HÉCTOR
Héctor is a 15-minute drama about an undocumented Colombian migrant in London surviving one exhausting workday before reuniting with his daughter after 8 years apart. Shot in Seven Sisters with the real Latin American community. Neorealism meets docufiction. This story is personal — my father lived it, and when I arrived in London in 2024, so did I.
Project
HÉCTOR
A film by Emerson S. Zapata — Colombian filmmaker.
Upcoming graduate from the MA Film at Queen Mary University of London.
Director's Statement
Undocumented migrants exist in constant contradiction: vital to a country's economy yet made invisible by the systems that exploit them, holding onto an identity while embracing new ones just to survive, enduring xenophobic violence while their culture is celebrated. Through Héctor, I want to bring those contradictions to life: and with them, the several meanings the word "sapo" carries in Colombian culture: an animal, a snitch, a big mouth. Héctor is all of these at once.
This film is essentially biographical. Not just a recall of my family's history, but a statement about our presence in this city: one I have been building through my engagement with the Latin American community in Seven Sisters and their struggle against gentrification.
As a filmmaker from Medellín, pursuing neorealism is a formal acknowledgement of that heritage and a dialogue with Colombian cinema. Héctor observes working bodies with patience and dignity: borrowing the handheld urgency of "Rosetta" (1999) directed by the Dardine Brothers for labour and the liminality of "I Am No Longer Here" (2019) directed by Fernando Frías de la Parra for its dreamlike atmosphere.
Why Now: Latin Visibility
The Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK (CLAUK) is pushing for a dedicated tick-box for the Latin American community in the 2031 national census — a real step towards visibility for a community that has never officially been counted. Héctor responds to that same urgency. Symbolic representation and statistical representation are not separate things. A film made from inside the community, in its own voice, is also a document of presence — proof that beyond working in the shadows of this city, we are here, and we are telling our own stories.
This film can only be made now, and only by me. I am an MA filmmaker with access to equipment and a crew, embedded in the Seven Sisters community, with a family story that runs directly through everything on screen. That combination is rare and it is temporary. The window is open. This is the moment.
About the director
Visual References
Thank you!
If you've made it this far it means this story matters to you!
By supporting Héctor you are doing more than funding a short film. You are helping bring to screen a portrait that rarely gets made — from the inside, with the people it is about, in the place where it happens. Every contribution, whatever the amount, puts a face and a story to a community that this city could not function without. Thank you for making that visible.
If you aren't able to donate, please share this fundraiser with your friends and family. We promise to keep all backers in the loop regarding our progress and keep you updated with exactly where your donations are going.
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If you do have any queries, you can email us at guadana.cine@gmail.com
Thank you so much,
Pledge without reward:
Your name mentioned in a dedicated social media post and a heartfelt thank you. Every pound counts.
Tu nombre mencionado en un post en redes sociales y un agradecimiento de corazón. Cada libra cuenta.
Your name in the film credits — you'll be part of Héctor forever.
Tu nombre en los créditos de la película — serás parte de Héctor para siempre.
Your name in the credits + an invitation for two to the premiere screening in London.
Tu nombre en los créditos + una invitación para dos personas al estreno en Londres.
**Exclusivo LATAM: Tu nombre en los créditos + Premiere Virtual con presencia del director.
Everything above + a signed printed still from the film.
Todo lo anterior + una fotografía impresa y firmada de la película.
**Exclusivo para LATAM. Un paquete descargable en alta resolución que incluye:
- El poster oficial en PDF listo para imprimir.
- Fondos de pantalla exclusivos para móvil y PC.
Everything above + Associate Producer credit on screen + a personal video thank you from Emerson.
Todo lo anterior + crédito en pantalla como Productor Asociado + un agradecimiento personalizado en video de parte de Emerson.
Everything above + a signed poster + a Héctor t-shirt and a post-premiere dinner at Ñañitos — the bar from the film — with Emerson.
Todo lo anterior + un póster firmado, una camiseta de Héctor y una cena post-estreno en Ñañitos — el bar de la película — con Emerson.
**Exclusivo para LATAM. Un paquete descargable en alta resolución que incluye:
- El poster oficial en PDF listo para imprimir.
- Fondos de pantalla exclusivos para móvil y PC.
- El guion digital firmado por el equipo.
- Acceso a la banda sonora en formato digital.
Emerson's skin in the game.
Apoyo de Emerson a su propio proyecto.