Siesta

Directed by Gustavo René Sanabria

Length: 8:55
Producer: Ajai Vishwanath
Editor: Gustavo René Sanabria
Cinematographer: Taylor Sanghyun Lee
Sound Mixer: Wren Stark Haven

Steeped in Paraguayan folklore and setting a fable-like story within a contemporary and eerie world, SIESTA depicts the nightmarish experience of Ramona, an immigrant domestic worker, as she attempts to maintain appearances on the day of her employer’s baby shower.

In an effort to mitigate Cindy’s jealousy toward her unborn baby brother, Ramona tells Cindy a cautionary tale from her childhood. But when Cindy’s jealousy toward her brother reaches new heights during her mother’s baby shower, Ramona’s premonitions begin to escalate in parallel and ultimately revive ghosts from her past and test her love for the child.

SIESTA puts an inquisitive magnifying glass on class dynamics within a latinx subgroup and the wider milieu of the filthy rich in America. It examines our desperate need to assimilate, and the dissociative experience of feeling inextricably linked to two clashing worlds. The core of this film is energized by the ghosts of our past and the love that has sustained us.

Graduate Film

grs9435@nyu.edu

Gustavo René Sanabria is a Paraguayan-American filmmaker based in Brooklyn and currently pursuing an MFA in Film & TV at NYU Tisch. In 2019, he graduated from Wesleyan University, where his film, PACURÍ, was awarded the Steven J. Ross Prize for Best Thesis Film and had its online premiere at NoBudge. Since then, he has worked in construction and in service, where he often finds much of the inspiration for his work.

In 2021, Gustavo René produced the narrative short film, BRUISER, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, and became Academy Award eligible after being awarded a Grand Jury Prize at SIFF. Most recently, he associate produced the feature film, BRUISER (2022), which premiered at TIFF 2022 and was acquired by Hulu.

When he’s not hammering nails and tightening screws, Gustavo is developing deeply personal projects in hopes of spurring conversation, thoughts, dreams, and above all, connection. He is committed to telling underrepresented stories, always with his bi-cultural identity at the core of his work.