Mitú x Walmart Filmmaker Mentorship Program Season 2 Cohort on Fighting for Change With Their Art
As Hollywood has evolved and grown, ballooning into a $1 trillion industry in 2024, one statistic has remained startlingly stagnant: For 16 years, across 1,600 movies, fewer than 5% of directors have been Hispanic or Latino.
It isn’t for lack of talent or lack of audience interest. It reflects a problem with the industry. Mitú and Walmart aim to bring about change through their Filmmaker Mentorship Program, a collaboration to champion diverse creatives and build a more inclusive entertainment landscape.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural program, the companies teamed up with the Latino Film Institute (LFI) for a second season and gave four up-and-coming Latino filmmakers — Sofía Ayerdi, Manuel Villarreal, Matthew Serrano and Kaila Gutierrez — funding, equipment stipends and the opportunity to create and market their short films.
The Season 2 cohort also received mentorships from actor and filmmaker Justina Machado and director Oz Rodriguez before premiering their films at festivals.
“I was so surprised to see how excited people could be to see our films,” says Villarreal, the writer-director of “El Colibrí,” which follows a young girl’s quest to repair her late mother’s hummingbird sculpture. Villarreal drew from his own experience of losing his aunt and hopes to honor her with the film.
As with Villarreal’s work, Ayerdi’s films are influenced by her family’s background, and shaped by her upbringing in Guerrero Negro, along Mexico’s Pacific coast. In “Aguamadre,” the director weaves together a tale of a woman encouraging her aging mother to embrace her past and take up swimming — a pastime she loved before she immigrated to the U.S.
Villarreal and Ayerdi spoke with Variety about the support they received through the mitú x Walmart Filmmaker Mentorship Program and the importance of representation.
Program Experience
Villarreal: One of the best parts [of the mentorship program] is having resources. Mitú did a really good job of getting us a storyboard artist and getting us a graphic designer to make our posters. They really did advocate for us.
Ayerdi: The biggest lesson [I learned from the mentorship program] was to take some risks and go for it. And have a good team who could support you. … I realized the importance of doing the work, but also the importance of marketing when it comes to your work.
Taking Action Over the Lack of Latino Directors
Villarreal: Oh man, they better be ready. We’re coming. It is disappointing, and it’s not surprising considering a lot of Latine content gets canceled so early. It’s greenlit, it runs for two seasons, and then it gets canceled immediately. I’ve had a lot of doors shut in my face, and that only excites me to knock on another one. I know that through these programs, it’s building community. Through mitú, through Walmart, collaboration with LFI, all these programs exist so that we can band together.
Ayerdi: It’s really heartbreaking seeing that less than 5% of directors have been Hispanic or Latino, especially compared to how much Latinos view content and go to theaters. Even though it’s disappointing, I do see it as one of the challenges to pursue. It does give me a sense of fire inside me to keep pushing through and to be part of the change. It also raises alertness within our community. We have to work together to push that statistic to the other side.
Short Films
Villarreal: What I want people to take away from “El Colibrí” is the message that just because it’s broken doesn’t mean it can’t be made anew. These two people are suffering through grief and, through the creation of this object, they’re able to move forward as a new family. No matter what you’re going through, whether it’s grief, depression or any kind of feeling that makes you feel down, you can reassess yourself and find a way to process that and move forward. It’ll always be a new day. Everything is better in the morning. My aunt passed away when I was very, very young. It left a really profound impact on me. She was the one who would tell me stories, and her favorite animal was the hummingbird. I wanted to give a little ode to her and make this wooden hummingbird the thing that this girl rebuilds. In the same way, I’m processing my own grief for my aunt all these years later by making movies.
Ayerdi: From “Aguamadre,” I want the audience to take away the theme. That is the heart of it all. The idea that it’s never too late to rediscover yourself. Regardless of your age, of your past circumstances or even your childhood, you always get to decide the value you put on yourself. You always get to decide: What are you going to do next? You are a book that keeps writing itself every day. It’s always OK to change and embrace change. I also want people to look at the underwater shots and be like, “That’s super cool. I don’t know how she did it, but that’s cool.”
Season 2 Mentors
Villarreal: They were really great. Oz was a resource [for me] on staying true to yourself as a filmmaker. Even though being Latino is really important, he spoke to us about not letting that be the only thing you’re recognized by — that you don’t have to box yourself in. When I had my conversation with Justina, we were talking a lot about specificity of the characters in my motel and remembering that those are specific people that I’m creating. They exist, and that’s what drew her to the story. Remember that in directing the performances, the characters that you create are a semblance of how other people are. And remember to be not only mindful of the communities you make movies of, but also to make sure you do those people justice.
Ayerdi: It was very nice having those two mentors. With Justina, just seeing her energy and the love and passion she has towards her craft and her work — it was really inspiring. The greatest advice I got from Oz was how he was very open and very honest about his work. He told us how even at his level, he still gets those days where it’s a complete mess. Those days where he doubts himself or doesn’t know how to do it, but he still does it. It makes me feel empowered to know, even at this young stage of my career, the importance of knowing that you have to push through even with self-doubt.
Remixing Cultures and Traditions
Villarreal: Everything is inspired by my family. … All the stories that I create are the stories of my family, their history, the things that have been passed down. I change them a little bit, I give them different names, I add a magical fantastical spin. But it’s interesting about the remix because being first-gen, you’re neither here nor there. You’re in the middle, so I’m this amalgamation of all of these different lenses and stories. Through my lens as a filmmaker, I try to sort it all out through characters, folklore and fable.
Ayerdi: I do think there’s an importance in remixing of culture and traditions. Even though this program is specifically for Latinos and we have to build community, we do have to lend support to other communities. We’re not isolated. We exist as a whole. We’re not only Latinos, we are humans. We’re storytellers, we’re filmmakers.
It isn’t for lack of talent or lack of audience interest. It reflects a problem with the industry. Mitú and Walmart aim to bring about change through their Filmmaker Mentorship Program, a collaboration to champion diverse creatives and build a more inclusive entertainment landscape.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural program, the companies teamed up with the Latino Film Institute (LFI) for a second season and gave four up-and-coming Latino filmmakers — Sofía Ayerdi, Manuel Villarreal, Matthew Serrano and Kaila Gutierrez — funding, equipment stipends and the opportunity to create and market their short films.
The Season 2 cohort also received mentorships from actor and filmmaker Justina Machado and director Oz Rodriguez before premiering their films at festivals.
“I was so surprised to see how excited people could be to see our films,” says Villarreal, the writer-director of “El Colibrí,” which follows a young girl’s quest to repair her late mother’s hummingbird sculpture. Villarreal drew from his own experience of losing his aunt and hopes to honor her with the film.
As with Villarreal’s work, Ayerdi’s films are influenced by her family’s background, and shaped by her upbringing in Guerrero Negro, along Mexico’s Pacific coast. In “Aguamadre,” the director weaves together a tale of a woman encouraging her aging mother to embrace her past and take up swimming — a pastime she loved before she immigrated to the U.S.
Villarreal and Ayerdi spoke with Variety about the support they received through the mitú x Walmart Filmmaker Mentorship Program and the importance of representation.
Program Experience
Villarreal: One of the best parts [of the mentorship program] is having resources. Mitú did a really good job of getting us a storyboard artist and getting us a graphic designer to make our posters. They really did advocate for us.
Ayerdi: The biggest lesson [I learned from the mentorship program] was to take some risks and go for it. And have a good team who could support you. … I realized the importance of doing the work, but also the importance of marketing when it comes to your work.
Taking Action Over the Lack of Latino Directors
Villarreal: Oh man, they better be ready. We’re coming. It is disappointing, and it’s not surprising considering a lot of Latine content gets canceled so early. It’s greenlit, it runs for two seasons, and then it gets canceled immediately. I’ve had a lot of doors shut in my face, and that only excites me to knock on another one. I know that through these programs, it’s building community. Through mitú, through Walmart, collaboration with LFI, all these programs exist so that we can band together.
Ayerdi: It’s really heartbreaking seeing that less than 5% of directors have been Hispanic or Latino, especially compared to how much Latinos view content and go to theaters. Even though it’s disappointing, I do see it as one of the challenges to pursue. It does give me a sense of fire inside me to keep pushing through and to be part of the change. It also raises alertness within our community. We have to work together to push that statistic to the other side.
Short Films
Villarreal: What I want people to take away from “El Colibrí” is the message that just because it’s broken doesn’t mean it can’t be made anew. These two people are suffering through grief and, through the creation of this object, they’re able to move forward as a new family. No matter what you’re going through, whether it’s grief, depression or any kind of feeling that makes you feel down, you can reassess yourself and find a way to process that and move forward. It’ll always be a new day. Everything is better in the morning. My aunt passed away when I was very, very young. It left a really profound impact on me. She was the one who would tell me stories, and her favorite animal was the hummingbird. I wanted to give a little ode to her and make this wooden hummingbird the thing that this girl rebuilds. In the same way, I’m processing my own grief for my aunt all these years later by making movies.
Ayerdi: From “Aguamadre,” I want the audience to take away the theme. That is the heart of it all. The idea that it’s never too late to rediscover yourself. Regardless of your age, of your past circumstances or even your childhood, you always get to decide the value you put on yourself. You always get to decide: What are you going to do next? You are a book that keeps writing itself every day. It’s always OK to change and embrace change. I also want people to look at the underwater shots and be like, “That’s super cool. I don’t know how she did it, but that’s cool.”
Season 2 Mentors
Villarreal: They were really great. Oz was a resource [for me] on staying true to yourself as a filmmaker. Even though being Latino is really important, he spoke to us about not letting that be the only thing you’re recognized by — that you don’t have to box yourself in. When I had my conversation with Justina, we were talking a lot about specificity of the characters in my motel and remembering that those are specific people that I’m creating. They exist, and that’s what drew her to the story. Remember that in directing the performances, the characters that you create are a semblance of how other people are. And remember to be not only mindful of the communities you make movies of, but also to make sure you do those people justice.
Ayerdi: It was very nice having those two mentors. With Justina, just seeing her energy and the love and passion she has towards her craft and her work — it was really inspiring. The greatest advice I got from Oz was how he was very open and very honest about his work. He told us how even at his level, he still gets those days where it’s a complete mess. Those days where he doubts himself or doesn’t know how to do it, but he still does it. It makes me feel empowered to know, even at this young stage of my career, the importance of knowing that you have to push through even with self-doubt.
Remixing Cultures and Traditions
Villarreal: Everything is inspired by my family. … All the stories that I create are the stories of my family, their history, the things that have been passed down. I change them a little bit, I give them different names, I add a magical fantastical spin. But it’s interesting about the remix because being first-gen, you’re neither here nor there. You’re in the middle, so I’m this amalgamation of all of these different lenses and stories. Through my lens as a filmmaker, I try to sort it all out through characters, folklore and fable.
Ayerdi: I do think there’s an importance in remixing of culture and traditions. Even though this program is specifically for Latinos and we have to build community, we do have to lend support to other communities. We’re not isolated. We exist as a whole. We’re not only Latinos, we are humans. We’re storytellers, we’re filmmakers.