Documentary In Progress (2024 - )
Directed by: Rebecca Guzman & Victoria Valenzuela
Director of Photography: Ricardo Stanley
Executive Producer: Francisco Aviles Pino
Currently in production, this untitled documentary follows Francisco, a journalist and DACA recipient, in a rush to submit his advance parole application to visit his dying grandfather in Mexico before the next administration which has promised to end the program in months.
Synopsis
With the political climate rapidly changing, Francisco Aviles Pino’s immigration status is at risk.
As a DACA recipient, Francisco was brought to the United States from Acapulco Guerrero, Mexico, at the age of seven. Francisco has spent the last ten years in politics and journalism after attending UCLA.
Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, a passionate journalist, Francisco seeks to document his journey back home and now faces a critical moment: he is applying for emergency travel authorization to visit his ailing grandfather in his final days back in Mexico. The story follows Francisco's journey—will he receive approval in time to say goodbye?
Current status
Our documentary is currently in production, and we’re making breakthroughs in documenting important phases of this journey with a slated travel date before the Trump administration takes office. We need your support to take this project to the finish line and finance the production through the trip.
We are actively seeking funding to continue to get to know Francisco’s family in Southern California and interviews with family members in Mexico before and after Francisco’s possible arrival. We’re thrilled to have several foundations and organizations already expressing interest in partnering with us, and we are confident that with your help, we can secure the remaining resources to make this vision a reality.
If you’d like to join us as a supporter or learn more about how your contribution can make an impact, please donate below:
About the team
Becca Guzman (Co-Director)
A multi-faceted content creator, director, producer, and co-owner of Richie Rue Productions. Through her production company, Becca Guzman has directed a wide range of projects, including a series of documentary-style interviews for UCLA’s “Latina Futures 2050 Lab,” where she had the opportunity to interview Latina leaders and create content highlighting the importance of BIPOC voices across all industries.
Victoria Valenzuela (Co-Director)
A second-generation Chicana Writer and Director born in Los Angeles & raised in the Inland Empire whose worked with Nike, Addidas, UCLA, Yitty, Outfest, LALIFF, Cinespia, and many more.
Ricardo Stanley (Director of Photography)
A seasoned cinematographer based in Los Angeles, with nearly a decade of experience in the industry. His expertise spans narrative films, music videos, and documentaries, showcasing his versatility and dedication to the craft of visual storytelling.
Riccardo's work is characterized by his meticulous attention to detail and his ability to capture the essence of a story through compelling visuals. Riccardo has had the privilege of working with prestigious clients such as Vogue, Google, Giro Cycling, GQ, and Key TV.
Francisco Aviles Pino (Executive Producer)
A Mexican writer, journalist and producer based in Los Angeles, California, whose work has appeared in NPR, Vogue, The Intercept, The Nation, and HarperCollins.
Aviles pino is the writer of Up To Us (2023) - a sexual education narrative series for communities of color being screened at every juvenile hall across the state of California co-developed and distributed by the UCLA Art & Global Health Center.
Francisco is also an executive program manager at the Latino Media Collaborative (LMC), where they oversee strategies to empower and uplift the Latino media market in California. They also manage its expansion into Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. Under this role, they also manage editorial strategies for the LMC newsroom CALO News.
They are an alum of the Macondo Writers Workshop, the NALAC Leadership Institute, The Poetry Foundation's Incubator Fellowship, the Center for Cultural Power's Disruptors Fellowship in Screenwriting, and UCLA.