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THE UNI V ERSIT Y OF TE X A S AT EL PA S O

AS SAY ER OF STUDENT OPINION

OCTOBER 8, 2024

THEPROSPECTORDAILY.COM

VOL. 110, NO. 2

OPINION Page 2

NEWS Page 5

ARTS & CULTURE Page 9

SPORTS Page 14

‘Intimate Insights with The Prospector’

What is on the county proposition ballot?

Return of the ‘Dream Monster’

Volleyball tames Bearkats in doubleheader sweep

Oculto Film Festival brings HORROR to the Borderland B XIMENA CORDERO Y STAFF REPORTER • THE PROSPECTOR

The sixth annual Oculto Film Festival thrilled El Paso from Oct. 4 to Oct. 6, captivating horror lovers with chilling films, engaging Q&As, and a special guest, all crafted for the ultimate fright night. The film festival is a bi-national event, with one part taking place in El Paso and the other in Ciudad Juárez. The international platform allows filmmakers and content creators to showcase their work to a wide and diverse audience and network with fellow filmmakers. Cabe Tejeda, the director of the Oculto Film Festival shared that, while organizing the festival, one of his highlights was getting to witness the connection between filmmakers from both cities. “The human connection, the exchange of ideas (because) we are bi-national Film Festival,” said Tejeda. “It’s really fulfilling to see filmmakers or creators overall from different places get together and exchange ideas or even work on projects (together) later on.” Roccoh Derma, an actor and filmmaker who previously had their short film “Julia” featured in the festival shared that the most exciting part of the event was a chance to share their projects. “I’m most excited to spread the word (about) the filmmaking culture in the border city,” said Derma. “We know that we have a lot of creators that want to show their projects, so this is a very accurate platform to make them real.” On the first night, the film festival featured their official selection of short films from the U.S. and Spanish speaking countries. “El Miedo Más Grande,” a film from Argentina directed by Lucas

Giacomone humorously explores the concept of death, as the main character teams up with the Grim Reaper to save his crush from an untimely fate. “Hado,” from Spain directed by Rubi Rock, delves into the inevitability of death, fate, and destiny. After dreaming of accidentally killing a man in a car accident, the nightmare becomes a reality. In a chilling twist, the main character is killed at the hands of his worried husband while trying to hide the body, all witnessed by their daughter. “Lucy’s Room,” from the U.S. directed by Erick Nuñez, explores the bond between a brother and sister as she perceives balloons as living beings. While the brother struggles to help her see reality, the audience is startled with a pop, revealing that where he once stood is now just a pile of clothes and a deflated balloon. “Elote Man,” directed by Jackie Montes, is a local short film inspired by the viral trend of filming acts of kindness toward street vendors. As the main character attempts to replicate these videos, he encounters the “Elote Man”, who turns out to be a vampire. Although the main character meets an untimely demise, his video ultimately makes him a viral sensation.

“Trick,” directed by Luis Gamboa Camarena, is a local short film that unfolds on Halloween night, following an old lady haunted by a figure in a skeleton mask. Just as it seems the intruder will harm her, a fun plot twist reveals that all the masked figure wanted was candy. see OCULTO on page 9

Tuesday Knight served as a guest speaker at Oculto Film Festival on Oct. 4. Photo illustration by Gael Araiza and Victoria Valadez/The Prospector

UTEP Green Fund in process of creating more student-proposed sustainable projects B MARCO HINOJOSA Y A&E EDITOR • THE PROSPECTOR

Making a sustainable change to the UTEP campus, let alone the entire borderland, can be challenging, but UTEP’s Green Fund makes the change happen through a purpose and a vision. The Green Fund is a studentapproved referendum that tackles sustainability projects all over campus. This committee provides information on the impact of the institution and the environment. By investing in renewable energy, lowering the carbon footprint, conserving water and increasing energy sufficiency. Their motive is to make a change that is beneficial for the future. Green Fund Chair, Sara Urueta, joined the committee her freshman year and always had a passion for making a change to UTEP being a more environmentally friendly campus in the 21st century. Marketing Assistant Andre Gardea shared he joined the committee after not having a connection with his former major in marketing. He felt that marketing was convincing towards audiences that don’t make a beneficial impact. After discovering the Green Fund, he was curious how he could make a larger impact. Gardea shares that it doesn’t depend on one student to make a change, it is a matter of the organization listening to student ideas and bringing that change to fruition. “It’s about having students feel like they can have an impact,” said Gardea. UTEP students pay a three-dollar fee integrated into their tuition, which helps support the funding for the committee. Marco Hinojosa is the audience and engagement editor and may be reached at mhinojosa4@miners.utep.edu