Esperando a María - a short film

OUR STORY

I’ve always been attracted to the unconventional, to existential philosophy, to storytellers that break the rules. I first read “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett when I was 16 years old, the play spoke to me at once. Written after the Second World War, people at the time were seeking the meaning of life. I directly felt connected to the story by my experience living in Venezuela. It is the story of nothing happening, waiting for a change that never comes. For the past decade, Venezuelans have seen their own country destroyed to pieces. With a dictatorship in place, there is mass migration, hyperinflation, lines for gasoline that last up to 40 hours, and daily power outages. These are just a few examples of how mundane life in Maracaibo has become - tedious and unbearable to the average citizen. Today, Venezuelans in and out of the country share a common feeling of desperation and nostalgia for a country that ceased to exist. “Waiting for María” serves as a homage to Beckett’s play through the lens of modern day Venezuela. The characters of Evelyn and Valeria reflect the absurdity of the current crisis in Maracaibo. With a lack of basic resources and nowhere to go, the two friends wait for María hoping that she will save them from damnation.

Ariana Cooper Bermúdez (Writer, Director, Producer, Co-Editor)

Evelyn and Valeria reflect the absurdity of the current crisis in the city of Maracaibo. With a lack of basic needs and no where to go, the two friends wait for María hoping she will save them from damnation.

“We lose consciousness of how absurd daily life in Maracaibo is because we are so used to it. ‘Waiting for María’ reflects a common feeling needing change, although we have settled for much less. This short film is my way of sharing that Latin-American feeling with the rest of the world. My wish is to give my city some of the kindness it has gifted me, in the moment it needs it most.”
- Ariana Cooper Bermúdez

Film Festival Awards

• First Time Filmmaker Award, Best Actress - Manuel Trujillo Durán National and International Short Film Festival, Maracaibo, Venezuela (Jan 2022)

• Best Student Short Film - Caracas Ibero-American Film Festival, Caracas, Venezuela (Jan 2022)

• Best Fiction Short Film, Best Art Direction - Festival de Cine Entre Largos y Cortos del Oriente, Venezuela (Jan 2022)

• Semifinalist - Flicker's Rhode Island International Film Festival - Providence, RI (Aug 2021)

• Award Nominee - Indie Short FestIndie Short Fest - Los Angeles (Jun 2021)

• Award Nominee - Paris Film Festival , Paris, France (Jun 2021)

Official Selections

• Festival Internacional de Cine de la No-Violencia Activa (FICNOVA) (Jun 2022)

• LANAFF, Latino and Native American Film Festival, New Haven, CT (May 2022)

• Medellín International Film Festival, Medellín Colombia (Feb 2022)

• FICMARC, Caribbean Sea International Film Festival - Nueva Esparta, Venezuela (Jan 2022)

• Cine Miami Fest - Miami, FL (Dec 2021)

• Human Rights Film Festival Brazil - Brazil (Dec 2021)

• Le Prince International Film Festival - Caracas, Venezuela (Dec 2021)

• Ibero-American Film Festival - Miami, FL (Nov 2021)

• South Social Film Festival - London, United Kingdom (Nov 2021)

• Brooklyn Women's Film Festival - New York, NY (Oct 2021)

• HER International Film Festival - Kerry, Ireland (Oct 2021)

• Panamanian International Film Festival/LA - Los Angeles, CA (Oct 2021)

• Georgia Latino International Film Festival - Atlanta, GA (Sept 2021)

• Religion Today Film Festival - Trento, Italy (Sept 2021)

• Ciudad de Mexico International Film Festival - México DF (Jul 2021)