Pati Cruz Martínez

Born and raised in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Pati Cruz Martínez studied Film Directing at the International School of Film and TV in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba (2015-2018) and obtained a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Film Studies at Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, New York (2012). In 2019, they co-wrote and directed the short film La amante (The Mistress) which was screened at international film festivals, such as Raindance Film Festival, trinidad+tobago film festival, Philadelphia Latino Film Festival (LOLA award), and Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival (Silver Image Award). They edited the short film Mano Santa, winner of the Best Editing Award at the Festival de Cine Europeo de Puerto Rico 2020, nominated for Best Narrative Short at trinidad+tobago film festival 2021, and screened at the Third Horizon Film Festival 2021. They also shot and edited the video art piece Foodtopia, después de todo territorio by Las Nietas de Nonó, acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). They are currently working on their first documentary feature Nació Simón, which has received support from beta-local’s El Serrucho 2020, North Shorts Grant & Residency 2020, MiradasDOC Market 2021, and Firelight Media’s Documentary Lab 2021-23. A Leslie Lohman Museum Artist Fellow (2020-21) and EmergeNYC participant (2023). In 2020 they co-founded the queer boricua filmmakers collective, Colectivx Colectivx. Pati currently works as a Freelance Editor, Director, and Videographer in Santurce, PR.

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ABOUT Nació Simón

"Nació Simón" seeks to get to know Lis and their drag persona, Simón. It explores the drag show not only as entertainment, but also as an artistic manifestation of the performer. Lis is shown in their daily life: working, taking care of her kids as a young/queer/non-binary mother, surviving the colonial landscape of the island, and how their identity faces or opposes the heteronormative society (one filled with prejudices and violence in its gender roles). The documentary explores the blurry lines between who is Lis and who is Simón – their differences and meeting points – delving into the birth or construction of Simón. The process is shown via scenes formed in a verité style, and casual conversations between Lis/Simón and the filmmakers.

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