Na Ponta da Língua
About the Film
Luana is excited to attend her best friend’s party, but her plans are upended when she’s forced to spend the day with her grandmother, who’s just arrived from Brazil. To make matters worse, they don’t speak the same language—Luana doesn’t speak Portuguese, and her grandmother doesn’t speak English. Frustration turns into connection as they begin to bond through cooking, and Luana slowly starts to embrace her Brazilian roots.
Director: Anna Gabriela de Mendonça
Producers: Anna Gabriela de Mendonça and Andrew Hilmes
United States, Brazil // 2025 // Drama // Los Shorts
13 minutes
About the Filmmaker
Anna Gabriela de Mendonça is a Brazilian filmmaker who grew up in São Paulo and now calls Los Angeles home. Raised in a trilingual family spanning the United States, France, and Brazil—and with siblings who hold multiple nationalities—she has always been drawn to stories of identity, belonging, and cultural intersection. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University’s Film and Television Production program, Anna’s own experience navigating the invisibility of Brazilian voices within the broader Latin narrative fuels her passion for storytelling. She creates female-centered, multicultural narratives that embrace complexity and authenticity. Through her work, Anna strives to give underrepresented audiences—especially young Brazilians—the representation she longed for growing up, ensuring they feel seen, valued, and proud of their roots.
