A project that began as a simple equipment test during a family holiday became an official selection at the San Diego Short Film Festival earlier this month. Nathan Gibbs, associate professor of media communication at Point Loma Nazarene University, premiered his short documentary “Lotería” at the Digital Gym Cinema in San Diego.
As outlined in the film’s overview on filmfreeway.com, the piece documents a family — siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews — competing in the traditional Mexican chance-based game Lotería on Christmas Eve.
“It’s what I would call a documentary vignette of a family playing this card game during the holidays — kind of after a meal,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs said the idea came while he was filming test footage on a new camera from the Point TV Studio with no intention of editing together a finished piece.
“I was just kind of playing with the settings a little bit,” Gibbs said. “At the moment, I just started shooting it to sort of fulfill my secondary purpose of seeing what I could do with this camera.”
It wasn’t until he reviewed the footage on his computer that he realized he could create a short video. He noticed that he captured characters shuffling, dealing cards and competing, and began to wonder whether the footage could form a cohesive narrative.
After editing the video, Gibbs shared the film with James Wicks, professor of media and film studies at PLNU, who enjoyed it and encouraged Gibbs to submit it to a festival. Having previously submitted his own work to filmfreeway.com, Wicks believed Gibbs’ short documentary would be a strong fit, especially for local San Diego or Latino film festivals.
“What I loved about ‘Lotería’ is it’s a slice of life vignette of a family playing an important game together,” Wicks said. “By watching the film, you get a sense of the joy, competition and camaraderie of a family sharing a memory together.”
Despite doubts that the film was too short or experimental for festivals, Gibbs submitted “Lotería” to several festivals across the country. The film was accepted into the San Diego Short Film Festival and San Diego Movie Awards. Earlier this month, Gibbs attended a screening of his film at the San Diego Short Film Festival, where it played before a full theater.
“I’ve watched it a lot of times, so there’s a certain point where it’s cringy to sit there and watch something when everyone’s seeing it at the same time,” Gibbs said.
Anna Novelo, a fourth-year film studies major, said she’s been inspired by working with Gibbs in many ways as he’s become a mentor to her, pushing her to create strong and meaningful work.
“He always brings a sharp eye and clear direction, and his technological knowledge challenges you while still making you feel supported,” Novelo said in an email interview. “I’m inspired seeing his success in the San Diego Short Film Festival because it’s one of those ‘Whoa, that’s my professor doing really cool work in the film world’ moments.”
Wicks emphasized the importance of professors and instructors actively practicing their field of study.
“I think it’s important for students who are working on creative media projects of any kind to see that their instructors are paving a way before them so that students can follow in the same footsteps and ultimately achieve higher and greater accolades than their instructors,” Wicks said.
Novelo said she was inspired by Gibbs’s film, particularly its camera angles, pacing, transitions and editing.
“I feel fortunate to learn from someone like Professor Gibbs, whose work I admire and respect,” Novelo said. “That film in particular was so fun to watch because growing up in a Mexican family, Lotería is a family tradition full of laughter and banter. I could really relate to it and appreciate the cultural narrative woven throughout the story.”
PLNU is set to host its own annual film festival, the Lomaland Film Festival, on Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. in Crill Performance Hall.
“The Lomaland Film Festival is an opportunity to honor and celebrate local filmmakers in a venue that’s open to the community, so that the community as well can share in appreciation of the sophisticated and beautiful films local filmmakers are creating,” Wicks said.
Novelo’s own music documentary, “Sounds of San Diego,” premiered as runner-up at the Lomaland Film Festival last year. While she was initially hesitant to submit her film, she felt encouraged by Gibbs, who guided her to apply.
“Looking back, I’m so grateful I took the leap because winning runner-up was beyond my expectations,” Novelo said. “It was such a special experience and will always be one of the highlights of my time at PLNU.”
Based on his experience as both a recipient and an awarder of festival selections, Gibbs said film festivals serve as an important way to encourage and spotlight outstanding filmmakers in the community. Wicks echoed that.
“A festival by definition is a celebration, it’s a party,” Wicks said. “Students are putting in hundreds if not thousands of hours of work into their projects, and it’s a great opportunity to experience a reward for all of that labor in a public setting. I think it inspires students and I think it inspires members of our community as well to continually push the limits of their creativity.”
Novelo said film festivals, especially student ones, are integral in recognizing local creativity, highlighting diverse voices and exploring topics that otherwise go unnoticed.
“Festivals, whether as a participant or a spectator, offer exposure to the raw, unfiltered world of filmmaking beyond mainstream media or streaming platforms,” Novelo said. “It’s an exciting and eye-opening experience, and I can’t recommend it enough to students … As filmmakers, we are artists and our work deserves to be recognized and appreciated.”
