During the month of November of the present year, Mexican filmmaker Carlos Asse directed a set of projects in Arizona for a non-profit organization called Aliento. These projects have different purposes and formats and range from 30 second videos to a short documentary film.
Carlos decided to jump on board of this projects because as he says, “I was part of a non-profit organization in Mexico City for a big part of my life, which I later became the director of. This organization supported and focused on things very similar to what Aliento pursues and offers, and that’s what made me want to do this project: showing to the world the impact an organization like Aliento creates, and bringing awareness of its existence to our sometimes-neglecting society”.
Aliento is a non-profit based in Arizona that nurtures leaders and heals trauma through the arts. They mainly work with marginalized minorities that come from unprivileged backgrounds. “Being able to direct this campaign and short documentary for Aliento meant so much to me. It was a way of offering to the world a tiny glimpse into the huge impact Aliento creates in our society, and how, in a lot of cases, empowered and selfless missions like these ones are overlooked by our society”, Carlos shared.
Carlos collaborated with Matiz, a creative agency and production company based in Los Angeles, to create these projects. Matiz contacted Carlos and invited him to voluntarily unite their creative strengths to create this project. “When I first heard about Matiz and learned who they were, I immediately decided I wanted to be a part of this project”. As Carlos explained, Matiz has the unique objective to volunteer their services at least once a year to create a project or campaign for a non-profit that supports ideals and values that the world can benefit from, especially for minorities or underprivileged groups. Carlos loved the idea and thought it was a perfect way to reconnect to what he did for so long when he was younger.
The campaign is titled “Not Afraid” and aired on national TV on Telemundo/NBC Universal on December 4th, 2019, proceeded by its projection at an NBA game of the Phoenix Suns the following week at the Talking Stick Resort Arena versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. This campaign has reached millions of people in the few weeks it’s been available in venues and channels like these, and online on YouTube. “Knowing that we pulled off this shoot with the limited resources we had reminded me of how impactful we can be when we work as a team. Each of us brought something different to the table and that’s why we were able to make this project a reality. Everyone who worked on it gave their 100% and I’m so thankful for that”, Carlos shared.
The short documentary, which Carlos says he’s most excited about, is slated to be released at the beginning of 2020, and will be shared by major outlets and undergo its festival run as well.