LOS ANGELES, California — Lisa Cole was born in California but grew up in Hot Springs and attended the University of Arkansas Little Rock.
Last week, the Motion Picture Academy named her short film "Bienvenidos a Los Angeles" to their shortlist for the 96th Academy Awards.
Cole says the film is inspired by a true story that happened to her friend and former babysitter, Elizabeth.
"The story is inspired by the night that my former babysitter was attempting to reunite with her young son coming back to California from Mexico," Cole said.
She said Elizabeth had been separated from her child for several years due to immigration laws in the United States.
One night, Cole offered to pick up her son from LAX where Elizabeth had arranged for him to come.
"The true story is that I went to LAX to pick him up that night, and he didn't get off the plane," Cole said.
Despite the true events of the evening that inspired the film, Cole chose to not tell the story from her point of view.
“I worked with a South Asian immigration attorney during COVID to craft the script based on some other characters of former clients of hers," Cole said. "We came up with some fictional characters in the script combined with Elizabeth’s true story of what happened at LAX that night, and it's really about three women helping one another in the City of Angels,” said Cole.
Cole said she feels honored to have been recognized by the academy.
“Oh my god, it's so incredible. I've been working so hard in the industry for a really long time,” Cole said.
Nominations for the Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, January 23. The 96th Oscars Awards are set for Sunday, March 10.
You can see "Bienvenidos a Los Angeles" at the Arkansas Shorts Film Festival which will be held Jan. 5-7 in Hot Springs.
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