Skip to main content
She Stays film image; woman holds one arm over head

She Stays

Ella se queda

MODES

North American Premiere

Recently accepted to a dance masters program abroad, Laura must decide if she’s ready to walk away from Tijuana and her ex. Tonight she is watched by a coven lurking in the shadows.

 

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Marianna Escobedo, Sofia Jofré, Násmar Guzmán, Leo Aldair, Brenda Bellozo

Credits
Country of Origin

Mexico

Year

2024

Language

In Spanish with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
Content Warning

Flashing/strobing lights

18+
10 min
Drama Experimental & Avant Garde Romance Shorts Women Directors
Standard Fantastic, Peonia Films

Credits & Director

Producer

Melissa Castañeda

Screenwriter

Marinthia Gutiérrez

Cinematography

Mayela Ponce

Editor

Marinthia Gutiérrez

Original Music

Angélica García, Papalote Pulse

Marinthia Gutiérrez headshot; She Stays director

Marinthia Gutiérrez

Writer and director from Tijuana, Mexico. She graduated from the UCLA Theater, Film, and Television School in 2018 with a Bachelor’s in Film, & TV, emphasizing in narrative directing.

Marinthia is drawn to tell stories that are character-driven and introspective in an almost surreal way– she likes being close to her subjects in order to show raw emotions through highly stylized images. Her tone can be described as atmospheric magical realism.

Marinthia’s horror-dance short film, Ella se queda (She stays) (2024), is the recipient of the 2022 Standard Fantastic Fellowship, which is sponsored by Kodak and Fotokem to shoot in 16mm film, Official Selection at Semaine de la Critique – Cannes and Guadalajara International Film Festival.

 

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

Giant

Dir. George Stevens
198 min

This was the Yellowstone of its time: a big, sweeping modern Western built around an imposing ranch and family dynamics -- except Giant is much more subversive. James Dean strikes it rich as Jett Rink, much to the disgust of his former boss, Rock Hudson.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Familiar Touch

Dir. Sarah Friedland
90 min

A loving portrait of an octogenarian transitioning into an assisted living facility, this award-winning first feature by choreographer Sarah Friedland has a simplicity and warmth that's exceptionally poignant.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Super Happy Forever

Dir. Kohei Igarashi
94 min

This beguiling film depicts a man’s return to the Japanese seaside town where he met his now-deceased wife five years earlier. He tries to relive the past, and in the film's final section -- a flashback to 2018 -- the audience is afforded that privilege.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

A Streetcar Named Desire

Dir. Elia Kazan
122 min

"I don't want realism. I want magic!" declares Blanche du Bois, the tragic heroine who meets her nemesis in her sister's husband, Stanley Kowalski, in Tennessee Williams' great play. Brando's performance as Stanley is a turning point in American acting.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Georgia O'Keeffe: the Brightness of Light
Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light film image; painted reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows that combine to look like a flower

Georgia O'Keeffe: the Brightness of Light

Dir. Paul Wagner
118 min

Drawing on her copious correspondence and the world's leading scholars, this is a definitive documentary on the life and work of "the mother of American Modernism."

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

While You Weren't Looking

Dir. Catherine Stewart
72 min

The changing landscape of South African politics and lifestyles is portrayed through a trio of artfully counter-pointed relationships.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre