El Paso Filmmaker Selected For Netflix Director Incubator Screens Film For Free At El Paso Film Festival

At the beginning of 2026 it was announced that El Paso's very own Valeria Contreras was the 5th cohort of Netflix's Director Incubator program. Working with the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, Netflix supported the creation of Contreras' short film "Oranges" which was made locally in The Sun City.

Courtesy of Valeria Contreras

Now that same short film is showing for free at the nationally recognized El Paso Film Festival, September 25th.

READ MORE: EP FILMMAKER CHOSEN FOR NETFLIX DIRECTOR INCUBATOR

One of the main focuses in "Oranges" is the El Paso Streetcar, which used to go from El Paso all the way into Ciudad Juarez. Centered around two sisters, Griselda and Lucia. the film tells the story of their connection as one sister prepares to move away to Mexico City.

"Set in Sunset Heights in 1972, the short film follows two sisters, Griselda and Lucia, as they spend their final moments together before one of them leaves home for Mexico City. Carrying suitcases through the city, Lucia boards the El Paso streetcar, part of a transit system that, at the time, still connected El Paso and Ciudad Juárez across the U.S.–Mexico border.

���At its heart, Oranges is a story about love,” Contreras said. “We wanted to tell a love story set along the U.S.–Mexico border that reflects the relationships and everyday experiences that shape life here. The border is often portrayed through stories of conflict and separation. Our film is interested in the love and connection that endures beyond space and time.”

That history of connection became part of the inspiration for Oranges. Just as the streetcar once linked two cities across a border, the film centers the bond between two sisters whose lives are beginning to take them in different directions."

Courtesy of Valeria Contreras

"Oranges" will be screened alongside many other short films as part of the El Paso Shorts Program which is entirely free and open to the public! September 25th, celebrate local filmmakers at The El Paso Film Festival!

Courtesy of Valeria Contreras

Get your tickets to the El Paso Film Festival and support one the regions most celebrated independent film festivals! Recognized nationally multiple years in a row, the EPFF is another reminder of the incredible work that El Pasoans do to put The Sun City on the map. Celebrate the locals who work their butts off to put the festival together and celebrate our hard working, talented filmmakers like Valeria Contreras -- who will no doubt go on to be celebrated names in the history of El Paso.

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