This one’s for all you Star Guars fans out there. Chicana Stardust, an upcoming sci-fi short film, trades in the dusty landscapes of Tattooine for the desert vistas of the US-Mexico border. That’s where Akyra (Margaret Abud) and her two trusted warriors — all in otherworldly purple pastel fashion — have descended from Planet Jaba. They’re on the hunt for Fela, the titular “Chicana Stardust” (Linda Abud). Fela has stolen the Amulet, the most important of all artifacts from their home planet which connects the Jaba people to their roots in their ancient homeland of California. But as a craven General has moved to destroy all remnants of that legacy, Fela felt no choice but to steal and flee with the treasured Amulet. That, in a nutshell, is the kind of background info you’d get in a Star Wars scroll ahead of Benjamin Huerta and Itamar Lilienthal‘s science-fiction drama.
With an ’80s B-movie vibe that features character designs straight out of a neon-colored comic book, Chicana Stardust hopes to use the sci-fi concept to talk about very real issues. As the filmmakers put it, “We wanted to explore what role Mexican-Americans or Chicanxs play in the larger conversation regarding Mexican culture. How can we adapt in America and still preserve our culture? Do we have a say when it comes to addressing problems in Mexican society? What about in American culture? Being stuck in the middle of these two worlds inspired us to take ownership of our history and create a narrative that resonates within our local community.”
Take a trip alongside Fela and the squad that’s been sent to capture her in the streets of Tijuana in the trailer below.
Chicana Stardust will premiere in early 2019.