Every weekend at an illegal drag show in a suburb of Havana, Sebastián, a 17-year-old Cuban teenager, transforms into ‘Mila Caos’. He suffers from his mother’s indifference and dreams that one day she will see him on stage.

Not too many short films identify both Cuba and Germany as their country of origin, but Simon Jaikiriuma Paetau’s 18-minute “Mila Caos” does just that. Centered around an illegal underground cabaret in Havana, the short begins with a police paddywagon filled with trash-talking drag queens and ends with a show-stopping performance from our hero. The relationship between the boy and his disapproving mother, an artist herself, is the real heart and soul of this captivating story.
Indiewire / 2011 New Directors/New Films Shorts | Character Counts Most of All / 22.3.2011

Selection of Festivals, Exhibitions & Awards

Cannes Film Festival 2011, Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Official Selection
Oberhausen International Short Film Festival 2011, Nominated for the Prize in the NRW Competition
MoMA – New Directors, New Films 2011, Official Selection
Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2011, Winner Honorable Mention, Short Film
Norwegian Short Film Festival 2011, Winner Honorable Mention, International Short Film Category
RiverRun International Film Festival 2012, Winner Best Short Film
Rotterdam International Film Festival 2012, Nominated for the Tiger Award, Short Film
Tampere Film Festival 2012, Nominated for Best Fiction, International Short Film
Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival 2012, Nominated for the Frameline Award, Best Short Film
MOSTRA – São Paulo International Film Festival 2012, Nominated for Best Latin American Showcase
Queer Lisboa 2012, Official Selection
Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival 2017, Nominated for the Great Prize Cidade Vila do Conde, International Competition
Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival 2017, Nominated for the Festival Prize, International Experimental Short Film Competition
TRANSlations 2023, Artist Spotlight Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau
Eureka Festival Universitario de Cine 2023, Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau’s Retrospective

Credits

Directed and produced by: SIMON(E) JAIKIRIUMA PAETAU | Script: SIMON(E) JAIKIRIUMA PAETAU & FABIÁN SUÁREZ | Production management: VIANA GONZÁLEZ DELGADO & CLAUDIA OLIVERA PEÑA | Assistant Director: ALEJANDRO GUTIÉRREZ | Cinematography: CHARLOTTE MICHEL | Editing: ILKA M. VALDÉS | Sound Design & Mix: RAYNIER HINOJOSA | Costume Design & Make-Up: ALICIA ESTRELLA | Color Grading: FLORIAN WOLF | Still photo: GILLIAM DE LA TORRE | Graphic Design: SERGIO FERRROJ | Music: JUAN FORMELL, interpreted by ELENA BURKE | Cast: YANIEL CASTILLO, REBECA ARAGÓN, PAULA ALI, JAIME REYES NOMI, FELIPE REYES, BETSY PADRÓN | Special thanks to: SCHERIN RAJAKUMARAN | A Coproduction Cuba-Germany: KUNSTHOCHSCHULE FÜR MEDIEN KÖLN & INTERNATIONAL FILM AND TELEVISION SCHOOL (EICTV).

Reviews

With New Directors/New Films, the Museum of Modern Art in New York presents emerging directors from around the world each year. For its 40th edition (March 23 to April 3, 2011), the selection committee has invited Simon Paetau’s new short film Mila Caos. The film will premiere on Sunday, March 27, at 7 p.m. as a prelude to El Velador (directed by Natalia Almada). The festival will showcase 28 feature films and 7 short films.
“Mila Caos” at MoMA / Academy of Media Arts Cologne / March 2011