Hummingbirds

“I want to remember this time, last time, and next time. I want to remember it all with no parts missing, because I appreciate even the bad times.”

In Laredo, a city in southern Texas on the Mexican border, best friends Silvia and Beba know that the long summer nights of their youth cannot last forever. Their hang-out spots are so familiar but, stuck in an immigration process over which deportation hangs as a constant possibility, home still seems a fragile concept. Between bars, drive-thrus, friends’ couches and the borderlands, they confront the stresses of survival, the future, and community building. For them, this means protest action for legal abortion and against border control abuses, in a politically divided America. But the dusty half-light is also a time for poetry and dreams. Their laughter and creative expression cement a sense of solidarity and belonging in togetherness.
by Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras USA 2023 English, Spanish 78’ Colour World premiere | Debut film | Documentary Form recommendation: 14 years and up

Crew

Directors Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras
Co-Directors Jillian Schlesinger, Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco
Cinematography Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng
Editing Isidore Bethel, Jillian Schlesinger, Leslie Benavides, Sophia Hernández, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Zulema Young-Toledo
Music Estefanía “Beba” Contreras, Elijah Cruz, Brendan Hoy
Sound Design Danielle Dupre
Sound Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Jillian Schlesinger, Charlie Vela, Matt McVinnie
Producers Jillian Schlesinger, Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Leslie Benavides, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Diane Ng, Rivkah Beth Medow
Co-Producers Isidore Bethel, Dawn Valadez

Produced by

Extra Terrestrial Films

Silvia Del Carmen Castaños

Born in Laredo, Texas, Silvia Del Carmen Castaños lives and works as a filmmaker and urban transit planner in Boston. Hummingbirds is their debut feature-length film.

Filmography

2018 Ocean; short documentary 2023 Hummingbirds; co-director: Estefanía “Beba” Contreras

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2023

Estefanía “Beba” Contreras

The musician and filmmaker was born in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and grew up in Laredo, Texas. Hummingbirds is her directing debut.

Filmography

2023 Hummingbirds; co-director: Silvia Del Carmen Castaños

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2023