Exploring bold new works from filmmakers around the world, the 54th New Directors/New Films, our annual festival co-presented with The Museum of Modern Art, is officially underway through April 13. As the festival continues, get to know the filmmakers who speak to the present and anticipate the future of cinema.

Lorena Alvarado discusses the influence of Abbas Kiarostami and what it means to screen her film Lost Chapters at ND/NF.

Was there a film or director you were inspired by or continue to be inspired by?

Kiarostami has been a huge influence on me. His films made me realize that stories about seemingly small, subtle moments can resonate in deep ways. Before making my film, I read Lessons with Kiarostami and was very inspired by his perspective on filmmaking as a craft, especially his methods working with non-actors and his conviction that you don’t need a lot of resources to make interesting work. This made me feel encouraged to make my film even though I did not have a proper budget or crew.

In your own words, tell us about your film. What should audiences know?

My film is a docu-fiction hybrid that stars my sister, my father, and my grandmother playing fictionalized versions of themselves. The film centers around Ena, who returns to Caracas after years abroad. In her childhood home, she finds her grandmother losing her memory while her father spends his days searching for rare books. When Ena finds a postcard in her father’s bookstore, she learns about a forgotten Venezuelan writer and becomes obsessed with finding a book allegedly written under one of his pseudonyms. I consider the film a love letter to Caracas, but it is also a fantasy—my imaginary version of the city I grew up in.

What does it mean to you to show your film at New Directors/New Films?

I lived in New York for five years, and I always looked forward to ND/NF. I discovered films that became personal references for me, including MS Slavic 7, El Planeta, and Aleph. Being invited to ND/NF is something I always fantasized about, so it feels surreal to have this dream come true. I’m also thrilled to be part of the same selection as two dear friends: Sarah Friedland (Familiar Touch), who was my cinema buddy during my years in New York, and Alexandra Simpson (No Sleep Till), who is a fellow member of Omnes Films collective.

What was the biggest lesson you learned during the making of your film?

My film started with many disparate, seemingly incompatible ideas that slowly coalesced into the final story. I did not have a formal script, and a lot of the dialogue was improvised. There were many puzzle pieces that at one point didn’t make sense, yet gradually they merged together and found their full form. I learned to trust this process, allowing myself not to be fully in control or conscious of how it was changing. It became a journey of exploration and experimentation. This film was self-funded and mostly shot with a crew of two people. This small scope really granted me the freedom to experiment and make my own decisions, but also pushed me to become more resourceful.

What’s a film you saw recently that you enjoyed?

I recently watched Las cosas indefinidas by María Aparicio and was really touched. It’s about a film editor and professor in her 40s who grieves the death of a close friend and consequently seems to lose her interest in cinema. She is editing a film about deafness, and the story alternates between her editing process and her personal mourning. The film has such a rare softness. It captures the small deaths that we experience in daily life, when we lose our sense of meaning. Ultimately she finds joy again by noticing small moments of beauty.

Lost Chapters

Lorena Alvarado’s Lost Chapters screens on April 3 & April 5. New Directors/New Films takes place April 2-April 13. Explore the lineup and get tickets.