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Written and Directed by Gustavo René Sanabria
Logline
Romeo secures an invite to his brother’s bachelor party, where he is put to a test that will define him in the eyes of the men he idolizes.
Synopsis
THE DEBUT follows Romeo, a sixteen-year-old boy who is drawn into a labyrinth of expectation on the eve of his brother’s wedding. To claim his place among the men, Romeo is put to a test that will define him in the eyes of those he idolizes and will determine whether he belongs or is cast aside. The next day, as the wedding begins, he is left in a state of disillusionment—caught between who is expected to become and the parts of himself he may have to leave behind.
This film is about what happens when boys are thrust into traditional expectations of men. With a critical yet empathetic lens, we investigate one of the most clandestine male rituals in hopes of grasping its ramifications on our wider social fabric. May this story open an important conversation.
Status
Currently in post-production.
Written and Directed by Gustavo René Sanabria
Logline
Ramona, the nanny of a wealthy Argentine family in the US, shares a local myth in the form of a fable in order to help sooth the jealousy of the child she cares for. Suddenly, an old curse is awoken.
Synopsis
Steeped in Paraguayan folklore, SIESTA depicts the nightmarish experience of Ramona, an immigrant domestic worker, as she attempts to maintain appearances on the day of her employer’s baby shower.
In an effort to mitigate Cindy’s jealousy toward her unborn baby brother, Ramona tells Cindy a cautionary tale from her childhood. But when Cindy’s jealousy toward her brother reaches new heights during her mother’s baby shower, Ramona’s premonitions begin to escalate in parallel and ultimately revive ghosts from her past and test her love for the child.
SIESTA puts a magnifying glass on class dynamics within a latinx subgroup and the wider milieu of the modern ruling class in America. It examines our desperate need to assimilate and the dissociative experience of feeling inextricably linked to two clashing worlds. The core of this film is energized by the ghosts of our past and the love that has sustained us.
Official Selections
- Champs–Élysées Film Festival 2024
- Edinburgh International Film Festival 2024
- Austin Film Festival 2024
- Aspen ShortsFest 2024
- New/Next Film Festival
- Slash Festival des Fantastischen Films 2024
- Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival 2025
- New York Latino Film Festival 2025
Written and Directed by Miles Warren
Produced by Gustavo René Sanabria, Albert Tholen, Lauren Goetzman
Logline
After his father gets into a fight at a bowling alley, Darious begins to investigate the limitations of his own manhood.
Official Selections
- Sundance Film Festival 2021
- Palm Springs International ShortsFest 2021
- Atlanta Film Festival 2021
- Aspen ShortsFest 2021
- Maryland Film Festival 2021
- Florida Film Festival 2021
- Seattle International Film Festival 2021
- Durban International Film Festival 2021
- Sun Valley Film Festival 2021
- deadCenter Film Festival 2021
- Indy Shorts International Film Festival 2021
Awards
- Grand Jury Prize, Live Action Short Film — Seattle IFF
- Best Short Film — Sun Valley FF
Written and Directed by Agustina Aranda
Produced by Gustavo René Sanabria
Logline
A young filmmaker explores her fraught relationship with her father using his VHS tapes spanning over forty years of his life.
Synopsis
Agustina Aranda explores her relationship with her father, Panfilo Aranda—a Paraguayan immigrant, workaholic, and amateur videographer. Using material that he shot throughout the last forty years, the story follows his journey from passionate filmmaker to distant father. With archival footage and interviews, the film is about family, immigration, and a strained father-daughter relationship.
Official Selections
- Slamdance 2024
- Norwalk Film Festival 2024
- San Diego Latino Film Festival 2024
- Onion City Experimental Film Festival 2024
- NFFTY 2024
- Los Angeles Queer Film Festival 2024
- Somerville International Film Festival 2024
- Manhattan Independent Film Festival 2024
- Los Angeles Super Shorts Film Festival 2024
- Doc.Sydney Documentary Film Festival 2024
Awards
- Pilar Award — Student Regional Emmy Award, The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
- Juror Prize — Onion City Experimental Film Festival
- Gold in Student Film/Video, Digital Media CT Award — Connecticut Art Directors Club
- Outstanding Achievement in Film/Video — UConn BFA DMD Senior Exhibition 2023
Gustavo René Sanabria is a Paraguayan-American film director, screenwriter, and producer.
He holds an MFA in Film from NYU Tisch and a BA in Film Studies from Wesleyan University. Films he has directed and produced have screened at Sundance, SXSW, Slamdance, Champs Élysées, Edinburgh IFF and have received Academy Award qualifications. He is a Sony Pictures Classics Marcie Bloom Fellow and a Princess Grace Award Winner.
Gustavo is currently in development of his first feature-length film, Caballero.