An ambitious young painter lands her dream gallery debut, only to find the art world demands shock-value over sincerity. Torn between selling out or staying true to her vision, she risks losing everything. At the opening, her profound piece amazes everyone, establishing that authenticity shines, even in a superficial world.

Cast

Rosie - Alejandra Quecano
Theo - Ted Luxana
Lyra - Alison Espinoza
Critic #1 - Elena Vasyur
Critic #2 - Andrew Gonzalez
Critic #3 - Nicolas Aguiar
Bartholomew - David Afkham

Extra #1 - Jorge Gonzalez
Extra #2 - Caitlyn Casalins
Extra #3 - Arnaliz Ibarra
Extra #4 - Jorge Barban
Extra #5 - Schundley Samson

Crew

Producers - Alejandra Quecano & Andrew Gonzalez
Director - Alejandra Quecano

Director of Photography - Maria Alejandra Cadaveira
Production Designer & Editor - Kai Posadas
Colorist - Maria Alejandra Cadaveira
Sound Designers - Alejandra Quecano & Jose Benitez

Sound Mixers - Sean Yakobson & Anthony Guerra
Boom Operator - Sean Yakobson

Art Director - Arnaliz Ibarra
Prop Artists - Kai Posadas, Alejandra Quecano, Jorge Barban

First Assistant Director - Jose Benitez
Second Assistant Director - Valeria Ardila
Script Supervisor - Sofia Hernandez

First Camera Operator - Wilson Ayala
Second Camera Operator - Luis Gomez

First Assistant Camera - Leonardo Rodriguez
Second Assistant Camera - Joshua Torres

Chief Lighting Technicians - Luis Gomez & Isaiah Scott
Set Lighting Technician - Schundley Samson

Key Grip - Alex Valderrama
Grip - Alfredo Iglesias

Production Assistants - Miangelina Romero, Caitlyn Casalins, Vanessa Mauriz, Jorge Gonzalez

The Aesthetic Dilemma (2025) began as a student project for the final Film Production class in the Film & Television Production Technology program at Miami Dade College. Presented to a class of 25 students, the idea was chosen as one of the five films to be made that semester by the class.

Following the selection, the class was divided into crews for each film. Before shooting, pre-production paperwork needed to be cleared by the professor. Casting was searched through Backstage and word-of-mouth. Funds were raised through a social media promotional campaign. Location permits were processed through the School of Entertainment and Design Technology’s office and Film Lauderdale.

Each production’s Above-the-Line members readied the necessary paperwork and received the green light before principal photography.

The Aesthetic Dilemma was shot in two days in four locations: MDC West Campus Art Gallery, MDC West Campus Building 1 Exterior, MDC Padron Campus Library, and Amelia Earhart Park.

Once the film was shot, post-production began in the MDC Design Den. The editing process lasted two weeks, the coloring and sound designing phase followed with another two weeks.

The film was approved and, on December 9th, it screened in the Motion Picture Screening Room at MDC North Campus.

It is currently still on its festival run through Film Freeway.

I make films because I think it’s the art form that combines all the most beautiful studies in life. I tell stories because they’re the marks of the human experience, connecting us to one another across time and place. I’m making this film because it’s a story every young creative can relate to, exploring the pressure felt when your heart wants to make one thing, but the price of success demands another.

The idea for this story came from my BFA in Digital Arts and Graphic Design, where I learned to admire the sensibility and care of classical artists, as well as appreciate those same qualities in artists today. However, in studying contemporary artworks, I noticed how often shock value and clever analysis outweigh beauty and meaning. This idea seems to stretch across every creative industry that to be great, to be recognized, you are to put yourself aside in favor of what’s fashionable. This project aims to establish that while it’s not easy to stay true to yourself in the pursuit of greatness, it’s the only thing worth doing.

Finalist — East Village New York Film Festival

New York City
United States
Finalist