Wait for me is a short stop-motion animation film about a young Mexican teenager who tells her dad she’s pregnant. The story centers around the conversation that followed and touches on themes of unconditional love and abortion. This film is told as a personal memoir for other young women who are facing hostility when it comes to reproductive rights.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Andrea Villanueva

Watch Wait for Me on Sisterhood Media

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

This film is in part a shout out to other Mexican young women who are facing hostility when it comes to reproductive rights. The short film is a stop-motion memoir about my own experience in hopes of reaching girls like me.

I made it because I recognize that I’ve had the privilege to grow up and grow out of the trauma and harsh reality that was my childhood and teenhood.

Growing up there were no expectations for me, I was just another slutty, fat latina girl growing up in the ghetto.

Since then I’ve found success both in my activism and craft as a filmmaker. I have developed an appetite for life, for my future and belief that things will get better for my community and for the women in my life.

I wish I had known of a successful young latina who had gone through similar occurrences.

Although this story is costly in the sense of how vulnerable it is for me, I can afford to share and it’s how I can try and support other women.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

As an audience member you should watch this film because it’s championing a voice that is underrepresented in mainstream platforms. It offers a positive and optimistic ending to an otherwise taboo, and heavy subject matter which will likely promote interesting and important discussions on this issue. It has the power to raise awareness and create public solidarity with young latina and marginalized women.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Despite it being a mostly personal film, it also touches on universal themes of father and daughter relationships, unconditional love and also maternal love.

My father put aside culture and creed to help me in the wake of my unwanted pregnancy.

His love for me is unique, but It is also universal.

Additionally my own feelings about parenthood and that unwanted pregnancy are equally charged and difficult and filled with love. Which is something that many women can relate to.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The initial script included more details of the pregnancy. It included that I was 15 with and had a very abusive and sexually abusive older partner.

However after some reflection I reckoned that generally audiences and the public are most sympathetic to assault related circumstances. I didn’t think that detail should be the centre of the film because as a writer and producer I was personally least concerned with whether people would approve of the circumstance or not. This would have been a distracting and unnecessary detail and would derail the core of my message. So I left the details leading up to the discovery a mystery and simply emphasized that I was very young and very vulnerable in many ways. This ended up having the most impact and made the story stronger.

Full Article: http://www.wearemovingstories.com/we-are-moving-stories-films/2017/5/23/cannes-short-film-corner-wait-for-me