Mexican commercial director Julio Dominguez de los Santos is in post on his first feature, the English-, Spanish- and Yiddish-language HD drama "Hopeless" that shot here this fall.

Jessie Perez stars as a young Mexican-American woman who must visit a psychiatrist (Mara Monserrat) to regain custody of her children. Perez' character is contending with an abusive relationship, while Monserrat's is facing infertility and the terminal illness of her mother, a holocaust survivor.

Producer Diana Mucci-Beauchamp said "these two very different women in their own states of hopelessness find hope through the courage and inspiration of their mothers," played by Maritza Nazario and Greta DeBofsky. "The story is very cultural and moving and sad," Mucci-Beauchamp said.

Rosie Vargas-Goldberg wrote the script "based on some truth in her family life," according to Mucci- Beauchamp. Vargas-Goldberg and her husband Benjamin Goldberg are financing the $100,000 budget through Vargas-Goldberg's new production company Whatever Films. "Rosie decided to start her own company so she could retain creative control over her script," Mucci-Beauchamp said.

Dominguez de los Santos splits his time between Mexico City and New York, where he attended New York University. He has made commercials for clients including Nissan and Samsung. Mucci-Beauchamp met Dominguez de los Santos last year in New York, where she interviewed him for her play "I'm a Female Seeking a Male."

Local DP Vladimir Van Maule is shooting on his own HD package. AD is Dominguez de los Santos' regular collaborator Rodrigo Madrazo, also a Mexico City-based NYU alum.

Mucci-Beauchamp said she and Vargas-Goldberg plan to take "Hopeless" on the festival circuit and seek theatrical distribution. Then Vargas-Goldberg will produce "I'm a Female" for the stage next year. Mucci- Beauchamp workshopped a staged reading of the play last year at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, under the direction of former Element Theatre Company director Wendy Goldman-Rohm.

Whatever Films is at 1341 W. Fullerton #224. Call 312/909-1139 or email diana@whateverfilms.com.