Edinburg celebrates 10th annual film festival with South Texas talent, spotlights mental health awareness with Best South Texas Film
Photo above: At left, Alondra Gonzalez accepts the Best South Texas Actor award. At right, Gerard Scot Johnson Jr. accepts the Best South Texas Actor award on Saturday, September 14, 2024 at the Edinburg ACE building. Photos by Maria Ruiz/Edinburg Advocate.
By Maria Ruiz
Edinburg Texas — The 10th Annual South Texas International Film Festival highlighted local talents within the film scene last weekend, spotlighting screenwriters, actors, and directors creatively showcasing social and personal experiences through their work.
McAllen-based actress Brenda Garza and actor Valente Rodriguez, notable for his role as ‘Ernie’ on George Lopez, hosted the gala inside the new Arts and Cultural Events Center.
Hundreds of attendees, some coming as far from Iran and India, watched the award ceremony unfold with anticipation.
Through the evening, the hosts awarded two scholarships to students involved in the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Student Film Association.
Jose Castro-Romero, 19, and Nikole Salinas, 25, won $250 from the UTRGV scholarship honoring the late Professor Marian F. Monta.
Photo above: (From left to right) Jose Castro-Romero, Nikole Salinas and Alizzaya Guel show off their checks on the red carpet. Photo by Maria Ruiz/Edinburg Advocate.
“I love the craft,” said Castro-Romero after his win. “I feel it’s just the start. I’m only 19, so I have years ahead of me. I’m ready to kill it later on. This is a little first step out of many.”
Salinas, when taking the stage, wasn’t aware of her nomination.
“I’m trying hard not to cry, but I’m feeling very emotional and grateful,” she said.
Alongside the scholarship, Salinas walked away with an additional $500 prize in ‘The Pitch’ Screenwriter category.
The Pitch category allows filmmakers to pitch screenplay ideas to three industry professionals to receive industry feedback. Thirteen scripts were entered before judges chose their winner.
Salinas’ script, Polite Desertion, details a plot surrounding a government program that promises a suicidal writer a consequence-free route to end his life.
Joining Salinas in a win is Alizzaya Guel, an 18-year-old Edinburg native who entered the Texas Young Filmmaker Pitch as a senior in high school.
“I’m always a doubter and I didn’t think I was going to win, but this is something I’m passionate about,” Guel said.
Guel’s concept, titled Sleeping Project 78, follows a team of scientists who perform experiments on humans, who turn on the scientists and torture them through a series of life-or-death games.
She encourages young filmmakers and scriptwriters in the Valley to not have doubts and to pursue their passion.
“If you have an idea for a script, don’t let anyone tell you ‘Oh that’s stupid, oh that’s dumb,” she said. “Work at it and try your best because you could win The Pitch one day.”
To wrap up the evening after student wins, the awards continued with achievements from South Texas actors, actresses, directors, and films.
Gerard Scot Johnson Jr., an actor in the film Dad Died Crying, took home the South Texas Actor award and attributed his win to the RGV cinematic and theatrical scene.
“I’m very honored to be recognized alongside friends and colleagues, which we consider to be some of the best creatives here in our community,” he said. “I’m very proud to be from the Valley, and wherever my career might take me, I will always carry that with me.”
Like Johnson, Alondra Gonzalez, who took home the award for South Texas Actress, gave gratitude to her fellow actors and crew, with whom she worked on the film, Scent of Ivory.
“Thank you to everybody who made this film possible,” Lozano said. “I wouldn’t be up here without my director, Jared, and the amazing, amazing crew…I hope you all keep making films and casting me. Thank you.”
The event turned its focus from the talent to the masterminds behind the camera – directors, with the next category.
Six films featured directors’ ability to steer the artistic direction of a movie, with the win going to the director of Scent of Ivory, Jared Palomares. He says this is his second film ever and that he is still new to the local movie scene.
“I wanted to cover a story that was really important to me,” the McAllen native said, explaining the concept behind his film that touched on suicide rates among the LGBTQ+ youth and the trials of grief. He further dedicated the win to queer youth struggling with mental health.
Photo left: Jared Palomares, director of Scent of Ivory, gives his acceptance speech after receiving Best South Texas Director. Photo by Maria Ruiz/Edinburg Advocate.
“With this award, I dedicate it to all the queer kids, all the young LGBTQ+ kids out there,” he said.
Palomares’ dedication to his craft also won him Best RGV Short Film later that night. During his second acceptance speech, he pointed out a green ribbon pinned on the right side of his blazer, emphasizing a narrative on mental health awareness.
“This story was about suicide awareness and this month is September, which is suicide awareness month, and all the cast and crew sitting at the table with me, or wearing it is for the remembrance of the lives of a loss to suicide,” He said, speaking out to those lost to the act of taking one’s life and those who have suffered that grief. “This month, we owe your lives to you.”
Attendees stood in a standing ovation as Palomares exited the stage, with an afterparty taking place into the night.
Other local winners included Mujer Mexicana for Best Music Video, Juliet? for Texas Young Filmmaker Short Film, and Hurdles for Best Sound Design.
In the crowded ballroom, Rodriguez says he returns to host the STXIFF each year to establish the next generation of filmmakers, actors, and film crew.
“The Rio Grande Valley is a special place,” he said, wanting to bring industry opportunities to the southern tip of Texas. “It is home to many amazing people, compelling stories, and talented, talented filmmakers.”