Mine To Keep is an amalgamation of my Spanish grandfather, the film The Father, the reality show Hoarders, and the television series Severance. I wanted to write a script that portrayed dementia in a liminal and metaphorical space, one that could represent how it feels when memories lead you astray, tangle with one another, and ultimately break apart.

While researching the topic, I came across an interesting correlation between hoarding and memory loss. An individual with dementia may hide items, keep them for extended periods, or misplace them—leading to hoarding as they try to take control of their situation. Camila, like Anthony in The Father, constantly forgets life events and desperately wants to finish writing her autobiography before the precious memories slip away. She refuses to let go of any objects, to the point of severe hoarding, because they hold too much sentimental value and serve as important reminders of the people she’s loved and the experiences she’s lived.

We explore Camila’s confusing jumble of memories through her daughter, Rosa, who gradually wanders deeper into Camila’s deteriorating mind. The ravenous rats chip away at the few things Camila can still recall, ultimately consuming Rosa in her doomed attempt to save her mother from a cluttered prison.

I struggle with thanatophobia, the fear of death and the dying process, and I think of dementia as a form of death. It’s a terrifying condition that I hope can one day not just be treated, but cured. One of the hardest things to do is grieve the loss of a person who’s still alive, and I wanted to demonstrate the strain dementia causes on both the afflicted and their loved ones.

Portraying sensitive topics and themes in fantastical environments has always felt like the best way for me to understand how someone might feel in a certain situation, and it lessens the horror by providing a sense of detachment from reality. By creating an escapist narrative, I wanted to make the conversation about dementia more approachable and engaging, allowing the audience to cope with loss and change through an imaginary world.

I’m a screenwriter who won Best Adult Storyreel in Pixar’s Story Xperiential Program, participated in the UCLA Professional Program for three years, was selected for the Mosalsalat Screenwriters Lab by the Jordanian Royal Film Commission, and am a two-time winner of the Emerging Content Creators Scholarship from NALIP.

I write high-concept supernatural horror and sci-fi thrillers about ordinary people fighting to survive extraordinary situations. My diverse creative influences and multicultural upbringing add unique flavors to my settings and characters, and I particularly enjoy reinventing ancient myths and folklore for modern audiences. I currently work as the executive assistant for Skydance Interactive’s Head of Studio and seek representation.

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