In Merced Elizondo's 'The Mourning Of,' a woman goes to the funerals of people she does not know.

      Merced Elizondo created his short film “The Mourning Of,” which tells the story of a woman who attends the funerals of strangers to confront his own fear of death.

      Starring the captivating Natalia Villegas, the film was inspired by Elizondo’s grandmother’s stories about “mujeres plañideras”—professional female mourners hired to grieve at funerals.

      Elizondo shares, “The notion of a stranger mingling with your loved ones on their darkest day intrigued and frightened me. Even more compelling was the idea of someone doing this not for financial gain, but because they struggled to let go of their grief.”

      The film premieres at the El Paso Film Festival this weekend, coinciding with a surge of excitement in the El Paso film scene due to the release of Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, largely filmed in the border town and debuting during the festival. Elizondo, who is based in Dallas, believes that One Battle and various other works by Texas filmmakers demonstrate that filmmaking doesn’t require residing in New York or Los Angeles.

      However, his journey in filmmaking has been influenced by both coastal cities. Coming from a family of Mexican immigrants, he initially saw filmmaking as an unlikely career. This perspective shifted a decade ago when he worked in New York City. Funding for “The Mourning Of” was partly secured through a grant from NewFilmmakers Los Angeles and Warner Bros. Discovery.

      The film had its international debut at the Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara, a prominent festival in Latin America. Elizondo reflects on this experience, stating, “It was my first opportunity to showcase my work in Mexico, which was incredibly meaningful, especially since we screened on the largest screen in the entire continent—a moment I’ll never forget.”

      The film qualified for an Oscar at the St. Louis International Film Festival, where it won Best Live Action Short. Elizondo recalls receiving the news while on a commercial shoot and nearly leaping from his seat.

      A directing fellow for Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative and recognized as Person of the Year by the National Hispanic Institute, Elizondo is now focused on his debut feature film, The Thing About Elephants. We discussed his experiences in Texas, New York, Los Angeles, and, naturally, death.

      **MovieMaker:** What led you to become a filmmaker?

      **Merced Elizondo:** My family was very much invested in cinema. From frequent theater visits to renting VHS tapes and DVDs at Blockbuster every weekend during my childhood, we were a “movie family.” I realized early on that I wanted to make films, but as a Latino from Texas with immigrant parents and no family members pursuing the arts, it felt like an unattainable dream.

      I eventually abandoned the idea of attending film school since I didn’t see anyone who resembled me in the industry. Instead, I studied advertising at the University of Texas at Austin and interned at NBCUniversal in the summer of 2015, which turned out to be an invaluable experience. Being in New York, surrounded by passionate individuals for three months was the push I needed to follow my dream, and since then, I haven’t looked back.

      I immersed myself in any production that would let me on set, read numerous books, and watched countless hours of YouTube content to make up for lost time because I felt driven to do so. I’ve produced four films, which I consider a valuable form of film school, but even after eight years as a filmmaker, I still feel like I’m learning. I hope to continue in this way.

      **MovieMaker:** What inspired you to create “The Mourning Of,” and what message did you want to convey?

      **Merced Elizondo:** “The Mourning Of” was the first film idea I conceived back in 2016, but I held onto it for years until I felt prepared to address it.

      My greatest fear is death—not the physical pain, but the existential question of what follows. The thought that people will one day attend my funeral and learn to live with memories of me is daunting. How will I be remembered? Will I be remembered at all? Conversely, how will I cope with losing loved ones, and what will this devastation look like under extreme circumstances?

      “The Mourning Of” emerged from a need to explore these questions. Through Maribel’s journey, I aimed to reshape the narratives associated with death and grief. Losing someone close leaves lingering pain like a ghost—some days the grief is more palpable than others, but it never truly disappears. My intent was to showcase that grief isn’t something you move past; it stays with you for life, and by making this film, I aimed to embrace that idea, hoping others would too.

      **MovieMaker:** Staging a funeral can be costly—how did you manage to execute multiple funeral scenes for the film?

      **Merced Elizondo:** “The Mourning Of