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BlackStar Festival 2025 - July 31st to 3rd August BlackStar Festival 2025 - July 31st to 3rd August

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Short Narrative

Las Cosas Que Brillan

A film still from Las Cosas Que Brillan shows a black frame around a staged scene. Inside the frame is a woman dressed as a mermaid, with a yellow tail and top, sleeping on a faux rock. Standing above her is a man dressed as a soldier, wearing dirty armor with a grimy face, gazing down at her. They are positioned within a theatrical set designed to mimic an ocean scene with a series of waves behind them.

Screenings

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When a trans Latinx mermaid defies her mother’s warnings, she is forced to confront the violent legacies of colonialism, environmental destruction and the danger of being desired in the human world.

Content Warning: Flashing lights – 05:12-05:19

Directors Spotlight

A picture of a non-binary person named Kristal Sotomayor standing outdoors. She is dressed in a vibrant fuchsia wrap dress that features puffed sleeves and a belt tied at the waist. Her dark hair, which has a red highlight on one side, falls in soft waves over her shoulders. She is smiling broadly with a friendly expression.

Kristal Sotomayor

Director

Kristal Sotomayor is a nonbinary Peruvian American director, producer, and journalist. Their debut narrative short Las Cosas Que Brillan is supported by BlackStar. Their film Expanding Sanctuary (OTV/Kanopy) won the Philadelphia Filmmaker Award at BlackStar and Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens, which won Best LGBTQ Documentary at Poppy Jasper.

  • Year 2025
  • Runtime 11 minutes
  • Country United States
  • Language English
  • Director Kristal Sotomayor
  • Producer Bettina Escauriza, Kris Mendoza, Kristal Sotomayor
  • Executive Producer Caroline Kim, Maori Karmael Holmes
  • Co Producer Sydney Rodriguez
  • Cast Asia Monroe, Brad Wakeman, Josielyn Aguilera
  • Cinematographer Ian Mosley-Duffy
  • Editor Andrea Cruz
  • Animator Austin Dean
  • Production Design Big Howl, Kevin Kelly, Lenore Romas, Paul Triggiani
  • Composer Ariel Loh
  • Sound Design Ben Wong, Jamie Bahr
  • Music Ariel Loh
  • Premiere World

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