Ensename Como Morir
About the Film
After her grandmother passes away, a grieving Mexican-American woman becomes fascinated with learning what it feels like to die, believing it will allow her to feel close to her grandma in death in a way she never felt in life. Her grief leads her to “The Death Lab”, a mysterious medical facility that claims to recreate the sensation of dying without actually killing you. Here she embarks on a surreal and deeply personal journey that stretches beyond the confines of life itself.
Director: Gerardo Maravilla
Producer: Evelyn Angelica Martinez
United States // 2025 // Horror, Drama, Science Fiction // Los Shorts
14 minutes
About the Filmmaker
Gerardo "Gerry" Maravilla is a Mexican-American writer/director based in Los Angeles. Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, he escaped his suburban Catholic upbringing through punk rock and horror movies. A bicultural lovechild of Tim Burton and Guillermo del Toro, he crafts supernatural horror stories with heart.
He's been a Film Independent Project Involve Writing Fellow, a New York Film Festival Artist Academy Fellow, and a Latino Film Institute Inclusion Fellow. He also developed his work through Hola Mexico’s Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today, the Mexican-American Cultural Education Foundation's Masterclass, and the Stowe Story Labs. His films have screened at Palm Springs ShortFest, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), and Bogo Shorts, among others.
His feature script, Niño de Vidrio (Child of Glass), was developed at Cine Qua Non’s Storylines Lab and participated in their Script Revision Lab. The short version won the Roadmap Writers Short Script Competition, and the feature recently won the BendFilm Basecamp Pitch Competition.
