Student Video Competition Winners – 2021

The Latin American/Latinx Video Competition judges are proud to announce Rosa Leia Silva as the 2021 winner of the best film award for her short film First Generation Loneliness. Rosa Leia’s film portrays the experiences of a first-generation college student who struggles to make her own life choices without disappointing her parents. Latinx students can identify with the immense pressure she feels to accomplish the dreams of her parents who sacrificed so much to be in the United States. The main character is trapped in an endless cycle of long hours of work, classes and lack of parental support. Besides the film’s cultural merits, the aesthetic quality of the film is emphasized with a series of close-up shots that present the interests, occupation and problems of the deeply conflicted main character. The close-up shots of the food and the use of the Spanish language captures the pride in our Hispanic culture and heritage. In light of the absence of these types of representations in the film industry, we hope that Rosa Leia Silva continues focusing her work on the Latin American/Latinx experience. Congratulations to Rosa and her team for this heart-felt film.

Ariana Martinez’s short film Motherland captures the return of the narrator and her mother to her hometown in Ecuador. She describes the traditions, food and the landscape of the city life. As the narrator focuses on the changes that have taken place since she lived there, a nostalgic tone permeates the scenery. A concluding message which says that the narrator loves her mother and Ecuador, reveals that the title Motherland means much more than a native country. Motherland represents the love that she feels for her country and her mother. Congratulations to Ariana for this heartwarming account.