The Vote
About the Film
With their dying mother on life support, siblings Jessica and Robbie find themselves at odds over the difficult decision of whether to let her go. They gather their large family together at their aunt Carmen's home in hopes of settling the disagreement. Amidst the emotionally charged potluck, they hold a tense family vote. Despite Robbie’s protests, the family unites in Victoria’s hospital room for a collective prayer before taking her off life support. As Victoria takes her last breaths, Jessica and Robbie find solace in one another, sharing an intense moment of grief.
Director: Sylvia Ray
Producer: Andrea Porras Madero
United States // 2024 // Drama // Los Shorts
14 minutes
About the Filmmaker
Sylvia Ray is a Chicana/Korean-American director based in Los Angeles and a 2025 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. She is also a 2024 Latino Film Institute Inclusion Fellow, where she wrote and directed The Vote, winner of Best U.S. Short at the Post Alley Film Festival. Her feature script The Middle was a quarterfinalist at HollyShorts and the Atlanta Film Festival and selected for the 2024 FICMonterrey Pro-Meetings Program. The short was nominated for Best LatinX Film at HollyShorts and won Best in Festival at the 2025 Sundial Film Festival. Sylvia’s work explores grief, identity, and resilience in BIPOC communities.
