Next Stop, Planet X

Storyline

Emilia is a 12-year-old girl who believes she is from another planet. During the search for her lost cat, she will fight to return to where she belongs.

About the film/director

Efraín Ortiz, born in Hermosillo in 1998, studied Film Directing at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica in Mexico City. In 2023, he participated in an exchange program focused on Cinematography at the Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in Potsdam, Germany. He currently works in the continuity supervision and editing departments on both independent and commercial projects.

Director’s statement

"Next stop, Planet X" is a short film belonging to the fantasy and science fiction genres that touches on the themes of feeling out of place and the longing to escape that feeling. It tells the story of Emilia, a 12-year-old girl who claims to be from another planet because she doesn’t feel comfortable in this world. Throughout the short, she will strive to return to where she belongs, in the midst of an environment and society that doesn’t understand her.
My intention with this short film is to tell a story centered around childhood, which I believe is one of the most defining formative phases in a person’s life and how they relate to and interact with the world. For this, I worked with children both with and without acting experience, which became the greatest challenge and strength of this project. I wanted to tell a human story, where the naturalism of the sometimes harsh reality contrasted with Emilia’s fantastic world, making us her accomplice and companion in her search to return to Planet X.
I hope that Emilia’s story, her constant clashes with reality, and her perseverance to return to the world where she belongs, leave a positive impact on the viewer, serving as a reminder that the path to fulfillment is always filled with its ups and downs.

Credits

Director:

Efraín Ortiz

Script:

Camera:

Rodrigo Dada Serrano

Editor:

María del Cueto

Cast:

Alessio Valentini, Fátima Almaraz, Lena Arámbula Moreno, Stefanie Weiss Santos

Sound:

Francisco Gómez Guevara

Music:

Production:

Hellen H. Castro, Ramón Llaven

Contact:

César Ortiz

E-Mail:

cesar@elccc.com.mx

• Mexico

• Spanish / subtitles Englisch
• 2025
• 14 min