The idea for former New York Film Academy student Nuria Castro’s award-winning short, Mirage, initially came to her through a dream. The idea developed into a psychological thriller that leads the audience into the mind of Julian, played by Roberto Arrizon, a man who suffers the loss of his family. The Puebla, Mexico native’s film screened her film at the Mexican International Film Festival where she won the Bronze Palm Award in the Best Student Film Category.
The film was also a finalist at the Just 4 Short Film Competition in 2015 and is still being considered for several festivals around the world.
NYFA was responsible for introducing Castro to both Luciana Capela, her co-writer and co-editor, and Konstantin Frolov, her cinematographer. Both Luciana and Konstantin graduated with a MA degree in Film and Media Production.
“NYFA was essential in helping me and Luciana structure the story properly and prepare the production,” said Capela. “With the guidance and lessons from Nils Taylor, my directing instructor, the whole experience of directing was great and the outcome couldn’t have been better.”
Castro and her co-writer are currently developing the feature version of Mirage.