LOGLINE:
After her grandmother passes away, a grieving Mexican-American woman becomes fascinated with learning what it feels like to die, believing it will allow her to feel close to her grandma in death in a way she never felt in life.
Her grief leads her to “The Death Lab”, a mysterious medical facility that claims to recreate the sensation of dying without actually killing you. Here she embarks on a surreal and deeply personal journey that stretches beyond the confines of life itself.
starring GINNA DIAZ
with ELLIE PEÑA • SALEM ROCABADO • LETICIA BOMBARDIER • CRISTIAN ACEVEDO • ELAINE ACKLES
Written & Directed by GERARDO MARAVILLA
Produced by EVELYN ANGELICA MARTINEZ • Co-Producer JULIA MUNIZ • Executive Producer ROBERT C. RODRIGUEZ • Executive Producers LATINO FILM INSTITUTE
Dir. of Photography MARISCELA BEATRÍZ MÉNDEZ • Production Designer ROBERT BREČKO • Editor AGUSTIN REXACH & GERARDO MARAVILLA
Original Score RENÉ G. BOSCIO • VFX Supervisors VICTOR VELASCO & GINARIS SARRA
Director's Statement
As a Mexican-American writer and filmmaker, my work illuminates the shadows in our lives through powerful storytelling and vivid imagery, challenging audiences to confront uncomfortable truths and embrace the complexity of the human experience.
Through writing and filmmaking, I found opportunities to explore the darkness that lurks in people’s lives. Creativity was a safe space to explore the issues and topics deemed too dark or inappropriate to talk about in daily conversation.
Naturally, I gravitated to drama and horror, two genres that thrive in shadows. I strive to never lose a story’s humanist core, crafting complex characters that are reflective of the people in my life.
I've always been inspired by fairy tales and dark fantasy, feeling drawn to stories with surreal imagery. They tantalize the imagination and can express our emotions more than the constraints of realism.
But there is also a deeper, emotional pull for me to create the film that comes from a profoundly personal place. In 2021, I lost my grandma - mi abuelita. I wrote this story to explore the complexities of my grief.
“Ensename Como Morir” is a story that continues my life’s mission. It’s inspired by the vivid dreams and surreal experiences that happened in the wake of my abuelita’s passing.
As a hybrid of my own personal narrative, cinematic influences, and emotional grief, “Ensèñame Como Morir”aims to inspire others to feel all the complexities of grief and connect with those that they’ve lost.
Writer/Director
Gerardo 'Gerry' Maravilla is a Mexican-American writer/director based in Los Angeles. Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, he escaped his suburban, Catholic upbringing through punk rock and horror movies. The bicultural lovechild of Tim Burton and Guillermo Del Toro, Gerardo tells supernatural horror stories with heart. He’s been a 2024 Latino Inclusion Fellow, a 2021 fellow in Film Independent's Project Involve, a 2023 Fellow of the Cine Qua Non Storylines Lab, a 2022 participant in Hola Mexico’s Tomorrow's Filmmakers Today, a member of the 2019 New York Film Festival's Artist Academy, and a fellow of the 2018 the Stowe Story Labs.
Producer
Evelyn Angelica Martinez (she/her) is a queer first-gen Mexican-American producer based out of Los Angeles. Her narrative focus is on heartfelt stories that intertwine with the surreal and fantastical featuring LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities. She is a 2024 PGA Create Fellow, a 2022 Women In Film Mentee (Producing Track), and a 2021 Film Independent Project Involve Producing Fellow. Her projects have received support from the SFFILM Rainin Grant, Latino Public Broadcasting, and the Latino Film Institute. She has also produced content for clients such as Apple, Interscope, Warner Records, and TikTok.
