Love in the time of ICE raids: Cheyenne Jackson & Luca Castellani bring urgency to this romantic short
Inspired by model-turned-actor Luca Castellani's own experiences, the short film 'América' is strikingly timely .
Mark
Right now in this country, the fear-mongering administration is trying to use borders to tear us apart, but our humanity, our capacity for love is boundless and can’t be contained.
That truth is at the heart of América, a strikingly timely and eye-opening new romantic drama starring Cheyenne Jackson and model-actor Luca Castellani.
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From Brazilian filmmaker Aly Muritiba—who helmed the fantastic queer feature Private Desert—the 22-minute short was inspired by conversations with Castellani, whose own pursuit of the American dream has been shaken by the government’s recent crackdown on immigration and the terrifying uptick of ICE raids over the past year.
It begins, like so many other love stories, with a meet-cute between Brazilian immigrant Tom (Castellani), who’s currently waiting tables to make ends meet, and Josh (Jackson) a journalist on the hunt for his next big story (with an apparent fondness for cowboy hats, which really contributes to the short’s Americana imagery).
Before long, the pair are part of one another’s lives, going on dates, spending intimate evenings together, and getting to know one another’s friends. But one day at work, an officer walks into Tom’s restaurant, and suddenly the harsh realities of merely trying to exist is the U.S. right now threaten to send it all crashing down, just like that.
“I was trying to create a story about tolerance, about love, and how important it is to look at each other,” Muritiba recently shared with The Hollywood Reporter, hoping Tom’s experience could give voice to immigrants everywhere. “I wrote scenes that would show the audience, this guy is just like you, he has fears and dreams and feelings.”
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The story is a deeply personal one for star and producer Castellani, who similarly moved to America from Brazil in search of life, liberty, and happiness, but found that that dream isn’t so easily accessible to all. It takes grit, determination, and hard work—and even then, the odds are stacked against immigrants.
“I started modeling [at 17] and have been saving my whole life to become an actor,” he told THR. “That’s what I used to make this film, and it felt like I got a seat at the table and created an opportunity for myself. This character gave me a gift, to allow me to look back at how far I’ve come and give myself credit.”
After his modeling career took off, Castellani also become known as an influencer and eventually even hosted his own late-night talk show on the local LA Fox affiliate network called—naturally—The Castellani Show.
But América aims to introduce audiences to Castellani as an actor and, with help from his writer-director Aly Muritiba, a storyteller with something important and empowering to share in these divided times.
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As it turns out, they actually started filming the short back in the spring, before sudden, city-wide ICE raids became a sad part of daily life across the country. At one point, the director and star even debated filming at a counter-protest in LA, but decided it would be too risky.
After select screenings in Los Angeles earlier this fall, América is being buzzed about for major festival recognition and will even be eligible for the Best Short Film (Live Action) category at the Academy Awards. With that, Muritiba has shared a new teaser providing a first-look at this “deeply human and beautifully shot story about love, belonging, and the search for identity across borders.”
And while we won’t spoil the ending of the short, we can share that at least one chapter of Castellani’s own story has had a happy ending.
Back in June, the star shared that he finally became an official American citizen. And though he took time to celebrate in an ecstatic Instagram post, he made it a point to note that the work is far from over:
“Now that I’ve taken this oath, I plan to use every right that come with it and participate in the democracy,” he wrote in the post’s caption. “I will vote. I will speak up. And I will fight for the rights of immigrants, because our voices and our stories matter.”
Castellani continued: “This is not just a personal victory. It’s a commitment to stand with those still in the fight for a better world, and to never forget where I came from.”
In times like these, we’re grateful to have artists like Luca Castellani, Cheyenne Jackson, and Aly Muritiba speaking up and using their art to share the message that fighting for true freedom means sticking up for immigrants who have the right to be here and love who they want to love, just like the rest of us.
Stay tuned for more updates on when & how you can see América for yourself. And in the meantime, here are a few more of our favorite shots from Castellani’s Instagram page, just because:
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