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Logline

At a Florida highway rest stop, a sheltered pre-teen is accidentally abandoned while accompanying her truck driver father on a delivery.

Synopsis

A live action version of Finding Nemo!

Night at the Oasis is a coming-of-age story centered on 11-year-old Lilly Ochoa, a sharp, stubborn, and secretly sensitive Colombian-American girl growing up in a working-class Florida household. Her family, comprised of her free-spirited mother Mia, her distant truck-driving father Sebastian, and her goofy older brother Leo, lives paycheck to paycheck.

The story is told through Lilly’s eyes when she gets accidentally left behind at a gas station while traveling with her truck-driver father. It’s an intimate, emotionally grounded portrait of first-generation families, love, sacrifice, and growing up.

Meet the Filmmakers

Kim Caicedo — WRITER/DIRECTOR
Colombian-American director Kim Caicedo brings over a decade of experience in New York advertising and production to her films. She holds a master’s degree in filmdirecting from the American Film Institute, where her thesis film Francis won the DGA Student Jury Prize in the Latino category.

Her work has been recognized by Creativity International, the Webbys, and Fast Company’s Design Awards. Her clients include – Adidas, META, BlackRock, and T–Mobile. Her debut feature, The Pines was nominated for Best Feature by NewFilmmakers LA .Her second feature Sheepwell, is currently in post-production and slated for release in 2026. Kim’s films have screened at festivals around the world. Dedicated to preserving the art of celluloid, Kim often works with 16mm and 35mm formats, embracing the distinctive texture and specificity that film brings to her visual. storytelling.

Heliya Alam — PRODUCER
Heliya Alam is a producer who believes the best stories are the ones that shake you awake, whether through emotion, facts, or a single image you can’t forget. With a background in cinematography and a degree from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, she began her career at Warner Bros. marketing department producing promos and teasers.

She left the studio to chase her true passion, storytelling, and to this day she has produced seven feature films. Some of her films include but are not limited to, The Birthday Cake (Ewan Mcgregor, Val Kilmer, Penn Badgley), On Our Way(Michael Neeson, Jordana Brewster, James Badge Dale), A Place In The Field (Mishel Prada, Marlene Forte, Don DiPetta).

Her projects have partnered with distributors such as Lionsgate, Screen Media, and Gravitas Ventures. While producing independent films, she continued to work with networks and studios on TV and film campaigns and nurtured those relationships with clients such as Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV.

Heliya’s work as a producer has screened at festivals including Cannes International Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, and many more.

Camila Pons Del Toro — PRODUCTIONS DESIGNER
Architect. Intuitive and creative, with a great sense of organization, logistics and problem solving. Passion for visual arts and design. Constantly exploring how it influences and moves us as humans and incredibly curious about the story objects and spaces hide within.

Camila Pons Del Toro is a Los Angeles-based production designer and set decorator originally from Mexico. She is known for her visually captivating storytelling and innovative design approach. She holds a Master’s degree in Production Design from the American Film Institute and has crafted immersive worlds for film using handmade elements, bespoke props, and maximalist aesthetics. Although her passion lies in fantasy and period films, her love for world-building and attention to detail shines through in all her work, from indie feature films to music videos and commercials. Her work has been nominated and awarded at numerous film festivals, including AFI Fest, the DGA Awards, Palm Springs International Film Festival, GLAFF, and HollyShorts. A passionate collector of coffee table books, vintage holiday decor, and quirky memorabilia, Camila draws inspiration from diverse cultural influences and is dedicated to creating powerful narratives through thoughtful design.

Her design philosophy is rooted in creating spaces that resonate emotionally, making people feel they belong within the worlds she builds. Known for her creativity, intuition, and knack for organization, she strives to unearth the hidden stories within objects and spaces. For Camila, design is about more than beauty; it’s about crafting environments that tell stories, inviting people to connect deeply with the spaces around them.

Jessica Arzate — CINEMATOGRAPHER
Jessica Arzate is a Mexican cinematographer based in Los Angeles, working across narrative and commercial formats with an emphasis on intimate, character-driven storytelling. A graduate of the American Film Institute, her visual sensibility is shaped by cross-cultural experiences across Mexico and the U.S. Rooted in collaboration and guided by intuition, Jessica approaches image-making as both a technical craft and a reflective practice, often drawing from her background in philosophy to ground each project in authenticity. When she’s not on set, she’s hiking the trails of Los Angeles or developing her next film project.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.