FIFF Presents: THEYDREAM w/ short film Amish Country Queer

THEYDREAM is a deeply personal autobiographical documentary that traces how art can become a lifeline in the wake of loss. THEYDREAM 2026 | USA | 86 MIN THEYDREAM is a deeply personal autobiographical documentary that traces how art can become a lifeline in the wake of loss. Drawing on two decades of mixed-media filmmaking, Caballero revisits his family’s history in Fayetteville, North Carolina—interweaving new 2D and 3D animations with live-action vérité, archival materials, and raw, deeply human conversations with his mother. Anchored in the death of his grandmother Isolina, the film follows Caballero’s mother as she spirals into grief and self-blame for not being at her mother’s side in her final moments. Rather than allowing her to retreat, Caballero hands her a camera and the tools of animation—inviting her to collaborate in bringing her mother back to life. Viewers witness her trembling first attempts to animate, the tears she sheds while performing in front of a green screen and recreating her mother’s voicemails, and the unexpected reawakening of her artistic power. The film also confronts Caballero’s own unhealed wounds: from animated sequences featuring deceased relatives to a raw, emotional reckoning with his father about accepting his bisexuality. Tender, funny, vulnerable, and unvarnished, these moments reveal the fierce loyalty and imperfections of a Puerto Rican family navigating illness, identity, and generational trauma together. Through a one-of-a-kind blend of miniature artistry, handcrafted figurines, digital rotoscoping, and full 3D motion capture, Caballero and his mother literally transform themselves into their ancestors—reanimating family stories with honesty, complexity, and profound love. Ultimately, THEYDREAM becomes a cinematic act of survival: a testament to creative collaboration, intergenerational healing, and the ability of art to resurrect memory, restore connection, and guide families through the darkest grief toward light. DIRECTOR WILLIAM D. CABALLERO WRITERS WILLIAM D. CABALLERO, BRAD JONES, ERIN PLOSS-CAMPOAMOR, ELAINE DEL VALLE PRODUCERS WILLIAM D. CABALLERO, BRAD JONES, ERIN PLOSS-CAMPOAMOR, ELAINE DEL VALLE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS CARRIE LOZANO, SANDIE VIQUEZ PEDLOW, GRACE LAY, INA FICHMAN CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS MEGAN GELSTEIN, JAMIE WOLF, NATHALIE SEAVER CO-PRODUCERS COLIBRI CREATIVE MEDIA, LATINO PUBLIC BROADCASTING, ITVS SUPERVISING PRODUCERS JUN STINSON YAMAGISHI, LUIS ORTIZ CONSULTING PRODUCERS LOUIS E. PEREGO-MORENO, JANNET NUÑEZ CREATIVE ADVISOR DR. JILLIAN BÁEZ (HUNTER COLLEGE) EDITOR WILLIAM D. CABALLERO CINEMATOGRAPHERS WILLIAM D. CABALLERO, BRAD JONES, BEN PREMEAUX, ANTONIO CISNEROS STORY CONSULTANT VIRIDIANA LIEBERMAN SOUND DESIGN & MIX RUY GARCIA COMPOSER RENÉ G. BOSCIO ANIMATORS WILLIAM D. CABALLERO, BRAD JONES, JORDIN GOFF, FRANK MARTINEZ, JULISSE TINOCO, ERICA PEREZ, ASHLEY STEPHENS, CHERYL OKONKWO MINIATURE PROPS AND SET DESIGNERS GREGORY PINSONEAULT, WILLIAM D. CABALLERO ACTORS DIANA ALVORT, VIC RICO CAST MIGDALIA “MILLY” CABALLERO, GUILLERMO "CHILLY" CABALLERO, ISOLINA APONTE, VICTOR MURIEL, WILLIAM D. CABALLERO FESTIVALS 2026: SUNDANCE (WORLD PREMIERE) AWARDS NEXT SPECIAL JURY AWARD FOR CREATIVE EXPRESSION (SUNDANCE); DOCUMENTARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL); VOX POPULI AUDIENCE AWARD (ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL); BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY (ZEITGEIST MINNESOTA FILM FESTIVAL); AUDIENCE AWARD (CHARLOTTE LATINO FILM FESTIVAL); SPECIAL JURY MENTION DOCUMENTARY FEATURE (ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL); SPECIAL JURY MENTION FOR BEST FEATURE (LOS ANGELES LATINO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL); SPECIAL JURY MENTION (MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL); AUDIENCE AWARD (IMAGEOUT ROCHESTER LGBT+ FILM FESTIVAL) Short film: Amish Country Queer A queer photographer documents nightlife, drag culture, and chosen family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, revealing a thriving LGBTQ+ community and challenging assumptions about where queer joy can exist in small-town America. Winning 'Best Documentary' awards from Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival, Red Rose Film Festival, and Appalachian Queer Film Festival, the short film serves as a proof-of-concept that's currently in the works. Director Biography - Colleen C Brady Colleen C Brady is recognized for their award-winning documentary filmmaking and evocative photography, examining themes of transformation and community identity. Their first feature documentary, Firebird: Built to Burn (2023), has been awarded Best Director from Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, Atlanta Docufest and Northeast Pennsylvania Film Festival. Outside of documentaries, Brady is a commercial editor and adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University. DIRECTOR Colleen C Brady PRODUCER Mariam Bakashvili DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Nick Richter