Opens for Camera Obscura 

Child of the Desert

Iliana Sosa

USA, Social Drama, 2011
19 min, RED, Color
English, Spanish with English subtitles

Child of the Desert is a contemporary short film that follows Elia, a working class mother, on her journey across the Southwest to see the final resting site of her military son. Fearless and free-spirited, Elia meets Jorge, an undocumented immigrant, at a gas station and befriends him despite the fact that she does not speak Spanish. Set against the backdrop of the Texas desert, Elia believes that her son has returned in the form of Jorge's presence in order to assuage her pain and allow her to forgive herself for not being able to "save" him.Child of the Desert has been screening around the country, including at San Diego Latino Film Festival, and Iliana was presented with the "Best Director" Award at the 2012 BHLIFE Film Festival in Boyle Heights.