Hangtown
About the Film
A 12-year-old Latino kid, who doesn’t speak a word of Spanish, finds a father figure in a fleeing Mexican immigrant and takes charge when armed vigilantes close in on both of them.
Director: David Aguilar
Producers: Luis Guizar, Jason Martinez
United States // 2025 // Drama, Adventure // Los Shorts
22 minutes
About the Filmmaker
David Aguilar is a L.A. born Chicano who spent his formative years in Placerville, California, a small town with a rich history that sparked the concept for his short film Hangtown, a coming-of-age drama which won two awards during its premiere at the Sacramento International Film Festival -- Visionary Spirit and Outstanding Cine Latino Long Form. Aguilar is currently developing Hangtown as his first feature film. Aguilar's recent writing credits include the CBS dramatic series Matlock and SWAT as well as the mini-series FDR, now streaming on Hulu, and the award-winning animated short film To The Letter, which won first place at the CBS Leadership Pipeline Challenge and Jury Prize at the Afro-Animation Awards. Before becoming a TV Writer, Aguilar taught at an East LA high school during the day, while moonlighting as a private investigator at night. Aguilar recently finished work on Trespassers -- a feature screenplay for director Alex Rivera dramatizing the 1967 New Mexico Courthouse Raid culminating in the largest manhunt on U.S. soil -- currently being taken out to market. Aguilar is a proud alum of the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program, the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s TV Writers Program, and UCLA Film School. He’s traveled to Chiapas, Mexico to teach filmmaking to the Zapatista guerrilla army as well as to Havana to study Cuban cinema. Aguilar lives in Pasadena, California with his wife Carolina.
