Films catalogue
Prayer For All Simple Things
Synopsis
The film takes us back to December 1999, with archival footage of the author's parents at the Statue of Liberty. Hopeful, they look forward to a new life, unaware their citizenship application will be stalled for years. In 2024, now in their 70s, they still work in Connecticut. At Thanksgiving, the family prays together, reflecting on 25 years of struggle. Though shaped by fear of deportation, their identity remains strong despite today’s hostile immigration policies.
Cast & Crew
- A Film by : Diego Rojas
- Written by : Alicia Alba, Luis S. Rojas, Diego Rojas
- Featuring : Alicia Alba, Luis S. Rojas, Diego Rojas
- Edited by : Mika Yatsuhashi
- Sound Design by : Diego Rojas
- Sound Mix by : Andrés Solís Barrios
- Color grading by : Léa Barsalou
Genre
Topics
Biography
Diego Rojas is a Colombian-American composer and screenwriter based in Quebec City. From 2013 to 2019, he toured and performed as a guitarist in Broadway musicals such as Mamma Mia, American Idiot, and School of Rock, throughout the United States and Canada.
Since 2016, Diego has dedicated himself to composing original music for films, creating compositions for short and feature films presented at renowned festivals such as the Palm Springs International Film Festival, SXSW, and Visions du Réel. In 2021, he began his screenwriting career with the film Despierta, presented at the Festival de Cinéma de la Ville de Québec (FCVQ). In 2024, he received the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) Award for Best English-Language Screenplay at the prestigious SODEC competition Cours écrire ton court.
Filmography
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2021Despierta / 4 min.
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2026Prayer for all simple things / 14 min.
Festivals
[2026] Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, Germany
Director's Statement
This film was born from a desire to shed light on the invisible struggles that define immigrant lives, battles often waged in silence, shadowed by uncertainty and fear. It became clear that citizenship is far more than a legal status; it is a complex negotiation of identity and belonging, shaped as much by personal sacrifice as by external pressures. Through my family’s decade-long journey, the film reveals how hope endures amid hardship and how inner strength can overcome even the harshest immigration policies.
Photos
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