After living in Idaho, filmmaker uses his immigrant experience to share stories at border

AMERICAN FALLS (Idaho Capital Sun) — George Nicholas moved to Idaho from Bulgaria with his family when he was 12-years-old. As a filmmaker, he uses his immigrant experience to share the stories of those entering into the U.S. at the southern border. 

His most recent film, “Mark of Distinction,” is based on true events that took place in 2013 when a 16-year-old teen from Mexico attempted to enter the U.S. with two bottles of unidentified liquid. 

When questioned about the substance by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents, the teen claimed it was apple juice. Suspecting he carried drugs, the agents asked him to prove it was apple juice by drinking it. 

The 38-minute short film fictionalizes the death of Cruz Velazquez Acevedo, who died shortly after following the Border Patrol agents’ commands. 

“You read about these stories, and it happens so often that you get desensitized to it,” Nicholas said in a phone interview. “But when you see the footage and you see a real human going through this, it really hits you that this happened.”

Nicholas said he thought about fictionalizing the story after reading a Washington Post article about the U.S. Customs and Border Protections agency paying the teen’s family $1 million without admitting any guilt. 

“When I saw the incident of what happened to the kid, I thought, ‘OK, how does this happen, and how does someone go down that path? How is a kid led down the path that leads to his death?’”

Exploring the truth through fiction

Nicholas said he wanted his movie to take the viewpoint of migrants at the border who are subject to mistreatment by Border Patrol agents. The main character in his movie, Manuel, is based on the real teenager who died after following orders from Border Patrol agents.

“To the agents from the video that I saw, it seemed like it was a game,” he said. “They were  playing a game that took a kid’s life.”

Nicholas said that he considered reaching out to the victim’s family when writing the script, but he knew going into the filming process that he would not be able to get the full story without hearing from the people that recruited the 16-year-old to carry the liquid.

“The only way to explore the truth of a moment is to fictionalize it,” he said. “This instance just made me think of all the experiences I’ve had and the little instances where I could have gone down the path.”

Before filming, Nicholas said he wanted a Mexican audience to find his film authentic and respectful to their culture without demeaning or patronizing their experience. 

Nicholas wrote the script in English, and he had a Mexican colleague and the cast help translate the script into Spanish. All of the actors and most of the crew are from Tijuana and other parts of Mexico, Nicholas said.

‘A middle ground’: Filmmaker talks immigrant experience in Idaho

Before becoming a filmmaker in Los Angeles, Nicholas attended American Falls High School and completed his undergraduate studies in Bulgaria. 

Nicholas was originally interested in pursuing a career in music, but his interest in sound production eventually introduced him to the film industry. 

“I used to rap in Bulgarian, but I knew that I would have no chance as a rapper in English,” he said. “It’s my second language and I’m not as fluent, so it just seemed like film — where other people speak on your behalf — was a better avenue for me to express my thoughts.”

Even though he barely spoke English when he moved to southeast Idaho, one particular group of students welcomed him into their friend group at school.

“When we moved to American Falls, I was a foreigner that barely spoke English  — but my best friends were Mexican-Americans,” he said. “They accepted and welcomed me. I guess that’s also the way I felt when I visited Tijuana for the first time.”

The movie takes place and was filmed in Tijuana, Mexico. Nicholas based the film’s protagonist, Manuel, on his own childhood — with many of the incidents portrayed in the movie having occurred during his youth. (Courtesy of Mark of Distinction, LLC)

Nicholas does not speak Spanish, but he said he connected with the local Latino community because he related to their experience as someone who identified with a foreign community while living in Idaho. 

Nicholas said felt drawn to filming his movie in Tijuana because it reminded him of his home country.

“Having an accent and sort of being an American but also a foreigner, I felt I was in this middle ground,” he said. “Every time I enter the country, I feel this little bit of apprehension. When I enter Tijuana, it’s a little more chaotic, but I understand it.”

Nicholas said he based the protagonist on his own childhood — with many of the incidents portrayed in the movie having occurred during his youth. 

“Manuel is 100% me,” Nicholas said. “He looks at America with hope and also with suspicion. He wants to become a success, but he also knows that he’s not particularly welcome there.”

There are two lessons Nicholas hopes viewers will take away from his movie. First, Nicholas said he hopes viewers will consider the experiences of people outside of the U.S. who look to the country as an example for the rest of the world. Second, he said he hopes people will show compassion to youth who might feel influenced to go down the wrong path. 

For more information about the film or updates about a premiere, which has not yet been scheduled, visit the “Mark of Distinction” Twitter page.