From screenwriting and cinematography summer camps at UT in high school to becoming a decorated student filmmaker, Lorena Chiles’ long standing relationship with the UT film community holds a special place in her heart.

 Currently on a film festival run for her most recent short film, Chiles wrote and directed “All My Friends Are Dead,” a mockumentary centered around a retired grave robber’s hilariously complicated relationship with the zombies living on his property. Still on the festival run, the film garnered awards such as “Best Mockumentary” and “Best Texas Film Finalist” at the Austin Comedy Film Festival. The radio-television-film senior said she felt driven to get her work in front of audiences.

“You have to put yourself out there to succeed in life,” Chiles said. “As filmmakers, it’s important to have that backing that says, ‘I made something and people saw it and people liked it.’” 

Chiles originally developed her short to be the first episode of “The Hour Glass,” a student-run television program on TSTV started by Ryan Cerna. Cerna said the program helped Chiles create a schedule to produce the film within a very short time frame — just one month. Cerna said Chiles worked diligently to make the production as smooth as possible. 

“She’s really good at communication,” said Cerna, a journalism and radio-television-film senior. “Communicating what’s needed without adding any stressors to the project is something that’s so valuable in a filmmaker.” 

Along with her communication skills as a director, Chiles’ talents in screenwriting first blossomed in high school at UT’s Film and Media summer camps. Dalton Clay, the director of photography on “All My Friends Are Dead,” said Chiles’ writing style remains consistent and singular since they first met in early radio-television-film classes. 

“I took ‘Intro to Screenwriting’ with her and (later) I did UTLA this (past) summer and took a writing course (there) with her,” Clay said. “I was like ‘Yeah, nothing’s changed’ because she has a very specific voice.” 

Chiles took this film as an opportunity to showcase that very voice. She said despite its comical tone, “All My Friends Are Dead” stayed true to the documentary format through its interpretation of storytelling, setting the genre apart from other formats. 

“One thing about documentary versus narrative film production is you can sit back and let these characters, these people, talk for themselves,” Chiles said. “Your goal (as a director) is to let them tell their stories.” 

Gabriella Griego, a radio-television-film and Spanish sophomore, worked as the production designer on the short. Despite the expected chaos of a fast-paced environment where complications became inevitable, Chiles stayed a collected and efficient leader.

“Things were going wrong, things were going right,” Griego said. “She was very composed and made sure everyone’s needs were met.” 

Chiles said the help of fellow radio-television-film students like Cerna, Griego and Clay, made the film possible through their complete support and collaboration. Looking back at her time on set, and now the recognition the film continues to receive, Chiles said the experience proved to be deeply formative. 

“It’d been an ambitious concept,” Chiles said. “If I had to remake the short film, I would do it differently, but that’s a really exciting revelation because I learned so much and was able to grow as a filmmaker through this.”