CUATRO DE JULIO
Short Film
Project Type: Short Film
Project Status: Pre-Production
Writer and Director: Douglas Cushnie
Producer: Erika Sabel Flores
Director of Photography: Anton Fresco
Production Designer: Jose Herrera
Costume Designer: Jeanette Godoy
Project Email: cheledelgadofilms@gmail.com
Project Website: https://linktr.ee/douglascushnie
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 learned 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 adoptive 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 7 other Nicaraguan friends seek asylum in the US. I’ve sponsored applications, testified as a witness in federal hearings, hosted 3 friends in my 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. 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 our lead actor, Lennin Baez. 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) in NIcaragua.
Inspired by the naturalistic cinema of films like “City of God (Meirelles/Lund),” “The Mirror (Panahi)” and “Chop Shop (Bahrani)”, our film will use non-professional actors, natural light, real environments, and dynamic pacing and imagery that immerse the viewer into an authentic world.
Building off the foundation of countless iconic films that have been made in the Los Angeles area we plan to show an additional side of the city that people have likely never seen before.
Meet The Filmmakers
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Douglas Cushnie
Writer/Director
After getting his start at a young age in action sports cinematography in the US, Douglas Cushnie gradually transitioned into writing and directing narrative films, starting with "Volar en línea recta," a short based on the lives of, and starring, close friends of his in Nicaragua. Ultimately, he was accepted to the Directing fellowship at the American Film Institute, where his thesis “Neemkomok” was one of three films nominated for the 2019 College Emmy in Drama. After AFI, he began production on “Bomberos,” an ongoing docufiction feature film about teenage firefighters in Nicaragua, and has written and published a graphic novel series, "Walo: “A Central American Odyssey.”
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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.
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Erika Sabel Flores
Producer
Erika Sabel Flores is a producer and filmmaker with over twenty years of experience. In addition to producing, she has worked extensively as an actor, writer, casting director, assistant director, and director on more than one hundred film, television, and digital media projects. Projects she has produced or executive produced have screened and won awards at SXSW, Tribeca, Sitges, Sundance, Palm Springs, Austin, NYLFF, LALIFF, and other film festivals.Through collaborations with nonprofit organizations and film studio partners, Erika has dedicated much of her career to building pipelines into the entertainment industry for underrepresented communities and to bringing to life stories from those same communities.
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Jose Herrera
Production Designer
Jose Herrera is a Hispanic/South American born architect and interior designer. He is American Film Institute class of 2023 Production Design Fellow. He’s an experienced production designer and art director, with multiple projects under his belt. Films designed by him have screened and won at several US and International film festivals, including 2023 DTLA Film Festival, San Diego International Film Festival, 2024 Healdsburg International Film Festival, 2024 BAFTA Short Film Longlist Nomination, and Los Angeles Latino Film Festival. He's also worked as a production designer with an Academy Award nominee filmmaker and Academy member David Massey and Xavier Santiago, an international producer based in New York. He was raised in a family with a construction and design background. He has extensive experience working on commercial, high-residential and hospitality projects. He graduated from the South American Architectural Sciences School. He also holds a 2020 California Architects Board Examination/Licensing Credential Certification in Science and Civil Engineering, and is well versed in hospitality standards.
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Jeanette Godoy
Costume Designer
Jeanette Godoy is an Interdisciplinary Artivista: Actor, Costume Designer, and Social Justice Educator. She was raised in Inglewood, California and received her BA in Liberal Studies with a Specialization in Chicana/o Studies from San Diego State University. In addition, Jeanette holds a BCLAD Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and an MFA in Theater with a double focus in Acting and Costume Design from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. She has worked with: Warner Brothers Discovery, LA Metro, Latino Film Institute, Native Nation, Cornerstone Theater Company, Frida Kahlo Theater, AFI, Project Involve-Film Independent, Ghetto Film School, Lodo Productions, Friendly Productions and SEIU-USWW. She has designed and styled for celebrities such as Alma Martinez, Jonathan Frakes, Gene Simmons, and Serj Tankian from System of a Down, and Jacquelin Marin Rivera. You can follow her work via IG: @misskahlo
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!