The World Premiere Is Here for ‘Cake,’ Led by ‘Chicago Fire’ Stars, Optimus, Director Erick Juarez
Community and collaboration are at the heart of a Chicago-made short film ready to make its festival debut. CAKE will be premiering at the 50th Annual, Oscar-Qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival April 9-18 and will have its hometown premiere at the Chicago Latino Film Festival, the longest-running Latino film festival in the United States, on April 19 and 21.
“The film is inspired by my seventh birthday and follows a single mother as she tries to give her son a birthday cake he won’t forget, and how a community unexpectedly comes together around them,” Writer-Director of CAKE Erick Juarez shared with SCREEN.
The film is a Chicago film through and through, as Juarez mentioned to SCREEN, “We filmed in Pilsen, Lakeview, and Avondale, and it’s very much rooted in the everyday resilience of our communities.”
Let’s hear more from Erick Juarez and the personal story he is bringing to the screen with CAKE…
CAKE features an all-star cast, led by Camila Banus (One Life to Live), Chicago Fire star Joe Miñoso, Chicago’s own Lisandra Tena, Chicago Fire alum Charlie Barnett and newcomer Benjamin Delgado.
CAKE is a joint production between Miñoso’s Mass Epiphany Studios and Juarez’s Deep Focus Entertainment. Producers include Lauran September, Lori Singleton, and Juan Francisco Villa. Click here for a look at the entire cast and crew.
Here is your first look at CAKE…
Chicago’s Optimus Powers Post Production for CAKE
CAKE’s post production came together with a small and dedicated team at Optimus, doing what they do best – creative collaboration. Similar to the film, the entire post process carried a sense of community and teamwork, from beginning to end.
Hugo Escobar cut the film and shaped its rhythm by pulling from his own upbringing in a Hispanic household. Graded by Colin Cubr, mixed by Harrison Gill, and with creative contributions from the entire design team of Luis Mayorga, Tyler Nelson, Michael Ciacciarelli, and Annatafka Baez, the final piece came together beautifully. Rounding out the team, post producers Alex Campbell and Helen Diep managed schedules in a way that made things move productively and efficiently.
CAKE marks a return to the Chicago Latino Film Festival for Optimus, whose team headed up post on PAPER FLOWER, which won Best Short Film at CLFF in 2025.
Click here for tickets, showtimes and more from the Cleveland International Film Festival.
For everything you need to know about the Chicago Latino Film Festival, click right here.
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