HBO has acquired “Generation Por Qué?,” a comedic Cuban American short inspired by and starring writer and producer Jacqueline “Jackie” Pereda. The coming-of-age story follows Jackie Pérez, a first-generation woman pursuing her acting dreams in New York City while enduring her very Cuban (and conservative) New Jersey-based parents. She can chase her dreams along with her other first-gen friends, but she cannot outrun her upbringing.
“We are thrilled that HBO is giving us the platform to share ‘Generation Por Qué?’ with the world,” Pereda said in a statement. There are so many stories about late twenty-somethings trying to find their place in the world, but largely leave out the first-generation narrative — especially comedies — where the parental intrusion is among our biggest hurdles.”
Written and directed by Pereda, “Generation Por Qué?” was a 2020 official selection at SeriesFest and The Women in Comedy Festival. At SeriesFest, Pereda was awarded best actress in a comedy and the Caz Matthews Fund — a fund supporting filmmakers who are committed to diversity and the dispelling of stereotypes in storytelling. The short-form web series was also a semi-finalist for the 2017 Sundance New Voices Lab. The film is executive produced by Dana Zolli (‘Younger,” “On the Rocks”) and Pereda.
The web series-turned-short film breaks boundaries not only with its subversive comedy and its plot, but also because the majority of the cast and crew are children of immigrants themselves. They were delighted to be on a set where most of the people were fluent in what it means to grow up “first-gen.” The cast includes performances by Pereda (“TruTV,” “A Perfect Murder,”), Andréa Burns (“In the Heights,” “On Your Feet,” “Westside Story,”) Sandor Juan (“Burn Notice,” “Blacklist,”) Amel Khalil (“The Enemy Within,” “FBI,”) and Melvin Lima (“Blacklist,” “Bull”).
“When you’re the child of immigrants, not only do you have to find your way, but you are the “grand explainer” of things. To your parents, you are explaining American culture and to your non-first-gen friends why it’s normal to wear a giant “eye” necklace to ward off evil spirits. Independence is not something easily given to us by our parents, and it’s ripe for laughs,” Pereda added.
“Generation Por Que” will stream this weekend on HBO Latino and HBO Max.
