Twelve-year-old Jeffrey’s mother wakes him not for school but to clean windshields in traffic to pay the rent, as he’s done for 6 years. Most of her children live with her, because their father beat her and doesn’t support them. One older brother sings reggaetón; as “Jeffrey the Nightmare,” the hopeful and enterprising little boy follows suit, taking what pleasure he can from small things and anxious to break free of their crushing poverty.
(78mins) | Dominican Republic, France
Spanish with English subtitles
Yanillys Perez
Yanillys Perez is a Dominican-Venezuelan director, writer, producer and actress. Her first feature film, Jeffrey, had its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, and won the Discovery Filmmaker Dropbox Award. Her short films have received international and national awards. Her Techos Rotos was the first Dominican short film selected at the Clermont Ferrand International Film Festival. Pérez’s first narrative feature film, Candy Town, was selected for l’Atelier Cannes Cinefondation 2017.