A service robot operating a taco stand learns, with the help of a Navajo elder, that it is mucho más more than just a dumbwaiter.
Set somewhen, somewhere in the Southwest, an autonomous roadside kiosk dubbed Dumbwaiter embarks on a bitter-sweet journey of self-discovery, and a colorful cast of intersecting identities affects our lo-fi hero as it transitions beyond its small talk script.
CREW
Sergio Caballero, Writer/Director
Sergio Caballero is a writer, director, producer, and voice-over actor. Brazilian by birth, Spanish by blood, and a New Yorker by choice, he draws from a diverse cultural background and a decade of filmmaking experience to craft stories about characters with conflicts of identity who get what they need, not what they want. His original films have played at Academy, BAFTA, and Moviemaker Magazine-recognized festivals. Sergio co-owns Illumine Fims with his partner in life and cinema, Kristina Kim.
Smokey Nelson, Cinematographer
Smokey Nelson is a DP from NYC with 90 IMBd credits. He has an MA in Film and Media Studies from Columbia School of Fine Arts.
Kristina Kim, Editor
Kristina Kim is an editor, producer, and co-owner of Illumine Films, a minority female-owned business. Her filmmaking journey began on the island of Sakhalin, editing wedding videos and promos for local artists. Today, she specializes in narrative and documentary projects, splitting time between Illumine Films and post-production studios in NYC. Her work has played at major film festivals, most recently Tribeca 2024 and Dances With Films 2024.
Jenn Garcia, Producer
Jenn is a Latina producer best known for producing the Academy Award Qualifying shorts, Pozole and Yochi. Her work has screened at Cinequest, Seattle International Film Festival, HBO's New York Latino Film Festival, LA Latino Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, and NALIP. Jenn's passion lies in producing films featuring stories surrounding marginalized communities with complex characters.
Kayte Sabicer, Model Maker
Kayte is a model maker and artist. One half of the design/fabrication studio MKULTRA Industries, she has worked in the film industry making miniatures for visual effects on movies like INCEPTION, HUGO, and DARK KNIGHT RISES. She also does work making puppets and sets for stop motion animation with Phil Tippett on projects including MAD GOD, SOLO, STARS WARS RISE OF SKYWALKER, and BOOK OF BOBBA FET. She currently hosts the series Model Behavior on Tested.com’s YouTube channel with Adam Savage.
Mel Ho, Puppeteer
Mel is a multi-disciplinary artist and robotics engineer. While working as a shop assistant for Adam Savage, they have also researched control systems for bio-inspired robots in the UCSC DANSER Lab. As a fellow collaborator in the design and fabrication studio, MKULTRA Industries, Mel hopes to combine emerging technology with classic practical effects to create a visceral experience that pushes our perception of reality.
Daddo Bogich, Composer
Daddo is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He honed his unique brand of gothic-country-rock in Nashville, Toronto, and London. His earnest lyrical style lends to film composition by looking beyond and re-imagining traditional song structure to fit modern interpretations of age old stories. He currently owns and operates Atomic Sound Studio in Brooklyn, NY.
CAST
Carmelita B. Lowe
Carm is a Navajo actress, translator and voice coach. She’s best known for her roles in 5th World (Sundance 2005), and Shimasani (Tribecca Film Festival 2009, Sundance 2010) both short films were written and directed by her son, Blackhorse Lowe (Reservation Dogs, Outer Range). Carm, her husband Larry, children and grandchildren live on their farm in Nenahnezad, NM.
Ruben Muller
Ruben is a SAG-AFTRA actor and playwright represented by the O’Agency in Albuquerque, NM. His television credits include recurring roles in Better Call Saul, Roswell, and Loud House. Ruben was chosen as one of only ten screenwriters to participate in Stowe Labs 2022 New Mexico retreats to develop his original screenplay Freedom.
Nick Urzetta
Nicholas Edmund Urzetta is an Albuquerque based actor, and producer, originally from Rochester, NY. He is active in film, television, and theater, and was nominated for the Vivian Vance award for best male actor (Boolie Worthen) in Driving Miss Daisy (Albuquerque Little Theatre). Nick is a former collegian and professional basketball player.
Dani Payne
Dani is an Albuquerque based actor, singer, writer, casting associate, and business owner. She can be seen in numerous television roles, such as, BETTER CALL SAUL, THE NIGHT SHIFT, GRAVES, and CHAMBERS, as well as the films, ROBOTS, COYOTE VS. ACME, and A SHORT HISTORY OF THE LONG ROAD. which made its debut at the Tribeca International Film Festival.
Nati Rabinowitz
Nati s a NYC based actor who's appeared on numerous TV shows, including Orange is the New Black, Girls, Blue Bloods, and Succession. A recent film, Blumhouse & IFC's, THE VIGIL, premiered at TIFF to rave reviews. Raised in an Ultra Orthodox Jewish South Brooklyn home, his first feature-length screenplay details his journey out of the community.
BTS
@RussellMaynorPhotography
Robot Noir is an animated web series set in 1950s Brooklyn, without humans. In this episode, we explore the Dumbwaiter origin story. Oy Vey!
