Throughout the years the sci-fi genre has been littered with cautionary tales of advanced machines taking over. From 2001 A Space Odyssey to Terminator to The Matrix, these films display the level of fear we humans have of our own obsolescence on a grand scale. More often than not, the cinematic figures we’ve turned to to help quell our fears through the rise of the machines have been seemingly superhuman. But in The Ballad of Tita and The Machines, director Miguel Angel Caballero turns to an unorthodox and exciting new savior : an elderly, queer, arthritic farmworker.
When an AI Productivity Monitoring Software deems widow Tita (Laura Patalano) no longer fit for work due to her swelling joints, she reluctantly hires an AI humanoid to fill in for her picking strawberries out in the fields. Yet, as model after model breaks down during the arduous labor, it becomes clear that no AI Humanoid the company provides is capable of executing the same back-breaking work.
Patalano is endearing and just the right amount of tough in her role as Tita, who navigates both a humorous and heartfelt performance. She is surrounded by an equally engaging cast that convinces us that Caballero’s world in the not-too-distant future could very soon be a reality.
Written by Luis Antonio Aldana & Miguel Angel Caballero, this film was produced by Helena Sardinha and Rafael Thomaseto, presented at the Tribeca Festival and was made as part of Indeed’s Rising Voices program – an initiative set up to discover, invest in and share stories created by BIPOC filmmakers and storytellers, and has qualified to be considered for a 2024 Academy® Award. Rising Voices was created in collaboration with Emmy® Award-winning writer, creator, and actor Lena Waithe, Hillman Grad Productions, Ventureland and 271 Films.
Miguel Angel Caballero (co-writer/director) is the son of Mexican immigrant farm workers and an award-winning Queer Mexican-American/Chicano writer, director, and producer. His short film, ACUITZERAMO, premiered at the Morelia International Film Festival, won 20 awards internationally, and is screening on MAX. Miguel Angel is an Outfest Screenwriting Lab Fellow, Film Independent Project Involve fellow, and the Warner Bros. Discovery 150 Artist Grant recipient. Miguel Angel was one of ten directors selected to participate in the 2022 inaugural Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Accelerator Program and won the Humanitas New Voices Fellowship.
STARRING
Laura Patalano
Luis Antonio Aldana
Nico Greetham
Cheryll Umaña
Rocío Lopez
Geoffrey Rivas
Rafael Cobos Delgado
Juan Alfonso
Elia Saldana
Joan Almedilla
Arlene Santana
Christain Jaime Garcia
Kiara Bletran
David Rodriguez Estrada
PRODUCTION: Indeed, Hillman Grad Productions, 271 Flms
DIRECTOR: Miguel Angel Caballero
WRITERS: Luis Antonio Aldana, Miguel Angel Caballero
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Lena Waite, Rishi Rajani, Doménica Castro, Constanza Castro
PRODUCERS: Helena Sardinha, Rafael Thomaseto