In southern New Mexico, hearing the words "la carne asada" brings a deep sense of belonging, warmth, nostalgia and community acceptance. Beyond the grilled, marinated steak or hot dogs and hamburgers at a family cookout, it represents an invitation into family and shared culture.
Aldo Morales sees his film as that kind of personal invitation.
“La Carne Asada” is a 22-minute short film by the New Mexico State University alumnus selected to screen during the Santa Fe International Film Festival Oct. 14-19.
“The film is bilingual, and we did make it how I envisioned it, and now it's going to be seen at an Oscar-qualifying film festival in New Mexico,” Morales said. “That is pretty mind-blowing.”
The idea for “La Carne Asada” began in NMSU’s Creative Media Institute (CMI).
“It all started when I was taking a screenwriting class, developing the idea of the story. And then I got the opportunity in CMI to take that story and make it as a senior project for my final year of school,” said Morales, who graduated from NMSU in May. “Now that I'm an alum, it's all finished, but it's still part of my life, and now it's going to be at the film festival in Santa Fe.”
Morales’ CMI screenwriting professor and mentor is Cherie Saulter. Saulter encouraged Morales to consider turning his screenplay into a short film as a senior project. It’s her third year as visiting faculty member, teaching several different classes in CMI, including screenwriting, directing, producing, production design and history of cinema.
“I thought Aldo’s screenplay was really compelling,” Saulter said. “It’s a kind of a personal story, and you could see he brought a lot of his own experiences into it. I thought his screenplay was one that we could feasibly do in the scope of a senior project, and he was interested. So, I was able to supervise him and all of the other students working on the project throughout the process, both for development and the filming – we brought in a lot of current students and a few alumni. Then, we worked together throughout the post-production process as well.”
Casting for the film was tricky since the characters are bilingual.
“We had to find actors who spoke fluent English and Spanish or sometimes looked for actors that specifically don't know that much Spanish to inform the performance and to add more layers to the character,” Morales said. “Because where I'm from in El Paso, the border, some people know English, some people only speak Spanish, and some people mix it up and speak both, like Spanglish.”
The backyard barbecue is a space where generations, from “tias” and “abuelos” to younger kids gather equally around the table. In Morales’ film, family dynamics also heat up among the sights, sounds and smells of the family cookout as different personalities clash from the heartbroken to the obnoxious or those just trying to earn approval. It’s a mirror for self-reflection and discovery.
With Saulter’s help, Morales submitted his film to 12 different festivals. Santa Fe will be the first to debut “La Carne Asada.”
Morales and some of the cast and crew will travel to Santa Fe for the festival.
In addition to earning his degree from NMSU, Morales also completed The Gotham EDU Film and Media Career Development program, a highly competitive, eight-week virtual initiative by The Gotham Film & Media Institute that selects a cohort of students from across the country, designed to empower students and recent graduates looking to launch careers in the film, television and digital media industries. Participants receive unfiltered access to industry professionals from major entities (like Netflix, MGM, NBCUniversal and Blumhouse) through curated workshops, speaker sessions and pitch feedback.
For now, Morales plans to take a break from studying but may apply for a film school fellowship in the future. What advice does he have for future filmmakers following in his footsteps?
“The biggest thing is working with people, regardless of what you learn or what your strengths are, you're going to have some weaknesses,” Morales said. “At the end of the day, it’s important to remember this is a collaborative art form. The classmates that I've collaborated with on maybe six short films or more, I think it's a beautiful partnership that we've built.”
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CUTLINE: “La Carne Asada,” a short film by New Mexico State University Creative Media Institute alumnus Aldo Morales, is among the films selected to screen at the Santa Fe International Film Festival Oct. 14-19. (Image from the film “La Carne Asada”)
CUTLINE: Left to Right: Bardo Leo, first assistant camera, Ulises Córdova, director of photography and Aldo Morales, director, set up a shot during filming of “La Carne Asada.” (Photo by Angela Carter)
CUTLINE: Angel Muñoz, property master and editor of “La Carne Asada” prepares a grilling scene. (Photo by Angela Carter)
CUTLINE: Director Aldo Morales on the set of his short film “La Carne Asada.” The NMSU alumnus’ film was selected to screen at the Santa Fe International Film festival Oct. 14-19. (Photo by Julian Galvan)