Filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo began her film Memories of a Penitent Heart after her mother discovered some storaged 8mm cameras lying around. The film follows the story of her late uncle Miguel, who passed from AIDS during the late 80s. Her uncle lived in a Puerto Rican family as a homosexual whose family did not accept his lifestyle. Aldarondo researched more into her uncle’s life and began the process of telling his story through her film. There she uncovered her uncle’s past relationship with boyfriend Robert and after her uncle’s spiritual peace with God. Aldarondo covers several themes throughout her film from ethnic identity, LGBT field, and Puerto Rican culture. With two master degrees in fine arts, this film advances her potential production skill work.

Cecilia Aldarondo was 1 of 25 fellows of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers’ (NALIP) highly competitive Latino Media Market during the annual Media Summit in 2014. During the LMM, Aldarondo was able to pitch her film project to companies like PBS and Sundance who gave positive feedback on her project. Along with the help of NALIP, IFP, Sundance and Film Independent have contributed to her development. Aldarondo is one of the few latina filmmakers making an impact and we hope to see her project continue to thrive. She was chosen as Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 faces of 2015. Be on the lookout for her upcoming film Memories of a Penitent Heart.

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