Making Some Noise

Updated: July 23, 2023

UTRGV students’ LGBTQ+ film project earns recognition at film festivals

The student film “Hit Astray” started as a film project, but soon it turned into something more for the two UTRGV students. The image is a still from the short film. (Photos Courtesy of Jared Palomares)

By Amanda L. Alaniz

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – JULY 10, 2023 – A video assignment for two UTRGV students with characters questioning their truths and facing societal issues recently turned into something more than they expected – a tragic message about the violence that affects the LGBTQ+ community.

According to a study done by Science Advances, LGBTQ+ people are more than twice as likely to be a victim of gun violence than their cisgender and straight peers.

Jared Palomares, a UTRGV fine arts in theatre with a concentration in film production major, and Andrew Perez, a recent UTRGV graduate with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a concentration in film production, collaborated to produce a short film touching on these issues called “Hit Astray.”

The film takes place in summer 2008 and follows Santi, living a carefree lifestyle along with his friends. He becomes infatuated with his best friend, but an unexpected tragedy changes the trajectory of their lives.

Palomares and Perez said they weren’t quite ready for the public to see the film, but when it started to receive recognition at the festivals, they knew they were making some positive noise.

“It really woke us up,” said Palomares, writer and co-director of the film. “We’re doing something good here. The film was based on an article we found about a young man who was fatally hit by a stray bullet. Then, we created our own narrative mixed with realistic events, sci-fi and psychological elements.”

Most of the people involved in the film are UTRGV students and alumni.

The story may be fiction, but Perez, director of photography/cinematographer and co-director, said the film’s message is something people can relate to whether or note they are part of the LGBTQ+ community or have been affected by gun violence.

“It’s a very important message we’re trying to convey. Even back in the 2000s, since then they have been reoccurring issues, not only with LGBTQ+ but also gun violence. It’s always been a thing, and unfortunately, it’s gotten worse,” Perez said. “I think with our film getting buzz and recognition shows that these are stories people want to see.”

TRUTH INSPIRES FICTION
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, in June – which is national Pride Month – declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States for the first time in its more than 40-year history.

For the two UTRGV filmmakers, the declaration highlighted that their short film was a critical project, a big message that needed to be shared. They wanted to recreate the general atmosphere of the early to late 2000s, where young men, like the characters, hid who they were. Same sex marriages weren’t protected nationally until 2012.

Palomares said “Hit Astray” is about “living your truth in an uncertain world due to the amount of chaos that lives in our society.”

Their film professor, Dr. Ferenc Moldovanyi, helped them submit “Hit Astray” to film festivals, where it was awarded multiple honors: “Best Student Film Cinematography” at the Canadian Cinematography Awards, and finalists at the Panorama Film Festival, New York Cinematography Awards, Los Angeles Cinematography Awards and Luleå International Film Festival.

In addition, it was awarded Honorable Mention at the Film Night on Fulton, and was selected for the STXIFF, South Texas International Film Festival, in Edinburg for Best RGV Short.

The filmmakers were both surprised when they got the news that their film was creating a buzz at the festivals, and it served as reassurance to everyone involved that their project was of significance, Palomares said.

“We’re telling a beautiful story, but a very real story. There is hope, but there is still reality, and we need to act now,” he said. “That’s what we found in these awards. We’re so grateful and blessed.”

Palomares and Perez have planned reshoots for the film and would like eventually to host special screenings.

Their words of encouragement to future filmmakers are to not stop creating, you never know where the next message may lie.

To learn about UTRGV’s film production major, visit https://www.utrgv.edu/theatre/television-and-film/index.htm.