‘The Art of Film’: Through the lens of an international student
(Santa Ana, Calif.) Santa Ana College student Cecilia Rubi Lorenzo Evangelista is an international student from Mexico who is exploring her creativity with a passion for filmmaking.
How did you first discover your passion for film?
I first discovered that I wanted to get into film when I learned how to read. Once I started reading books, I discovered this new world. I always knew that I wanted to get into the creative process. I liked creative writing and then when I was about 13, I started discovering the behind the scenes and bloopers of DVD’s and I just really enjoyed the whole process they were going through and how much fun they were having. I thought, “I wanna do something that’s that fun. They’re having a blast.”
What is your short film about?
My short film is about a marketing manager that just lost her husband. She’s going through the grieving process and gets entangled with a company that uses AI to keep your relative alive. So, she ends up still believing that her husband is alive even though he isn’t.
What inspired you to make this short film?
I really thought, “Okay, when you lose a loved one, you have those memories of them: pictures, videos, etc. But, there comes a time when you eventually forget what their laugh is like, what their voice sounds like…” So I thought, “What if there was a company that would be able to keep those relatives alive?
With AI happening nowadays, there’s so much going on so I thought, “Okay, let’s incorporate AI.”
What was the process of production for this short film?
The professors were able to provide a script already made— so you were able to choose that script or create your own script. I decided to take up the challenge and create my own script. We created the script, they ran through it, they helped us do the whole breakdown and we were able to even connect with the theater department and we were able to cast the actors from there. We saw their casting videos and were able to select the people that we thought fit better for our film, and the professors all provided their input.
We did test shoots as well just to see, “Okay, this is how it’s actually going to look when we actually shoot the thing.” We were able to determine little mistakes or little things that we didn’t like about how it looked beforehand, so it was really great.
Who or what inspires you creatively?
What inspires me creatively is music. I really like listening to any type of music and really going into the lyrics and just wondering the artistic path that the artist took. It kind of helps me imagine a lot of things like, “Oh, that would be a great film.” Certain people like Mexican filmmakers like Alejandro Guzman and Guillermo Del Toro, of course, they started in a different country and made all of these great films where language could’ve been a barrier, so it’s very inspiring that someone from my country was able to do that.
What was the most difficult thing you faced and how did you overcome it?
Imposter syndrome was something that I had a really hard time with when I started here at Santa Ana College.
It was really difficult for me because I thought I was behind but the professors here at Santa Ana College really made me feel like I wasn’t behind, and that I was in the right place. They work with you in a way where they don’t measure you in regards to levels. They obviously know that they are going to have a mix of students that are beginners, and some that are a little bit more advanced, but they really take the time to meet with you, see what you need to work on, and help you through it, so it was really great.
What is your next goal?
My next goal is to hopefully transfer to a four-year in Fall 2026, and just continue my Bachelor’s degree with filmmaking. I am thinking of applying to a couple of schools. I do want to try privates, such as Chapman or USC. Of course, that is the dream.
As an international student, how did you end up choosing Santa Ana College?
When I was deciding what school I wanted to go to, I did some research on community colleges here in Orange County, or around California because I moved to Tijuana, Mexico. I was really close to the border so I wanted something nearby, so I could still visit my family. I was reaching out to a lot of community colleges. I reached out to Santa Ana College and within hours, they reached out back to me. It was really great because they were super responsive. I think once I was already going through the whole process of coming to Santa Ana College, I had my paperwork and everything, that’s when other colleges started reaching out to me. It took them that long and I was like, “Wow, I already chose a place,” so, I liked that they (Santa Ana College) were very quick. And, I don’t think it was just me— I talked to other international students and they also told me that they (Santa Ana College) were the first ones to reply.
What advice would you give to people?
The advice I would give them is not to give up. I think a lot of creative people, at times, are too scared to pursue a major in art or filmmaking cause they feel that it’s not something that society would think is a “real job.” But, a lot of people contribute to the world in different ways. Some people are doctors, some people are scientists, and the way that we contribute is with entertainment. Just don’t give up and don’t listen to what people think. If it’s your passion then just continue with it. We’re all here to contribute to society in a certain way so my way is with filmmaking.
