(Los Angeles, CA) – March 2nd, 2020. Me También, an empowering short film by Latina writer, director, and actress Valeria Vallejos, is releasing online on March 8th for International Women’s Day after a year-long tour in the film festival circuit.
“We are so pleased that ‘Me También’, Jury Award winner for Best Short at the Bentonville Film Festival in 2019, is releasing online worldwide on International Women’s Day. This film truly embodies the harsh realities of sexual harassment while championing female empowerment in the workplace. We want to congratulate Director, Valeria Vallejos, for helping bring these impactful stories to light on screen,” said Academy Award winner Geena Davis, founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
The 17-minute social drama features a diverse cast and follows the journey of two women, from different walks of life, dealing with their own personal anguish of harassment in the workplace.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/-NuYR24vZ58
“Me También” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/O2JCh7iWZbU
“Me También” on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/391877491
When actress Valeria Vallejos wrote the short story of Me También, she had no idea that the subject matter of her script would become the REASON she would end up directing the film herself.
“When I originally wrote ‘Me También’, I had no intention of directing it, only acting in it. I initially approached a male director and producer I had collaborated with in the past, who were eager to take it on. But as time passed, they wanted to make changes to the script, altering the intended tone and voice,” recalls Valeria Vallejos. “When I objected, they went as far as to try and literally push me out of having any involvement with the film aside from acting on set. This is when I knew that if the film I’d envisioned was going to be made, I had to direct it myself,” she adds.
Me También is set against the backdrop of Los Angeles, the city where Vallejos resides. The story illuminates the similar plight of women from strikingly different worlds. Cristina is an undocumented Mexican immigrant running from her past trying to live out her version of the “American Dream” as a nanny to a wealthy family. Monica is a rising executive in a marketing firm whose earned everything she has in life. Both their lives are derailed by the same hardship, but will their fates rally?
“During my life, which has spanned the globe from Patagonia, Argentina to France, Nigeria, Malaysia, and Spain and now the United States, one unfortunate common denominator has been etched in my heart: the struggles of women. I’ve witnessed inequality, harassment, and abuse in day-to-day life, even experiencing some myself, as though these were normal parts of being a woman,” observes Valeria Vallejos. “Me También was born from a personal necessity to bring to light this issue and hopefully create change that will echo to future generations,” she concludes.
Written/Directed by and Starring Valeria Vallejos as Cristina, Me También showcases the talents of Kathryn Romine as Monica and Regen Wilson as Mr. Reynolds. Producer and Editor: Brett M. Reed. Producer: Jacquelyn Carr. Cinematographer: Jorel O’Dell. Composer: Nuno Malo.
To know more about the filmmaker:
Valeria Vallejos is an award-winning writer/director/actress of Indigenous and Spanish descent, born and raised in Patagonia, Argentina. She left Patagonia for Paris, France at the age of seventeen to pursue her career in the arts. After a brief study in Paris, Valeria went on to travel the world extensively continuing her education in the arts, mastering three languages and collecting an MBA along the way. She wrote, directed and starred in her multi-award winning short film Me También. Valeria recently starred in the upcoming indie comedy Domino: Battle of the Bones alongside David Arquette, just completed her first feature film screenplay It Was Written, and is currently developing a pilot for a limited series called Lady J.
To find out more about Me También, visit:
Instagram: @MeTambienFilm, @ValeriaVallejosInLA
Hashtags: #MeTambienFilm #MeToo #IWD2020 #EachForEqual #WomenEmpowerment