By Mark Muckenfuss

Recent CSU Monterey Bay graduate Cristian Vega said being nominated for a Student Academy Award seems a bit like being in one of his movies. 

“It feels very surreal,” Vega said about making the semi-finalist list in the alternative/experimental division. “When you look at the other people that got in, they’re from some big film schools.”

The competition drew entries from around the world. Vega was one of six U.S. filmmakers among a roster of 14 that included students from Korea, France, Germany, China, Taiwan, Canada and the United Kingdom. 

“I was extremely surprised,” Vega said. “It didn’t really hit me until yesterday. It’s reassuring to me and my crew that we’re able to make films on the Central Coast.”

Vega’s film, “¿Que es un Nino? (What is a Boy?),” was his capstone project for his cinematic arts and technology degree. He describes the 5½-minute piece as “a surrealist experimental narrative about gender identity.”

It was filmed over three days on the CSUMB campus, in dorm rooms, the gym in the Otter Sports Center and nearby Fort Ord. The biggest challenge, Vega said, was that he filmed it early in the semester when a series of atmospheric rivers visited the region. 

“A lot of my film is shot outside,” he said. “I was checking the weather every hour.” 

One scene, an intimate encounter between two characters, was supposed to be shot in a park area. Instead it became a bedroom scene, using a room in one of the Promontory residence halls. 

“We improvised that scene because of the weather,” he said.

The main unnamed character in the film is surrounded by forces imposing traditional ideas of masculinity upon him as he struggles with his identity. Vega, who identifies as a straight male, said he felt similar pressure growing up in the largely Latino community of Greenfield.

“I’m a first-generation Mexican-American,” he said. “I feel like people have always questioned my masculinity by attacking my identity, asking me things like, ‘Why do you want to be an artist?’ As a queer ally, I feel I need to deal with these issues.”

Lecturer Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck served as Vega’s advisor on the film and helped in exposing him to experimental film. He called “What is a Boy” a “powerful” piece and said it achieves a unique balance.

“It feels very open but very didactic at the same time,” Ojeda-Beck said. “I think that’s a really hard thing to pull off.”

He said Vega’s hard work has always impressed him.

“I had a lot of classes with him over the years, and it’s been great to watch him grow,” he said. “His approach, creatively, is very refreshing and very mature beyond his years.” 

He said he was unaware of any CSUMB student being nominated for this award in the past. Past winners include such notable directors as Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis and Spike Lee.

“It’s exciting to see his work get recognition,” he said. “I’m very proud of him.” 

Vega said he expects his future work will continue to focus on similar social issues. 

“I feel it’s important not to shy away from my culture or who I am as a person,” he said. “I try to make films that are in Spanish and not mainstream.”

CSUMB played a role in helping him to find his voice, he said. 

“The CART program provided me the resources and equipment to become the filmmaker I am today,” he said. “It gave me the creative freedom to create a film that I wanted to make.”

But his exploration of film went beyond the campus. 

“I spent a lot of time outside of school honing my skills as a filmmaker and making films,” Vega said. “The more films you make, the better filmmaker you become because you are always learning from your previous mistakes. So, I made a ton of experimental films that helped me make my capstone. I did a lot of self-learning.”

If the recognition by the Academy Awards is any indication, Vega learned well. The nomination, he said, is already spurring him on to make other films.

“This gives me a ton of motivation,” he said. “I’m just counting down the days until I make my next film.” 

It has also buoyed his confidence.

“You can become an artist,” he said. “You just have to continue to try.”