After being constantly teased for her dark complexion, a young girl rejects the sweet nickname her mother gave her and comes to discover its beautiful origin within a 1960's Mexican folk song.

Negrita Cucurumbe 

​¿Pues qué no ves, que así negra estás bonita, Negrita cucurumbé?
Narrative short film written and directed by ​Lesley Elizondo.
Runtime 00:07:45
This film was created during my first year in graduate school. I told a story about the only nickname that I've ever had in my writing class and my professor, Becky Smith, told me it would make a beautiful film. I agreed with her and made it. This piece is a poem of apology for my mother who called me by the name "Negrita Cucurumbe," and I, like the main character, had rejected this term of endearment because of an intense conflict with the negative associations that came with 'blackness' within my latino community. As I have shared the film, I realized the issues around colorism remain ingrained within our culture and I hope this film shares in the conversation to change perceptions of blackness and beauty.