After touring with several film festivals around the globe, Pedro Lavin’s (Art BFA 13) short film “La Pequeña Muerte” screens at REDCAT this weekend as part of the 2023 Outfest Film Festival—the world’s largest queer film festival—which runs July 13-23 at several venues throughout Los Angeles.
Set against a backdrop of contemporary Mexico, the film chronicles an afternoon of passion between two lovers and the ancient deity who mirrors their passion through an orgiastic dance. Lavin describes the piece as representing “the journey of sexual discovery through erotic fulfillment, self-acceptance, and the long yearning for love.”
A Mexico City-born and New York City-based visual artist and filmmaker, Lavin’s work often centers on self-mythology, ritual, sex, gender, desire, and personal pantheons. He mixes magical realism, oneiric fantasy, and his lived experiences to create stories using mediums including film, animation, VFX, AI, drawing, collage, concept art, and generative art.
Lavin’s film work has been shown internationally at the Sundance Film Festival, Annecy Animation Film Festival, REDCAT, Cannes, ORION Film Festival, and Vimeo’s Experimental Film Collection. His visual art and graphic design work has been featured in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Communication Arts Magazine, Fast Company, STASH Media, and JO-HS Gallery, where he recently finished his first residency.
Lavin collaborated with several CalArtians on “La Pequeña Muerte.” Wesley Ensminger (Dance BFA 14) portrays the deity in the film, Bijan Berahimi’s (Art BFA 13) studio FISK helped design promotional content, and artist and designer Chris Burnett (Art BFA 13) helped develop the music. The seven-minute Spanish-language film is included in the Platinum Showcase block at REDCAT on Sunday, July 16 at 9:15 pm.
Another CalArtian’s work also screens at REDCAT during Outfest. Luka Fisher (Art MFA 18) produced In the Club Out, screening Saturday, July 15 at 6:30 pm and composed music and crafted the sound design for Ricochet, also showing during the Platinum Showcase on Sunday.
Tickets for Outfest Film Festival can be bought online, where the full film schedule is available.
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