2020 ShortFest Archive
AUDIENCE FAVORITE
film synopsis
film details
director biography
Jessica Mendez Siqueiros is a Mexican-American writer/director and actress seeking to normalize complex and authentic narratives about the Southwest Mexican-American community through film. Her filmmaking style is highly cinematic and composed, described by Remezcla as "reclaiming a vision of storytelling often only associated with white creators." Her debut short film Pozole was an official selection of SIFF, LALIFF, Nashville, Indy Shorts, Hamptons and over 60 film festivals to date. The film took home the Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short Film (Comedy) at Cinequest, qualifying for the 2020 Academy Awards. Selected as a director mentee in the AT&T Hello Lab Mentorship Program, her sophomore short film Adeline, The Great was created under the mentorship of Lena Waithe. Her first feature film Reforma delves into the colorful, complicated world of a young Latina woman in La Reforma (the Tucson, AZ projects) in the 1960's. Reforma is currently in development & seeking funding with the support of NALIP's Latino Media Market.