Adriana Guevara
2024 HEAR US Awardee
Undergraduate Film & TV Class of 2024
Adriana Guevara is a Peruvian-American filmmaker and editor from Houston, TX. Her films capture the unspoken truths of navigating womanhood and girlhood in the Latine community. She particularly delves into the intricacies of exploring Catholic Guilt.
Adriana has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the Kyoko Arai Fund, a gift made possible by Kyoko and Yuki Arai (NYU Stern '10, MBA), who hope to encourage diverse voices and stories in the film industry.
Project
I Constantly Thank God for Esteban: Home alone on the eve of her First Communion, 12-year-old Carmen receives an unexpected visit from a trio of neighborhood roller girls and scooter boys. While at her home, the kids make Carmen painfully aware of her religious upbringing, ultimately stealing her First Communion dress, culminating in a final showdown at their local roller rink.
As she embarks on a mission to recover her stolen dress, Carmen confronts not only her bullies, but also her faith as she grapples with Catholic guilt and her desire to fit in with her peers.
There was a time in my life where I would attend Sunday school every week and was expected to embody the qualities of a good Catholic girl. I felt awkward and out of place during these classes, being tested on the Our Fathers or Hail Marys by my church group leader. An unspoken feeling of guilt sat in the pit of my stomach when I didn’t know them by heart. I was on a generational path, following exactly what prior generations before me were taught to do: be Catholic. However, at the same time as I was going to Sunday school, my Fridays were also a routine. A routine to my local roller rink, Rollerama-West.
The roller rink became a haven for me during my tween years, offering a sense of independence away from the Catholic upbringing that surrounded me. All I craved was to fit in, and the rink provided the perfect escape. My desire to blend in eventually led to some inevitable drama with the other girls at the rink…
These two worlds, my Fridays and Sundays, felt juxtaposed; behaving in one place felt normal, but then being told that it was sinful. In my film, I Constantly Thank God for Esteban, I aim to delve into the confusion and burden of Catholic Guilt experienced by young Latina tweens. This film will confront the question many of them begin to grapple with at this age: "Am I a sinner or not?" Through the protagonist's journey, I hope to shed light on the complexities of navigating faith, identity, and societal expectations, offering insight and understanding for those who face similar struggles.
