Tulsa-based director Carlos Garcia, Jr. is bringing his life experiences to the big screen with his short film “The Settlement.”
The horror film follows a Mexican-American family who recently moved into a new neighborhood and accepts a dinner invitation from their white neighbors. The night quickly turns sinister when the neighbors initiate a disturbing ritual.
Garcia will host a screening starting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Circle Cinema. The film begins at 7:30 p.m. with a Q&A and gallery reception to follow. Tickets are $12.51 via Eventbrite.
“As I was writing, the story evolved into this examination of fears and racist violence that is amplified today by Trump and his agenda,” Garcia said.
“The Settlement” is a love letter to the filmmaker’s parents, who moved to the U.S. from Monterrey, Mexico, right before he was born. His parents both worked hard to provide for him.
“I’m trying to do my best to represent and make them proud,” he said.
Garcia wants Latinos to be showcased as more than the typical “gangster” or “cartel” members in films. He wants to show a more proper representation of Latinos in his films.
“We’re not gangsters, we’re not thugs, we’re not landscapers, we’re not maids,” he said. “…We’re people. We have stories to tell and we have important stories to tell.”
Garcia originally planned to follow in his father’s footsteps as an architect, but there was always something about digital filmmaking that he loved. He knew he wanted “to die” trying to make it as a filmmaker.
Garcia was raised in Dallas and moved to Tulsa in 2021 after a local production company saw his work and asked him to come visit the studio. It was around this time that he met his wife and found his purpose: Be her partner and a father. He’s often at home and taking care of his kids while also working on films and producing commercials.
“What’s funny is after that happened, it wasn’t like the filmmaking road closed,” he said. “It branched out even more possibilities.”
Last year, he made the decision to move into his own business with Prax Media, where he creates films and commercials.
Through a $10,000 grant from the Tulsa-based Artists Creative Fund, Garcia was able to bring the film to life with the help of his wife and film co-writer Whitney Waller Garcia.
“It’s the first time anyone has been, like, ‘Let’s give this person some money to make something,’” he said.
This article was produced as part of a partnership between the Tulsa Flyer and La Semana, a Tulsa-based bilingual Spanish-English newspaper serving Latino communities in Oklahoma.
Disclosure: The Artists Creative Fund is a program of George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF). GKFF also provided financial support for the Tulsa Flyer. News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
