Vaqueros on the Silver Screen at 10th Annual STXIFF

Anthony Tinay | Pulse

Students at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley’s Department of Theatre have made their presence known at this year’s South Texas International Film Festival in Edinburg.

STXIFF is an annual film festival that showcases films from local Valley filmmakers along with workshops and panels featuring speakers from the industry. 

Magdiel Castle, director of operations at STXIFF, said his vision for the festival is “to connect local filmmakers with the larger film industry,”as well as bring “the larger film industry to the Valley.”

This year, the festival’s home is the new Arts, Culture and Events Center in Edinburg; now the city’s hub for cultural events.

“We’ve been offering it in different parts of the city, but now it’s all going to be one location,” Castle said. “It’s a one stop shop for arts and culture. We’re very, very excited for it.” 

Three students’ films were screened at the festival, with two of them having received several  nominations and awards. Multiple students received scholarships as well. 

Judas Tanguma (they/them), a recent UTRGV alum, screened their film “Serial Killers Anonymous” at the festival, with his production company “A Box of Knives.”

Despite initial anxiety, Tanguma felt extremely proud of their film.

 They said “the way [they] could give back to the cast and crew would be to submit it to festivals so that their names could get out there.”

Filmmaking is not something that “you can just wait to do,” Tanguma said. They advise student filmmakers to not be afraid to go out there and put in their “reps.”

Paolo Santiago, a theater senior with a concentration in film production, screened his film “A Boy Named Peter,” which he directed, wrote and starred in. Santiago’s performance was nominated for the South Texas Actor category, making him the first Filipino actor nominated.

Santiago is excited for a film created by and starring Asian Americans being screened for a wider audience. 

“[Filipino Americans] are not really given an opportunity to shine in art,” he said. “We’love doing art. We’re people that love to express ourselves.”

  Jared Palomares is another recent UTRGV Film Production alum whose film, “Scent of Ivory,” won the categories of South Texas Director and RGV Short Film.

Palomares advises student filmmakers to “bring a personal story or a theme that you can express in your script and be as creative as you can be within your means”.

“Scent of Ivory” and “Serial Killers Anonymous” are films made for the Directing 2 class, where students are tasked with producing a short film or play.

Peter Mikolasky, director of the Theatre Department and professor of the Directing 2 class, is proud of the relationship between UTRGV Theatre and STXIFF, as they work directly with students to help submit their films to the festival.

“Basically anybody who makes a film in any of our classes that’s an original script can submit it to the department for approval,” Mikolasky said. 

As director of the Theatre Department, he feels that festivals like STXIFF are a great opportunity for students’ work to get exposure. 

Jose Castro Romero, a film production junior with a minor in music technology was awarded a $250 scholarship from UTRGV.

Another opportunity for students to compete and showcase their work is the 48 Hour Film Race, in which filmmakers create a new film in a two day deadline. 

Jerry Fuentes, a theater senior with a concentration in film production said, “It’s pretty fun, being around people that I feel you would enjoy being around with is like the most important part.”. 

The filmmaking scene in the Valley has seen noticeable growth since the festival’s inception in 2015. 

Castle said, “We’ve seen some filmmakers that started submitting at the beginning of when the film festival started, and we’ve seen how their work has evolved till now and everybody has gotten better.”