Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Miranda.
Hi Erika, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The first time I was invited to share my story with VoyageATL, things looked a lot different. I pulled up the last article and got a bit emotional as I read through. Where I came from remains true, but where I am headed and what I have accomplished since then has changed quite a bit. I am really grateful for the chance to reintroduce myself.
My name is Erika Ines Miranda, and I’m still that little girl with a dream who was born in Cleveland, raised in Atlanta and deeply connected to her roots and family in Mexico. With the support of my family, I took my love for acting from middle school to The Theater School at DePaul University for a BFA in Acting. I continued my studies at the London Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City, among others.
After graduating, I worked in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta back to Los Angeles and when the pandemic hit, found my footing once again at home in Atlanta. What I didn’t know in my last interview, was that I would be asked to produce for SheATL, an offshoot of SheNYC, a theater festival made to create opportunities by producing full-length plays and musicals written marginalized playwrights. What I didn’t know in my last interview is that through that work, I would be so inspired by my collaborators to break the pattern by no longer waiting for permission and instead fight like crazy to tell my own stories. I mentioned in my last interview that I longed to trust the little girl who started out with a dream, and in 2020 that’s exactly what I did. With no plan, I bought the domain for “Cafecito Productions”. A month later, I told my mom during one of our pandemic walks, that I was going to turn a play I had been in into a movie. A year later, that film was on HBO. You can watch Mi Casa (written by Jocelyn Rick, directed by Kristina Arjona, produced by me and my producing partner, Caitlin Hargraves, in association with JumpCut Collective) on HBO today. (It still feels incredible to write or say that out loud).
Fast forward to today, and I am humbled by the people I have met and the collaborators who will forever be a part of my life. Cafecito Productions has made three films since Mi Casa.
Sweetie is a short film about the husband and daughter of a woman killed due to a lack of reproductive care find what comfort they can in a government-funded phone service designed to provide a maternal influence. It was written by Madison Hatfield, directed by Caitlin Hargraves and produced by me and James Rayner in association with Nona Media. It was made as a segment for the anthology created by Tasha Halevi called Give Me an A. Tasha Halevi has led an incredible team of female filmmakers to voice concerns, frustrations and fears over losing the rights to our bodily autonomy…and then make it into a movie. Give Me an A has made its rounds to festivals like the Cannes Film Festival, Renegade Film Fest, ScreamFest, Brooklyn Horror Fest and more. Give Me an A is now available for streaming on Amazon and Apple, and all other VOD services.
Blood Orange is about Winter & Em run a fruit stand that serves as a front for their murder-for-hire business; 15-year-old Cassie wants to take out a hit on her abusive stepdad, while the town Sheriff is dead set on revenge. Blood Orange was written by Christina Jundt, directed by Amber Neukum and produced by me, Caitlin Hargraves and James Rayner in association with Nona Media. Blood Orange debuted in Atlanta at the Plaza Theater and will screen at festivals such as Cleveland International, Cordillera International Film Festival and the Georgia Latino International Film Festical.
Trailer [Trash] Magic was filmed in Stone Mountain Georgia in the spring of 2023. It is about nine-year-old Fox, who was born into a family of Latina witches and raised in a trailer park in Georgia. Fox dreams of becoming a Baptist preacher. The only problem is she might just be the most powerful sorceress of them all. Trailer [Trash] Magic has a special place in my heart as it marks my directorial debut. It was written by Keatyn Lee and produced by James Rayner and Caitlin Hargraves in association with Nona Media.
I am really proud of our team and I am so humbled to have gotten this far with an incredibly hard-working and talented group. You’ll notice a few names kept appearing above. Caitlin Hargraves has been there since Mi Casa, leading our teams and crafting stories every step of the way alongside me. James Rayner joined our last three films with an unmatched energy and knowledge to keep our teams motivated and our stories told. A collaborative space is only curated and maintained by the people in it, and I am grateful for those in Cafecito Production’s path.
It’s amazing to see how far I have come in just a short amount of time, but I can’t help but to think my story is just getting started.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As an actress, I have constantly battled the trials and tribulations that accompany rejections. It’s my personal challenge to believe in myself more than to think that I am not enough. To trust my path more than comparing myself to others. To love what I do more than to live a way I think I SHOULD.
I am a storyteller through and through. Over the past several years, I have discovered the many ways that I can do what I love in different roles and through different perspectives, both in front of and behind the camera. I started my career as an actress, and it was a brutal awakening when I realized the world had set boxes for me because of who I was and what I looked like. What was even more challenging was when I realized I didn’t fit into any of them. Identity can feel so suffocating sometimes when you don’t feel you’re enough to play this person or that person. Because, at the end of the day, we are all people who experience the full spectrum of emotions and experiences. This frustration was a blessing because it led me to develop and produce my own work. I tell stories and create experiences for actors and crew members that break the box that was created for them, not by them. I give myself permission to be vulnerable, brave and curious. I have the privilege to connect people and to create community through story.
The films I am inspired by are grounded, honest, and heartfelt. They are created in a devised, synergistic space that prioritizes processes. They are unapologetic of their mission to create a ripple effect amongst viewers. If a person watches our movies and feels deeply, we’ve won. Our world needs empathy, and our world needs to feel. It energizes me to know that I can play a small part in that.
Aside from logistics, I think I am learning to not abandon myself and my visions. To trust that when something doesn’t feel good or feels like it’s not in alignment with what I have set out to do, to step back and reevaluate. As a woman in a space that is still predominately occupied by men, it is imperative to trust myself more than ever.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As I continue this journey, I will foster a space where artists are trusted to create bravely and genuinely. As a leader, I will contribute honestly and listen with the intention to receive and let it permeate and dispel any preconceived notions. To remain authentic, I commit to telling the truth about the human experience, giving equal weight to the good and the bad without judgment. To be inclusive in my projects, I commit to changing who you see and how you see them, including the people in front of and behind the camera. To remain process-oriented, I commit to incorporating what was gleaned from my theater background and will invite artists to step outside of their traditional lanes and prioritize collaboration across various fields.
I am proud of the way that we continue to build our mission for Cafecito Productions. We are an incubative production company that is very much rooted in collaboration and built from the new play process that me and Caitlin Hargraves have learned from our theater backgrounds. It is unique (not unheard of) that the majority of our projects are developed with us as actors and producers.
What’s next?
I am ready for a feature film! I am hungry for it! I think my team is too. There are a couple of projects that have been brewing and are currently in development. I am excited for them to come to life.
I am also excited for CP to take up more space in our community, both in Atlanta, and beyond. I am excited to see us grow and be self sufficient and powerful in the indie space.
Contact Info:
- Website: cafecitoproductions.com
- Instagram: @cafecitoproductions
Image Credits
Olivia Wukasch, Emily Lambert, Jacky Cheng, Naomi Smith, JennyG.
