KELLY OBIGAEL

“Professional reader, baby filmmaker, amateur writer, occasional activist, and full-time dreamer” is what I think when people ask me to describe myself or what I do for a living.

 

From a very young age, I fell in love with stories, not just listening to them, but also creating and telling them. I could spend an entire day with my nose buried in a book or locked in my room writing, and I was the happiest girl on Earth. Later, I discovered cinema, and I was amazed to see many of my favourite stories brought to life; seeing that someone had been able to transform all those words on paper into something tangible and visible seemed magical to me. It was then that I realized I, too, wanted to create magic: to tell stories and make films.

I'm passionate about art in all its forms, nature, history, culture, languages, food, and ancient mythologies. I spend 90% of my time dreaming and imagining everything that has been, is, and could be; and wishing I could live a thousand lives to experience it all.

 

I am fascinated by the natural and cultural diversity of the world, the thousands of different ways in which a single thing can be perceived, and I love that cinema can bring us closer to everything that may seem distant and show us that differences, instead of dividing us, make us richer.

 

I have XLH, one of the more than 7,000 rare diseases that exist in the world, a condition that has impacted every area of my life for as long as I can remember, but it hasn't stopped me from pursuing my dreams. However, I know how difficult the journey is when you feel alone, misunderstood and live with pain, and that's why it's so important for me to share my story and do my part in the battle for a better quality of life, not only for myself, but for all the people who live with XLH in Mexico.

 

Anyway, when I'm not lost in some story or working with XLH Mexico, you can find me trying a recipe, learning something new, exploring my hometown, traveling, or hanging out with my friends, my safe place.