sometimes all you need is a good love story with a happy ending. I think a good love story can uplift the soul and Luz does this with some San José flair. I think love stories need to be told honestly. All the joy, all the sexiness, and all the stress, mocos included. I grew up on novelas and Hollywood, so I know a little something about good drama. A heightened reality as opposed to pure exaggeration. It goes hand in hand with what we believe feeling love is like, extraordinary. Luz deals with many challenges of love, but the most pressing of all being time and money. When you’re busy grinding away to make something of yourself —finding your version of success— there’s barely enough time for someone else, and Luz explores how a city/place can strongarm someone to the point of almost losing out on love.
We want to make this short film because we can —because we should. Because we need to. The Bay Area has lots of untapped potential for Latinx creativity. The essence of our mission with LUZ is to grow our community of Latinx filmmakers. This is not only to prove we can make something, but also to show a real representation of people’s lives here in San Jose and the rest of the Bay. We chose the setting for our fundraising video to be the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose because it represents what we’re trying to do: connect with our community physically and through art to explore, show and celebrate our culture here. One of the things that this expanding area does is push out disadvantaged people of color; to different cities, or to the fringes or out of the spaces we used to occupy.
As Latinxs, we often find ourselves depicted with negative stereotypes, which affects the way people see us. We just want to show us being normal people living normal lives. We want to connect to people throughout the world in that struggle to succeed, and in that beauty of love. And on the other hand, because of the shared story of immigration in our community, we face a few more obstacles pursuing work in creative fields, especially ones as difficult as filmmaking. We are often not given the opportunities and resources or even chances to even attempt success when it comes to media and especially filmmaking. So we’re making our own opportunities. The only way to get more Bay Area Latinx stories to be told is to tell them. We’re hopefully just in the beginning of a wave. I feel like there will never be a time to shine offered to us, there’s only the time and effort we make now.
We are good enough to tell our own stories. We are good enough to show ourselves. We are good enough to reach for the stars.
This is the time for us to stand in our Luz.
That’s why we’re asking for your help in raising $10,000 for our short film.
We’ve already been in pre production for Luz, and this fundraiser helps us execute an awesome production. You help us execute this awesome story. When we enter Luz into festivals like the Los Angeles’ Latino International Film Festival, the Official Latino Film Festival, Bay Made, and beyond, we’re going to blow them away with the people from the Bay. And you’ll be happy you helped.
Join us in celebrating Latinx folks, lovers and filmmakers in the Bay and support LUZ de la Luna. Please follow our film’s campaign on its social media handles: luzdelalunafilm on Instagram Twitter and Facebook.
Thank you.
Special thanks once again to:
//
Luz de la Luna es una celebración del amor latino y su esfuerzo.
En nuestra película acompañamos a Marisol y Enrique mientras buscan un lugar para estar juntos a solas y son interrumpidos a cada paso. Nos sentamos con Verónica y Sebastián en la cena mientras deciden qué es lo que realmente vale la pena en la vida y mientras toman esa decisión. Y por último, nos quedamos con Carlos y Teresa en la pista de baile mientras comienzan un nuevo capítulo juntos.
Me llamo Francisco Allan Álvarez y hablo en nombre de mi maravilloso equipo compuesto por increíbles creadores latinos: Ashley Valenzuela, Joshua Pausanos y María Mealla. Luz de la Luna es un trabajo de amor, literalmente. Escribí esta historia sobre los amantes latinos del Área de la Bahía porque me sentí obligada a escribir algo para ellos. Para mí. Pero no es sólo para gente como yo, también es para cualquiera que crea en el esfuerzo del amor. Creo en el romance, y en que el amor es más fuerte que las circunstancias. Especialmente la circunstancia del tiempo que estamos viviendo. La desigualdad se ha vuelto más cruda, nuestros futuros parecen un poco más oscuros. Sin embargo, creo que a veces todo lo que se necesita es una buena historia de amor con un final feliz. Creo que una buena historia de amor puede elevar el alma y Luz lo hace con un toque de San José. Creo que las historias de amor deben contarse con honestidad. Toda la alegría, toda la sensualidad y toda la tensión, mocos incluidos. Crecí con las novelas y con Hollywood, así que sé algo sobre el buen drama. Una realidad exagerada frente a la pura exageración. Va de la mano de lo que creemos que es sentir el amor, extraordinario. Luz aborda muchos retos del amor, pero el más acuciante de todos es el tiempo y el dinero. Cuando uno está ocupado esforzándose por hacer algo de sí mismo -encontrando su versión del éxito- apenas hay tiempo para otra persona, y Luz explora cómo una ciudad/lugar puede forzar a alguien hasta el punto de casi perder el amor.
Queremos hacer este corto porque podemos, porque debemos. Porque lo necesitamos. El Área de la Bahía tiene mucho potencial sin explotar para la creatividad latina. La esencia de nuestra misión con LUZ es hacer crecer nuestra comunidad de cineastas latinos. Esto no es sólo para demostrar que podemos hacer algo, sino también para mostrar una representación real de la vida de la gente aquí en San José y el resto de la Bahía. Elegimos como escenario para nuestro video de recaudación de fondos la Plaza de la Herencia Mexicana en San José porque representa lo que estamos tratando de hacer: conectar con nuestra comunidad físicamente y a través del arte para explorar, mostrar y celebrar nuestra cultura aquí. Una de las cosas que hace esta zona en expansión es expulsar a la gente de color desfavorecida; a otras ciudades, o a los márgenes o fuera de los espacios que solíamos ocupar.
Somos suficiente buenos para contar nuestras propias historias. Somos suficiente buenos para mostrarnos a nosotros mismos. Somos suficiente buenos para alcanzar las estrellas.
Este es el momento de que nos pongamos en nuestra Luz.
Por eso te pedimos ayuda para recaudar 10.000 dólares para nuestro cortometraje.
Ya hemos estado en la preproducción de Luz, y esta recaudación de fondos nos ayuda a ejecutar una producción impresionante. Tú nos ayudas a ejecutar esta impresionante historia. Cuando presentemos Luz en festivales como el Festival Internacional de Cine Latino de Los Ángeles, el Festival Oficial de Cine Latino, Bay Made, y más allá, los vamos a dejar boquiabiertos con la gente de la Bahía. Y tú te alegrarás de haber ayudado.
Únete a nosotros para celebrar a la gente latina, los amantes y los cineastas de la Bahía y apoya a LUZ de la Luna. Por favor, sigue la campaña de nuestra película y sus manejos en los medios sociales en Instagram luzdelalunafilm Twitter y Facebook.
Gracias.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Capitol Drive-Ins Location
Costs $3,000
The drive ins are a unique part of San Jose that is integral to our story.
CAST
Costs $2,400
We will pay our actors for increasing visibility of Bay Area Latinx faces.
SECURITY
Costs $1,450
We need to hire a professional security team to keep our set safe!
LENSES & EQUIPMENT
Costs $1,500
We have a camera, just need lenses and accessories.
GRIP & ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT
Costs $1,000
We need LUZ (light) to tell our story. Covers the cost of the truck and equipment!
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Costs $500
We want to show off the art and culture of our city and people to tell a stronger story.
Make-Up & Wardrobe
Costs $150
We want our cast to look like ESTRELLAS, so we're gonna glam them up for their dates (in the short)!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Joshua Pausanos - Director de Fotografía | Cinematographer
Joshua Pausanos is Mexican-American cinematographer based in the Bay Area, CA. His passion as a visual storyteller is inspired by the collaborative spirit of community and the belief that inclusion is the best ingredient for truthful imagery. With this purpose, Joshua strives to uncover the heartbeat of each story, whether in narrative, documentary or commercial projects.
Ashley Valenzuela - Directora de Fotografía | Cinematographer
Ashley Valenzuela is Mexican-American cinematographer from San Jose, CA. She strives to shed light on the untold stories of underrepresented groups, while also advocating for women empowerment and Latine representation in front of and behind the camera. No matter what she does, Ashley’s focus is to connect people on a deeper emotional level with the characters on screen.
Maria Mealla - Productora | Producer
Maria Mealla was conjured in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. She spent her formative years traveling back and forth between Bolivia and the United States, crafting her writing and directing skills for the stage. Mealla attended St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX where she received a BA in Theater Arts before moving to the Bay Area where she ventured into independent filmmaking through work trade by collaborating with other filmmakers. She founded the San Francisco chapter of the Film Fatales Shorts, which later became Cinefemme, and led the group of female-identifying filmmakers for 5 years. She has spent the last five years working as a commercial producer and director at agencies across the Bay Area. Her award-winning feature debut Bring me an Avocado is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Francisco Allan Alvarez - Escritor/Director | Writer/Director
Francisco Allan Alvarez is a Mexican-American writer and director from the south Bay Area. He attended San Jose State University where he realized his drive to work in films and media. Francisco crafts worlds from words and does his best to transform them into something for all to see on screen. He likes science fiction the most, but at the core of everything that he creates is the dynamic of human relationships and love. He strives to represent the lives of the people, Latinx or otherwise, as best and as beautifully as he can with his work.