SYNOPSIS
A self-important actor is handed the brief script for a play he’s been cast to star in.
Clearly, it falls short of his expectations.
But the further he reads, the more he realizes this is no ordinary play.
Perhaps it’s his own story, turned into an outrageous comedy.
PREMIERE AND AWARD
The Wandering Actor premiered at MARFEST, where it won the Best International Short Film award (Argentina, December 2023).
A METAFICTIONAL JOURNEY
This wild, inventive comedy draws us into a story that blurs the line between fiction and reality.
Pablo Pipolo, a familiar face in Uruguayan theater, plays an extravagant version of himself in the lead role. Meanwhile, the short film’s writer and director, Israel Mirenda, plays a colorful version of himself.
With his fourth short film, Mirenda devises a cinematic experiment that plays with the very nature of storytelling.
A metafictional journey that sparks curiosity and a smile — for filmmakers and audiences alike.
PHOTO GALLERY
A look behind the scenes of The Wandering Actor.
Film stills of short film.
🧩 · FILM CREDITS
Written and directed by Israel Mirenda.
Starring Pablo Pipolo and Israel Mirenda.
Produced by Israel Mirenda.
VIEW FULL CREDITS
- TITLE: The Wandering Actor
- ORIGINAL TITLE: El Actor Errante
- GENRE: Comedy
- RUNNING TIME: 9 min 52 sec
- DIRECTOR: Israel Mirenda
- CAST: Pablo Pipolo – Israel Mirenda – Ishaia Mirenda
- SCREENPLAY: Israel Mirenda
- PRODUCER: Israel Mirenda
- CINEMATOGRAPHY: Israel Mirenda
- SOUND: Gustavo Castro
- CAMERA: Marcos Biavaschi
- EDITING: Israel Mirenda
- COLOR GRADING: Israel Mirenda
- SOUND ASSISTANT: Ishaia Mirenda
- MUSIC: Edited and layered by Israel Mirenda using tracks by Kevin MacLeod
- EXTRA: Carlos Ramiro Pereyra
- CATERING: Analía Castro
- POSTER: Israel Mirenda
- SPECIAL THANKS: «Más Puro Verso» bookstore
- LANGUAGE: Spanish
- COUNTRY: Uruguay
- DATE: October 2023
🎬 · FROM THE DIRECTOR
Pablo and I owed ourselves a film like this: playing ourselves in an absurd world that knocks our reality off its axis. That’s why I wrote it.
We shot it in a bookstore-restaurant that was open for business as usual that afternoon. They let me use the place on two conditions: a crew of no more than five people and no lamps turned on — the latter was a rule I couldn’t always follow.
I arrived with the lead actor, a sound recordist, a camera operator, and a sound assistant who also stepped in as an actress. Carlos, who had starred in another of my shorts, agreed to be an extra this time: he sat down for a drink at the appointed table and stayed there.
And so, with five people, forbidden lights, and a clock that left us no time for retakes, we ended up filming exactly that: a comedy about two friends who wanted to make a comedy.
On August 16, 2023, I had the chance to preview The Wandering Actor at Café Lempicka in Montevideo, during a gathering of poets. The screen never arrived, so we went ahead and projected the film onto an old curtain hung in front of the window.