Xanathos (2017)
Bajo un reto, cuatro amigos deciden invocar al demonio Xanathos y hacer un trato para cumplir sus mayores deseos…
Ah, Xanathos. This one is probably my current magnum opus.
It’s 2017 and I want to create a new short film. While I had several unfinished ideas to work on, I felt I needed to do something DIFFERENT. As I brainstormed ideas, I decided I wanted to take a shot at a genre I had yet to try my hand at… comedy.
Once I decided the story I wanted to tell, I decided to base the demon character on one of my closest friends, Gambit (oh, look! There’s pictures of him here!). As he was soon to visit Puerto Rico for Puerto Rico Comic Con, I told him to pack his demon horns because I had something for us to film.
Once the script was finished, I cast Cristina and Gabo, two VERY talented actors I met at the oft-mentioned ill-fated Romeo and Juliet production. They brought in Daniel and Joelys, and we were set to go. The first scene to film was the last one, which featured my director’s cameo. I’ll tell you one thing; I am never wearing contact lenses ever again!
After that, we were on the clock, as we needed to film the most important scene, the one featuring Xanathos himself, before Gambit had to go back to Florida. We were able to film all of Gambit’s parts, but not finish the entire scene. Flash forward from May to July and we were finally able to get together and film the remaining half of the scene, as well as the first scene. Through creative editing, I was able to patch it together and make it all work.
I have to say, I’m really proud of the work we did here. While there are still a few technical issues here and there, overall, I think it’s a very fun short film to watch. The performances are all amazing and viewers seem to enjoy it… So much so that we actually won the Audience Award at Lusca Film Festival (formerly Puerto Rico Horror Film Fest) and the Director’s Award at Rincón International Film Festival. I was so absolutely stunned, humbled and surprised when I heard we won. It’s the first time I won an award for filmmaking, and though I don”t do this with the intention of getting awards, it felt incredible having someone acknowledge your work.
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