2017. 99 mins. USA.
Directed by Cheryl Nichols
Written by Arron Shiver and Cheryl Nichols
Cinematographer Kelly Moore.
Official Selection of Slamdance Film Festival, Dallas International Film Festival, Houston Cinema Arts Festival, Ashland Independent Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, and Santa Fe Independent Film Festival.
Winner of the JURY PRIZE for BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE at 2017 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL.
Winner of the BEST NEW MEXICAN FILM award at the 2017 SANTA FE INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL.
JURY AWARD HONORABLE MENTION for Best Cinematography at 2017 ASHLAND INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL.
4 out of 4 Chilies from the Santa Fe New Mexican Pasatiempo.
“Cheryl Nichols’ directorial debut brims with a well spring of deep emotions. At first, these currents may not be so easily seen, for on the surface the film carries itself with a stoicism that is about as hard-worn as the highways that cut across the Southwestern landscape its story takes place in. In this way Cortez is a film of intersections, of paths laid bare, stretching out towards a horizon sculpted by the powdery eventide of mystery itself. It is a work filled with dreamers long after their dreams have faded, where the reality they must face down, while daunting, just may be far more vibrant and fulfilling than anything they could have ever imagined. Nichols, with her steadfast cast and crew, has sculpted an earthy family drama that doesn’t abandon hope, but rather suggests there may be something even more enriching to discover beyond it: a broken and reckless self that is, nonetheless, whole.”
-Ben Umstead, PROGRAMMER SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2017
"Cheryl Nichols has an excellent sense of when to let the camera drift or dance, and when to minimize its presence. The southwestern landscape is effortlessly gorgeous, but it shines quietly in Cortez as a character in itself, its endless labyrinthine hills as inviting as they are mysterious and intimidating.
"It's not easy to find cinema that transports the viewer into a place filled with people who genuinely seem to have existed before the film begins and long after it rolls credits. Perhaps Nichols and Shiver being real-life partners who actually have ties to the region contributed heavily to this sensation—but Cortez is not a documentary, nor a home movie. It's a fully-fledged film, and a special one worth seeking out."
-Teresa Nieman, SCREEN ANARCHY
"...The way narrative, and elements of scene are interwoven in this film is is extraordinary, and make for a satisfying sense of storytelling with few loose ends... An abundance of immersive scenes composed to draw the viewer into a specific situation or perspective of the frame make Cortez a visual treat.
"It’s less so a film about achieving stardom at any price, and more a film about what it means to become whole."
-Kate Morgan, FESTWORKS