Filmmaker Kristian Mercado is familiar with festival season; his film NUEVO RICO won the Jury Award for Best Animated Short at the 2021 SXSW film festival. His short film MARIPOSA toured the 2020 film festivals with high acclaim.
His comedy specials (Sam Jay 3 in the Morning, Hannibal Buress Miami Nights, and more), have also made festival lineups the past few years along with the Grammy-nominated music video ‘Colors’ by Black Pumas.
Mercado’s music-driven short film Pa’lante won the SXSW Jury Award 2019. This year’s SLAMDANCE, beginning January 20, will mark the debut of his new, short version of Mela. The project blends social commentary, cultural exploration, character study, music, dance, and family dynamics. True to form, Mercado lets the story inform his choices and approach to filming it.
Mela stars Mela Murder, who made her film debut in the acclaimed 2017 feature The Florida Project. In Mela, her character comes up against harsh realities as a passionate artist and a loving but conflicted mother. Mela’s life as a single mom, dancer, actress and activist surfaces in greater detail in Mercado’s feature script. “We dig deeper into the intergenerational traumas experienced by Mela, her mother, and her daughter, alongside Mela’s journey and rise in Reggaeton,” Mercado tells Reel 360 News.
“Mela expands on what I see as a continuum of work,” said Mercado, who is putting the finishing touches on his sci-fi rom-com feature film, If You Were the Last, as he returns to the branded space. “Stylistically, Mela is grounded and authentic which feels very much in-touch with what’s happening in the culture right now.”
“Mela taps into Kris’s dramatic storytelling side,” added Easy Mondays Founder/EP Asori Soto. “He is a cinephile at his core, but so much more than that.” Mercado has directed standout work with the company, including projects for Corona, Topo Chico, DoorDash, and Alienware.
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He adds, “Kris has a background in animation, fashion design, comedy, and special effects, to name a few. He brings each of these pieces of himself to every project he touches. When you are watching a Kristian Mercado film, you know it.”
With a distinct voice that addresses issues of identity, family, and systemic oppression across race and class, Mercado concludes, “I’m optimistic that the ad space can really champion creativity that shifts perspectives or opens doors, and creates safe spaces. I just really want to make work that transcends cynicism about our industry.”
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