Lincoln Park filmmaker Maurizio Dominguez’s award-winning short film, “Un Dia Normal,” or “A Normal Day,” looks at how immigration policy and enforcement impacts the lives of people in immigrant communities throughout the United States.
Lincoln Park filmmaker Maurizio Dominguez’s award-winning short film, “Un Dia Normal,” or “A Normal Day,” looks at how immigration policy and enforcement impacts the lives of people in immigrant communities throughout the United States.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
LINCOLN PARK – Personalizing the struggles that immigrant families face in the United States is the inspiration for Maurizio Dominguez’s award-winning short film “Un Dia Normal” or “A Normal Day.”
Filmmaker and editor Dominguez, 36, of Lincoln Park, grew up in Mexico and southwest Detroit, where going to the movies with his family laid the foundation for his love of film.
“Watching the works of Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and David Fincher inspired me to learn filmmaking so that I could tell my own stories,” he said.
Dominguez studied telecommunications at Henry Ford College, where he earned an Associate of Arts degree, then completed the digital media arts program at Specs Howard School of Media Arts.
“Un Dia Normal,” which runs 31 minutes, has won multiple awards, including: Best Short Film at the International New York Film Festival; Independent Spirit Award at the Detroit Trinity International Film Festival; Best Latin International Short at the Urban Film Festival in Miami, Fla.; the Youth Choice Award at the Georgia Latino International Film Festival in Atlanta, Ga.; and Best Drama and Actress of the Year at the PEACH Theatre & Film International Festival in Los Angeles, California.
Dominguez said the film, which is a narrative drama, is set in 2017 and follows an immigrant family in southwest Detroit whose daughter is detained by Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers, and shows their efforts to try to help her prove her valid status as a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
“It is based on a real-life experience that my family lived through in early 2017 at the beginning of the first Trump administration,” he said.
Dominguez said that while he covered most of the production costs with his savings and earnings as a freelance videographer and film editor, he was able to raise an additional $3,000 from supporters on Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform, to enable him to begin production.
He said one of the biggest challenges he faced was filming outdoor scenes with actors in ICE officer gear on a limited budget.
“A very good friend, Joe Wright from Theatrica Gladiatoria, was instrumental in making the scene possible,” Dominguez said. “In addition to being our onsite safety and weapons props wrangler, Joe found a location we could use to film in Ypsilanti and helped coordinate with the Ypsilanti Film Office and local police department so that we could film the scene legally and safely.”
He said weather, equipment malfunctions, and cast availability provided additional challenges.
“Thankfully, we had a very supportive cast and crew, and we were able to troubleshoot most of the challenges and adapt as needed to keep the project going,” Dominguez said.
Most of the scenes were shot in southwest Detroit, with the balance filmed in Ypsilanti and Adrian.
Dominguez said that, as a filmmaker, the most validating lesson he has learned from his craft is listening to his team and being open to feedback.
“It helps build up a feeling of comradery in the team and helps you make sure they have what they need to do the job,” he said. “It was important for the team and helps you make sure they have what they need to do the job.”
Dominguez said he wanted to help ensure that everyone in the cast and crew felt valued, even in the face of stressful and hectic production deadlines.
“Hearing the cast and crew say after our first screenings that ‘Un Dia Normal’ was one of their favorite projects to work on tells me that I managed things the right way,” he said.
Dominguez said wearing two hats – that of director and producer – was challenging, and he hopes on future films he can focus on one role instead trying to juggle multiple responsibilities.
“The days of filming were the most fun and the most challenging,” he said. “But once all the prep work was done and we were filming, it was delightful to see the actors bringing the characters and the story to life on set.”
“Un Dia Normal” will be screening at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at Planet Ant Theater in Hamtramck, with doors opening at 5 p.m., in cooperation with Cinema Detroit and We the People Michigan.
It will be shown with “Nadia’s Story: Drivers Licenses for All.”
“Both of these films offer a look at how immigration policy and enforcement impact the lives of immigrant communities in the U.S.,” Dominguez said. “We initially made ‘Un Dia Normal’ to inform audiences of the reality and challenges that immigrant families with mixed migration status face in the U.S., and given the results of this year’s presidential election, this is now an even more relevant topic.”
He said the promised mass deportation of the incoming administration will have a major impact on families and communities across the country.
“We want to continue sharing this film to make people aware of the human side of the immigration issue, to remind people that immigrants are people, too, and they also have families, values and aspirations,” he said. “It is our hope that continuing to share these stories can help advocate for an immigration enforcement system that treats people as human beings instead of targets.”