Mad Bills to Pay
Joel Alfonso Vargas, USA, 2025, 1h41m
In Spanish and English, with English subtitles, Toronto Premiere
Winner, Special Jury Award, Sundance FF 2025; Nominee, Best First Feature, Berlin FF 2025; Nominee, Best First Feature, London FF 2025; Nominee, Golden Gate Award, San Francisco FF 2025; Nominee, New Director, Nashville FF 2025; Nominee, Best Feature, Valladolid FF 2025; Winner, Grand Prize, Jeonjo FF 2025
Sunday, 9 November 2025 – 5:30 PM
Innis Town Hall Theatre
2 Sussex Avenue Toronto, ON M5S 1J5
Set in the Bronx during a sweltering summer, this gritty drama follows 19-year-old Rico, a Dominican-American hustler selling homemade cocktails on Orchard Beach. When his teenage girlfriend, Destiny, becomes pregnant and moves in with his family, Rico is forced to confront adulthood, toxic masculinity, and the cycle of dysfunction that surrounds him. Told with raw energy and humor, the film captures the chaos and tenderness of a family trying to hold it together.
Joel Alfonso Vargas
Joel Alfonso Vargas is a Dominican-American filmmaker with a number of shorts in his portfolio. Vargas is known for his authentic portrayals of urban life and community dynamics. His work blends documentary-style realism with narrative storytelling, spotlighting the underrepresented Latino neighborhoods of New York. Mad Bills to Pay is his debut feature.
