Glimmer Short Film
Logline
A starry-eyed queer Latinx streetwear designer discovers his inner desires magically come to life as he navigates rejection with the help of his best friend and some sexual healing.
Synopsis
Glimmer is a short film that follows Carlos, a queer Latinx streetwear designer, as he navigates personal and professional rejection. After being turned down by a major fashion store and running into his ex, Carlos feels lost and disheartened. His best friend Monica, a trans woman of color, offers tough love, helping him realize his worth. Through a chance encounter, Carlos embarks on a night of sexual healing with Tony, a man who helps him embrace his desires. This experience sparks Carlos' transformation as he reclaims his authenticity and decides to create fashion for the queer community—a true expression of his artistic vision. Glimmer is a celebration of queer joy, talent, and the transformative power of self-love and self-acceptance.
Funding
100% of the funds raised through this campaign will go directly towards our production. A large portion of our budget is dedicated to ensuring our crew, which is primarily composed of POC and often underpaid, receives fair compensation for their work. This aligns with our commitment to not only telling Queer/Latinx stories but also representing them behind the camera, where everyone deserves a fair rate. The funds will also help cover essential costs such as equipment rentals, permits, insurance, and other production-related expenses. With $5,000 already secured from our director, Vicente Garcia, and key elements like location, cast, and shoot dates locked for late November, your contribution will cover the remaining production costs needed to bring Glimmer to life over one weekend of filming.
Our stretch goal will enable us to cover post-production and distribution costs as we aim to submit the film to festivals across the country and internationally. By supporting Glimmer, you’re not only backing Queer and Latinx stories but also helping create a space for joy and representation in the filmmaking process.
Director Statement
At its essence, I see ‘Glimmer’ as a fantastical, reverse coming of age story. While this short film is an adaptation of a larger series exploring the lives of multiple people, this story is about Carlos and how he finds himself ultimately, by not looking anywhere, but within himself. To me, he finds this inner strength by trusting in that little inner child in all of us that believes in themselves before the world took its hold. I believe this childlike optimism is something that all of us have repressed, to some degree.
For Carlos, I think this part of him has always been alive and well. Luckily in his case he has the support of queer community as represented through his connection with his best friend Monica, who bring each other back home should either one stray too far away. In this way, the film's core story is about finding strength in chose family and honoring the inner child in all of us. If nothing else, this is what I hope audiences takes away.
Beyond that, I connect to the story because of its premise, which is all about Glimmers (positive moments that are the opposite of triggers). As queer people so much of our story is always associated with our pain, but this story is an exploration of what’s on the other side of that pain. Our joy, our self-discovery, our talent, our quirkiness, our laughter, our yearning, our acceptance, our transformation, our search for love, our mistakes, our kindness: all of it. I want to evoke the range of emotions that make up our lives, and how it all gives us a key to unlock our greater potential.
Lastly, I believe in this story because I want the characters to believe in themselves; to choose themselves and each other. Through fantastical new experiences and revelations, Carlos face himself in all his complexities. And, somehow, he finds joy in it.
I hope you do too.
The Nitty-Gritty
Our biggest challenge with this film is funding. As our producer Alejandra often says, 'This film needs to be told in the right way.' We can't cut too many corners when it comes to sharing our stories. Even though our budget is currently quite small, we believe that with the support from this campaign, we’ll be able to overcome our biggest obstacle—securing enough funds for the production phase.
Our second challenge is finding a bar/club location. We are currently reaching out to spots around LA, exploring what we can do with the resources we have. However, we can’t lock in a location without securing the necessary funds. We're also seeking location sponsors to help reduce some of our expenses.
Special Thanks to YOU!
If you've just read all about our film and watched our video, WE LOVE YOU and truly appreciate your interest in helping bring this story to life.
We believe in the power of community and in sharing stories filled with joy on the big screen. If that’s something you believe in too and want to be part of this Glimmer journey, your contribution will mean everything to us.
Any amount counts and helps bring us closer to reaching our goal.
Vicente Garcia is a queer Latinx creative, storyteller, and filmmaker originally from the Bay Area, CA. He’s worked in the production and media industry for the past 10 years and currently works in-house on Short Form Video at YouTube.
As a screenwriter, Vicente is most passionate about exploring relatable, everyday characters that may not be perfect but are somehow finding themselves through personal growth and redemption.
He loves writing stories that explore a “reverse coming of age” where characters are forced to let go of old patterns by embracing their inner child, taking themselves less seriously, and believing in things that, to others, might not seem possible.
Alejandra Quiroz is a producer, director, and podcast host from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and currently based in Los Angeles, California. Driven by a passion for amplifying BIPOC voices, she is committed to increasing representation both in front of and behind the camera, with a particular focus on uplifting Central American stories.
Alejandra's journey began with a B.A. in Cinema and Television Arts and Central American Studies from Cal State Northridge, where she fused her love for storytelling with her cultural roots. In 2020, she launched Central American Voices, a podcast dedicated to sharing untold stories from Central Americans across the globe, fostering connection and understanding within the diaspora.
By 2022, Alejandra founded her own production company, Our Lú Productions, specializing in creating powerful films and music videos. Her work is a reflection of her mission: to bring underrepresented narratives to the forefront of media.
Josslyn Glenn is a Los Angeles County born Belizean and Chicana transgender producer, writer, and film curator dedicated to promoting nuanced representations of queer and trans people of color that have historically been under- and misrepresented in media. While studying at UCLA, she wrote her first book, She Rotates with Pluto: A Collection of Short Stories and Poems. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists member has produced award-winning branded, editorial, scripted, and unscripted projects screening internationally, such as PeroLike’s “Being Queer in the Latino Community” and the Emmy-winning ABC News special Soul of a Nation Presents “Pride: To Be Seen” and Emmy-nominated Soul of a Nation Presents “The Freedom To Exist with Elliot Page.” In 2019, she garnered a Production Fellowship on Netflix’s feature documentary, Disclosure. When she is not craving asada fries, she is writing her second book, Tranny Pants, an anthology of fictionalized short stories based on the familial and romantic lives of trans people she has interviewed.
Cesar Camacho is a first-generation, Mexican American storyteller, actor, and writer based in Los Angeles and originally from Chicago. Since moving to LA, Cesar has continued to dive into filmmaking by assisting behind the cameras and also in-front of the cameras to develop his craft. As a proud son of Mexican immigrant parents, he plans to produce and develop stories that continue to shine light on his experiences and those of his Latinx and queer communities.
Cesar recently starred in the web series, & They Were Roommates, which he co-produced and co-wrote in East LA. The series had its festival debut this year at The New York Latino Film Festival and is currently working on season 2.
Donato Fatuesi is a proud Fa’afafine & Leiti of Pasifika and a multi-passionate creative. As an LA-based actress, model, host, and content strategist, Donato is passionate about sharing the rich stories of trans communities to create more safety and empowerment for trans lives.
She strives to educate, inspire, and create positive change in the world through her work. She has worked with a variety of media and LGBTQ+ organizations in that pursuit as well as been featured with PEAK Pasifika, UTOPIA Washington, Transformations, GLAAD, Transgender Law Center, KSHB41, Theatre Communications Group, and TRANSlations Film Festival to name a few.
With over a decade of community care and grassroots activism, she is inspired to support storytelling that serves marginalized communities. Donato is also a producing partner with Cusp Of Rebirth Productions. You can see more of Donato in Theatre Battery’s animated web series, “LEGO Harry Potter and the Transgender Witch”, HBO’s Emmy Nominated Documentary “The Stroll”, and Cusp of Rebirth Productions' “Friendship Therapy”, Aguadulce Productions' “Physical Therapy” and the upcoming film, “Mean Goals”.
Her dedication to social justice and her creative talent make her a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry and beyond.
Indar Smith is a bilingual (Spanish) talent of Puerto Rican, South Asian, and African descent who is often called the Black Zac Efron. He enjoys physical activities such as CrossFit, surfing, and running. He played Division 1 soccer in college. Indar is passionate about his non-profit focusing on BIPOC & LGBTQ youth, which provides services that include healing arts, martial arts, and the liberal arts.
We are completely blown away by the love and support for "Glimmer" From our kickoff Zoom party to the outpouring of encouragement on social media, you all helped us reach $1K in less than 24 hours! AHHH! Thank you again—this is just the beginning of an exciting month of campaigning. Reaching our target of $20K feels daunting, but with your continued help, we know we can make it happen!
Thank you!
