The following is an article written by Kiara Velez about the process of making Con El Sudor De Tu Frente where she dives into the themes, characters, and production of the film, with interviews from director Luciano Alzate.
Luciano Alzate is a young up and coming director and producer, with the creation of his indie short film ‘Con El Sudor De Tu Frente’ coming out mid April 2024. I had the privilege of exploring the project’s inner workings and creative process during an interview where we got to have a long conversation on the more personal side of production. This project draws its title from Genesis 3:19 of the Bible, “From the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread”, a verse that inspired Luciano’s father and in turn inspired Luciano as a main focus and idea for his next assignment. Despite being a high school student at Coral Glades High School, Luciano prioritizes his film endeavors and own exploration in techniques. One previous significant work, “Asphyxia”, stands out despite being a low-budget production, and garnered recognition at 15 film festivals for its principal photography. Luciano’s dedication to honing his craft is evident as he is self-taught from ‘Premiere Pro’ and other editing softwares, and has continued to excel in various aspects of filmmaking through a persistent idea of hard work and dedication. His passions for art, including his outside endeavors and interests in poetry, photography, and writing reflect his diverse creative interests. Embracing his father’s advice that filmmaking amalgamates various art forms, Luciano understands the importance of dynamics in cinematic shots and the intricacies of characters and emotions.
‘Con El Sudor De Tu Frente’ came from an idea of understanding tragedy in film, structurally and psychologically through a cohesive storyline and immersive camera work. Luciano works to ask the audience, “What happens to an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances?”. The story follows our main character ‘Dolores’, finding a large sum of money but is held by the restrictions of her guilty conscience, as well as the fear of being discovered as an undocumented refugee in America. Portrayed by Colombian actress ‘Linda Lucia Callejas’ Dolores has to work through her struggles of not feeling received or heard in the situation she is in, facing hardships of racial discrimination, sexism, and how unwelcoming America can be for underprivileged Hispanics. Luciano, as the director and mind behind the film, tries to understand these issues and raise awareness of them in the form of storytelling. As a white-passing Latin-American man, he recognizes his position of privilege but still tells personal experiences he’s faced or has seen others close to him face. Luciano takes that sentiment of xenophobia in systematic systems and wants to act on what he has in a way that gives back to these systems in terms of using this film as a messenger for others to understand the struggle. There are other real stories of Colombians and Latin cultures being expressed, where fathers or mothers move to America to improve their financial situation and send back money and help their families back home. The character of Dolores is scared of the establishment and institutions that run her life and is mostly silent throughout the film to give the audience a more relatable feel into her mind and worries. Luciano wants to show through Linda’s character that she is strong for her endurance and hope, but also show the vulnerable human side of her emotions and hardship. Character Emmanuel played by Gustavo Angel works as a driving force of conflict to Dolores, pushing her to the limits of self guilt and violence. Actor Gustavo Angel pushes director Luciano and co-star Linda Lucia by exploring the range of human emotions and how far we can push that vulnerability on screen.
This film has been a huge step for Luciano, with help from contributors and a backing system of supporters and talented actors, he fully indulges in his creative visions and aspirations. Before working in a full two-week schedule production, he has worked over ten hours a day for months on pre-production costume design, developing lighting techniques, and working with modern camera work. “The fate of a film is for it not to be made”, says director Luciano taking a quote from personal inspiration Guillermo del Toro. He uses this to explain his struggles in pre-production, his frustrated emotions of almost canceling the entire project, and the stress he had to work through as he essentially created and managed an entire production from the ground up. Luciano has shown great resilience and passion through his work, and said on the subject “…if it wasn’t stressful then it wouldn’t have been gratifying”. ‘Con El Sudor De Tu Frente’ has been an amazing learning experience for him in perfecting his craft. “You have to learn to adapt and shift'' Luciano explains, seeing obstacles as opportunities to improve in those scenarios. The film will include more naturalistic shots, his endeavor into a more polished and professional look. We can expect to experience more intimate shots in composition and lighting techniques, having the audience feel like a spectator or omnipotent viewer of the actions on screen. He continues saying the project will include his own style of long shots of intimacy, with a focus on realism and developing upon the imperfections or improvisational moments that took place. Fans and viewers can anticipate Luciano’s exploration of professional filmmaking to grow, as he continues to explore the reactions of ‘arcs’ and the human psyche. I will be ecstatic upon the release of ‘Con El Sudor De Tu Frente’, and will continue to follow Luciano Alzate’s path towards greatness in his craft.
Loved his attitude towards his work!