cuando los gatos no maúllan

Rebeca Leal Hernández

Rebeca Leal Hernández (1999), directora y guionista mexicana, se especializa en cine de terror autoral con enfoque en la perspectiva femenina, explorando temas psicológicos complejos. Se graduó con honores de MetFilm School (Londres), y su tesis “Aura Phase” fue galardonada en múltiples festivales internacionales. En 2022 y 2025, fue evaluadora de guiones y líneas argumentales en IMCINE. Desde 2025, forma parte del equipo curatorial del cineclub Mar de Lava, enfocado en muestras de cortometrajes independientes Mexicanos.
Rebeca Leal Hernández (1999), Mexican director and screenwriter, specializes in horror cinema with a focus on the female perspective, exploring deep and complex psychological themes. She graduated with honors from MetFilm School (London), and her thesis “Aura Phase” was awarded at multiple international festivals. In 2022 and 2025, she worked as a script evaluator for IMCINE. Since 2025, she has been part of the curatorial team at Mar de Lava, a film club focused on showcasing independent Mexican short films.

Director Statement

An exploration of self-sabotage, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome.
One of life’s most disorienting dilemmas is realizing that the dream you’ve worked so hard for no longer belongs to you, that it brings only loneliness and frustration. Instead of growth, it leaves an ever-expanding void.
Accepting that you must let go of that dream can be so overwhelming that it feels easier to find an external culprit, just to avoid feeling weak or like a failure.
In Mexico, it’s very common to hear people say you need a limpia (spiritual cleansing) when things go wrong—that it’s probably the evil eye or that someone is working you (in a witchcraft way). But nothing is more powerful than self-suggestion, which can take us to the darkest corners of our psyche, where insecurities materialize in terrifying ways, revealing our worst nightmares.