Cory Stillman
“The only dream I have is to earn the chance to keep making movies.”
Filmmaker Nico Casavecchia has maintained this very dream since his childhood in Buenos Aires. His pursuit of success as a filmmaker brought him to both Europe and the United States over the last couple decades, exposing Casavecchia, as well as his wife/creative partner Mercedes Arturo, to the highs and lows of the immigrant experience on an international scale. His latest short film Border Hopper, a key contender in the Best Live Action Short Film category at this year’s Academy Awards, draws from those experiences in telling the story of Laura, a Latinx filmmaker who discovers a supernatural way to navigate the U.S. immigration system.
Casavecchia can attest to what it is like to be an illegal immigrant in Europe, as well as a legal visa holder in the United States, recognizing the difficulties embedded in either experience.
“What I hope audiences take away is how tough this process is even when you have every advantage,” says Casavecchia. “And from there imagine the impossible ordeal faced by immigrants with no means at all. If the film sparks that conversation, then it’s doing something useful right now.”
Indeed, Laura’s quest for a travel permit so that she may pursue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity proves immensely difficult, devolving into a Candy Crush-style video game adventure. It is an unexpected metaphor that has resonated with countless audience members, who are invited to reflect on their pasts navigating such a labyrinthian system.
“After screenings, so many approach us and share their own stories and say that the metaphor maps perfectly onto their experience of navigating immigration bureaucracy. As a filmmaker you’re always searching for a concept that can carry the throughline of a film in a crisp, visual way, and I’m glad we found that one, because it became the film’s visual language and its core idea.”
That visual language includes stretches of wonderfully vibrant animation, injecting Border Hopper with a dynamic color palette that evokes everything from contemporary video games to 90s animation. The Thundercats intro even proved to be a vital inspiration for the film!
Check out my full conversation with Nico Casavecchia below, and be sure check out Border Hopper on YouTube!
When you began shaping Border Hopper, was there an early version of the story that looked markedly different from what the film eventually became?
The beautiful thing about working in film is how collaborative it is. You start with a clear idea of what you’re trying to make, but the vision shifts as soon as other people join the journey. Everyone brought ideas and personal experiences to the table, from cinematography to animation. I like to begin with a strong vision and keep my mind open enough to catch the accidents and the insights that only a team can create.
Was there a moment during production when blending animation and live-action revealed something unexpected about the story?
All the time. I really wanted the animation team to have ownership over those sequences. It started with brainstorming alongside my friend and collaborator Martín Allais about the best ways to bring them to life. In the scene where Laura confronts the immigration phone-line menu, the team came up with the idea of channeling the epicness of 90s animation. We revisited the Thundercats intro, that legendary sequence seared into our brains, and it became a foundational influence for many scenes in the film.
Because the film is rooted in a real experience, did you feel a responsibility to remain faithful to that event, or was the freedom to reinterpret it part of the creative mission?
It’s my first time working with real events, and my instinct was to begin with what actually happened and let the film take its natural shape. We stayed close to the essence of the journey, but we also followed where the story wanted to go. In truth, very little changed from the original events. We even had to cut things out, because so many absurd moments happened in those days that the short would have turned into a thirty-minute film if we included everything.
Can you please tell us more about what it was like to debut the film at a festival as prestigious as Sundance?
The one thing every filmmaker wants is to show your film in a theater, and with short films that’s especially tough because festivals are your only shot at a true theatrical experience. Watching your film with a crowd, feeling their reactions in real time, is magic. And from all the festivals you can dream of, Sundance is probably the most unrealistic expectation. Around twelve thousand shorts are submitted every year for roughly fifty slots, so your chances are about the same as getting into Harvard twice. It’s nuts. A Sundance premiere can completely change a film’s path, from the audiences you reach to the international attention that follows. So when the phone call comes, it feels unreal. I couldn’t be prouder that Border Hopper began its life there.
While touring the film on the festival circuit, did you receive any feedback from viewers that made you rethink an element of the film, or appreciate it in a new way?
The thing people connect with most is the idea of immigration as a video game. After screenings, so many approach us and share their own stories and say that the metaphor maps perfectly onto their experience of navigating immigration bureaucracy. As a filmmaker you’re always searching for a concept that can carry the throughline of a film in a crisp, visual way, and I’m glad we found that one, because it became the film’s visual language and its core idea.
Were there any ideas, shots, or sequences that you fought hard to keep in the film, even when it seemed impractical?
I’m going to get in trouble for this. There’s a moment that marks our first real break from grounded reality in the film: Laura is on the sofa, playing games and eating cereal from the box, and we arrive at that scene through a tunnel of floating cereal that turns out to be a journey through the box toward her. I had this instinct for an abstract transition like this that would give the audience permission to suspend their disbelief, a little runway before we lift off from reality. On a tight budget, it’s hard to justify a shot that doesn’t directly push the plot forward, but I’m glad I fought for it because it ended up being one of my favorite moments in the film.
If a viewer walks away remembering one specific feeling from the film, what would you hope that feeling is?
The scenes where Laura battles the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services phone line really encapsulate the feeling of fighting obstacle after obstacle to get a visa, or in this case a travel permit. I still connect to those moments because they’re a humorous way to express the subjective experience of going through that process, and I hope that’s what audiences feel too.
As Border Hopper enters the awards conversation, what part of its craft do you most hope Academy voters pay attention to—something they might overlook on a first watch?
We always say Border Hopper is a story of immigration privilege. I’ve lived both sides of it. I was an illegal immigrant in Europe for many years and could tell you endless stories from that time. But when I came to the US, I did it as a professional director with the resources and credentials to navigate the visa process, then eventually apply for a green card, and the film reflects a slice of that journey. What I hope audiences take away is how tough this process is even when you have every advantage, and from there imagine the impossible ordeal faced by immigrants with no means at all. If the film sparks that conversation, then it’s doing something useful right now.
What conversations or opportunities do you hope the film’s Oscar run sparks, beyond success for the film itself?
The only dream I have is to earn the chance to keep making movies. That’s all I hope awards and recognition lead to. Making films right now has become so hard that you just hope these moments open the door to stay in the world of cinema for a bit longer. I just want to tell more stories!
Comments
Loading…