Before They Knock
Short Film
Non Union
On a quiet Sunday morning in a cramped Los Angeles apartment, Doña Lety prepares breakfast for her daughters and granddaughter. This is a moment of warmth in a life built on sacrifice. But beyond their walls, fear is growing. News of immigration raids spreads rapidly through the city, turning everyday routines into potential dangers. As the threat intensifies, Doña Lety continues her daily cleaning work, narrowly avoiding encounters with immigration agents. After a terrifying nightmare of a raid inside their home, her daughters decide they can no longer risk losing her. Secretly, they take over her house-cleaning jobs, stepping into the invisible labor that has sustained their family for years. Balancing exhaustion, fear, and responsibility, the sisters begin to understand the weight their mother has carried alone. But when Doña Lety is suddenly detained just steps from home while picking up her granddaughter, everything they feared becomes real. In a moment of unexpected intervention, a mysterious ally disrupts the arrest, giving Doña Lety a chance to escape. That night, the family gathers once again at the dinner table, together, but forever changed, holding tightly to a fragile sense of safety in a world that can take everything in an instant.
Roles For This Project
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
Doña Lety: 50s, Female, Hispanic, She’s the example to her community, very kind-hearted, raised her three daughters alone, protagonist role (Spanish required), callbacks for family chemistry read required.
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
A retail worker and single mother raising her 10-year-old daughter, Melody. Marisol lives in a constant balancing act of work, motherhood, and family obligations. Practical and quick-thinking, she is the first to take action when danger feels close. Her fear manifests in anxiety and urgency, culmina... [See More]
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
The youngest sister, on the verge of graduating high school and transitioning to college. Lupita is observant, introspective, and quietly ambitious. She carries the weight of being the family’s hope for a different future, yet remains deeply tied to their present struggles. As she joins her sisters ... [See More]
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
A mysterious figure posing as a police officer. Calm, assertive, and morally driven, he operates in the gray space between legality and justice. His intervention saves Doña Lety, but his true identity reveals a deeper truth: communities often rely on each other when systems fail them.
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
When Doña Lety is suddenly detained just steps from home while picking up her granddaughter, everything her family feared becomes real—one out of three ICE agents tries to take Doña Lety into custody.
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
When Doña Lety is suddenly detained just steps from home while picking up her granddaughter, everything her family feared becomes real—one out of three ICE agents tries to take Doña Lety into custody.
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
Curious, innocent, and perceptive, Melody absorbs more than the adults realize. Through her, the reality of immigration fear becomes generational, something children witness even when not fully understood. She is both the family’s joy and their greatest motivation to keep going.
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
When Doña Lety is suddenly detained just steps from home while picking up her granddaughter, everything her family feared becomes real—one out of three ICE agents tries to take Doña Lety into custody.
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
The eldest daughter is pregnant with her first baby. Sofia is protective, grounded, and emotionally mature, shaped by years of sacrifice and responsibility. Having dropped out of high school, she has learned to navigate life through instinct rather than opportunity. She becomes the leader among her ... [See More]
More Roles For This Project
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
A retail worker and single mother raising her 10-year-old daughter, Melody. Marisol lives in a constant balancing act of work, motherhood, and family obligations. Practical and quick-thinking, she is the first to take action when danger feels close. Her fear manifests in anxiety and urgency, culmina... [See More]
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
The youngest sister, on the verge of graduating high school and transitioning to college. Lupita is observant, introspective, and quietly ambitious. She carries the weight of being the family’s hope for a different future, yet remains deeply tied to their present struggles. As she joins her sisters ... [See More]
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
A mysterious figure posing as a police officer. Calm, assertive, and morally driven, he operates in the gray space between legality and justice. His intervention saves Doña Lety, but his true identity reveals a deeper truth: communities often rely on each other when systems fail them.
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
When Doña Lety is suddenly detained just steps from home while picking up her granddaughter, everything her family feared becomes real—one out of three ICE agents tries to take Doña Lety into custody.
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
When Doña Lety is suddenly detained just steps from home while picking up her granddaughter, everything her family feared becomes real—one out of three ICE agents tries to take Doña Lety into custody.
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
Curious, innocent, and perceptive, Melody absorbs more than the adults realize. Through her, the reality of immigration fear becomes generational, something children witness even when not fully understood. She is both the family’s joy and their greatest motivation to keep going.
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
When Doña Lety is suddenly detained just steps from home while picking up her granddaughter, everything her family feared becomes real—one out of three ICE agents tries to take Doña Lety into custody.
-
Submissions Due:
08/01/2026
The eldest daughter is pregnant with her first baby. Sofia is protective, grounded, and emotionally mature, shaped by years of sacrifice and responsibility. Having dropped out of high school, she has learned to navigate life through instinct rather than opportunity. She becomes the leader among her ... [See More]
