Local filmmaker's work seen in Silver City

Nadia and James are caught in the midst of a strict anti-immigration America that has brought devastation upon their little family as they seek their way through the struggle.   

Will their love surpass the pain that’s ripping their family apart?   

That was the question on Celso Acosta’s mind as he produced this short film in late November. The 25-year-old undergrad was first assigned this project his junior year at New Mexico State University.  

It began as a final assignment for his Cinematography 2 course, in which the class had to draw inspiration from a poem and adapt it into a short film. Acosta chose a poem that made him reflect on the past and present, “The Creed of a Holocaust Survivor,” by Alexander Kimel.   

Celso talks about the stereotypes immigrants face and how he ties it in with his loving characters.

Immigrants are typically considered violent or not considered the “same” compared to someone who is citizen by birth. These are just people who want to live a better life, Acosta said. 

“It was kind of just wanting to be able to show that without saying it,” he said.

Acosta first began filmmaking in high school, where he took four years of the video production program pathway at his high school in Chaparral, then graduated in 2019. He went to Doña Ana Community College but dropped out shortly after due to the worldwide spread of COVID-19. He had a three-year hiatus until he came back to filmmaking in 2023 and has been pursuing it as a profession since then.  

Acosta said the process of producing the short film was a mess. First, he had to sit in silence and just think until the final hour hits, and the ideas finally arrived. It was a last-minute shoot, so there was a lot of rushing.  

Production of “The Creed” was more difficult; Acosta switched locations five times because things kept falling through. The journey to arrange the film was tough. There was a deadline he needed to meet and a message he wanted to send, so he pushed through to get it done.  

“The Creed” is not the first short film Celso Acosta has worked on, but it does stand out from the others. He had worked on other films in the roles of director and cameraman. The senior tends to help his filmography friends with their own films, which helps Celso branch out with different genres such as comedies.  

Acosta said he likes stories about people. He prefers his films to stay grounded and follow dramatic topics. When it came to “The Creed,” he branched outside his comfort zone since it was the first time a film of his followed a modern-day political topic.  

“Film is a great way to express just things that are on your mind or things that you can’t necessarily put the words to or say,” said Acosta.  

Acosta feels connected to the poem and his short film, but not because of his lived experiences.  He considers himself a blessed person, having grown up in a family situation unaffected by the current state of the country. When you grow up with the side of the family that isn’t as affected by the current state of the country, it’s easy to ignore it, he said.   

Acosta has spoken with friends that have been affected by recent events in the country. It served as a reminder he said, that he is both Hispanic and White. The connection he draws is from witnessing people he knows struggle, like Nadia and James do in their story.  

Nadia and James were two lovers caught in unfortunate circumstances. The characters were in the process of protesting a detention center. Acosta mentions he was setting up a reunion scene in which the lovers finally see one another after a certain period. He wanted the shot to cut wide to show the viewer that they’re trying to reach each other but can’t. 

“These people’s lives were just upended forever and these weren’t evil people,” Acosta said  "They were a normal, hard-working couple, who just who just wanted to have their life together.”  

Acosta wanted to portray what the original poem made him feel mixed in with real world events. The message of his short film is, “for people to remember that everybody is human and everyone is going through an experience,” he said. He wants to continue to convey his mind through film. Whether love will surpass the hardships of the world or if it fades away with the struggle.  

Celso Acosta's film was selected and premiered at the Silver City film festival last weekend. "The Creed” will also be available on YouTube .