CUATRO DE JULIO
Short Film
Project Type: Short Film
Project Status: Pre-Production
Writer, Director and Producer: Douglas Cushnie
Director of Photography: Anton Fresco
LOGLINE
On the Fourth of July, amidst an unprecedented summer of ICE raids, an immigrant ice cream vendor drags his cart along the Los Angeles coast, trying to make enough money to pay his overdue rent.
SYNOPSIS
July 4th, 2025: LENNY, a Nicaraguan immigrant, goes work as a ‘paletero’ (ice cream vendor)… on his birthday, no less. He’s late on rent, so the celebrations will have to wait. $200 stands between him and eviction.
Prior to heading out the beach, Lenny stops by the paletería, a small warehouse where a tight-knit community of vendors rents out their ice cream carts and congregates each morning before work. Unbeknownst to Lenny, they begin planning a surprise birthday party for him.
Over the long, sun-scorched day, it seems like Lenny can’t catch a break. By mid-afternoon his phone is dead and his ice cream cart gets a flat tire, resulting in him having to drag his cart through the deep sand in punishing heat, with little time to make it back before his ride leaves without him (at least that’s what he thinks).
When he finally arrives late to the parking lot to catch his ride home, he’s surprised with a birthday party, cake and all. Only one problem: No one’s around. After a few moments of confusion and waiting for the ‘surprise’ to come, Lenny finds out where everyone went: A passerby informs him that ICE came through and arrested all his colleagues only minutes before. Having made his rent, but lost his friends, Lenny takes in the bittersweet moment as the sun sets over the Santa Monica pier.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
As someone who’s lived around the world and repeatedly been forced to adapt and reinvent myself, I’m frequently drawn to stories about outsiders who find ways to survive in environments where they don’t seem to otherwise belong.
In 2018, while I was in the process of shooting a feature film in my second home of Nicaragua, the country saw a political crisis unfold that resulted in hundreds dead and thousands exiled from the country. Since then, I’ve helped Lennin and around ~7 other Nicaraguan friends seek asylum in the US. I’ve sponsored applications, testified as a witness in federal hearings, hosted 3 people in a 1 bedroom apartment, helped someone escape a kidnapping in Mexico, confronted a sleazy boss trying to pay less than minimum wage, and the list goes on. Most of that time I’ve felt more like a novice immigration lawyer and a foster parent than a filmmaker. So at the end of the day, I’m about as familiar with the immigrant experience as a US citizen can be. Lenny’s story is a huge part of my own life, and I think it’s critically important to share with the world in the medium I know best: film.
With a history of writing and directing award winning, Emmy-nominated content, I bring a wealth of experience and my own brand of dogged persistence to tell this story the right way with the right people, about real people.
MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
”Cuatro de julio" is a narrative short film about an immigrant ice cream vendor, based on real life experiences of my close friend, Lennin. The real life Lennin will act as a fictionalized version of himself in the movie. He actually acted in the first film I ever made: "Volar en línea recta” (2012).
Since 2018, I’ve helped Lennin and around ~7 other Nicaraguan friends seek asylum in the US. I’ve sponsored applications, testified in federal hearings, hosted 3 people in a 1 bedroom apartment, helped someone escape a kidnapping in Mexico, confronted sleazy bosses, and the list goes on. Most of that time I’ve felt more like a novice immigration lawyer and a foster parent than a filmmaker.
While immigration and patriotism and ICE may all add an ironic and timely backdrop, they’re not what this story is about, though. Lennin’s resilience and optimism have humbled me and inspired me to face my own obstacles head on. Lenny’s story is a huge part of my own life, and I think it’s critically important to share with the world in the medium I know best.
With a history of writing and directing award winning, Emmy-nominated content, I bring a wealth of experience and my own brand of dogged persistence to tell this story the right way with the right people, about real people.
Meet The Filmmakers
-
Douglas Cushnie
Writer/Director
After getting his start at a young age in action sports, Douglas soon transitioned into narrative and commercial film, directing "Volar en línea recta," a short based on the lives of, and starring, close friends of his in Nicaragua. Ultimately, he was accepted to a directing fellowship at the American Film Institute, graduating in with his thesis, "Neemkomok," which was nominated for the 2019 College Emmy in Drama. After
-
Anton Fresco
Cinematographer
Anton Fresco is a cinematographer based in Los Angeles, CA, working internationally across feature films, commercials, and music videos. He holds a master’s degree in Cinematography from the American Film Institute Conservatory (AFI), where he developed a precise visual language rooted in emotional storytelling, character, and atmosphere.
He began his cinematography training in the UK at the Arts Institute in Bournemouth and later continued his studies in Barcelona at CECC (Centro de Estudios Cinematográficos de Cataluña).
His work has been featured in festivals including Tribeca, BFI, and Slamdance, and in 2022, his film Life Rendered was highlighted in the ASC Magazine, which wrote that “Fresco captured all of the narrative’s live-action sequences with a grounded and emotionally rich realism.”
Anton now splits his time between Los Angeles, Europe, and Latin America, bringing a grounded, intuitive approach to each project — whether stylized or naturalistic — always led by human connection and story.
Your Help
CUATRO DE JULIO is a fiscally sponsored project of Cinematography for Actors, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation will be tax-deductible!