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Silva Espadas · Projects
FINDING
JOSE
JOSE
A Silva Espadas × LBL Productions Collaboration
Silva Espadas is proud to partner with director Lisset Mendoza and LBL Productions on Finding Jose — an indie bilingual feature film about family, identity, and the roots we can never escape. We're helping design the crew merch and a limited shirt to help bring this story to life.
FINDING JOSE✦ SILVA ESPADAS × LBL PRODUCTIONS✦ FILMING JALISCO MEXICO · DEC 2026✦ INDIE BILINGUAL FEATURE FILM✦ MORE REQUIRES MORE✦ FINDING JOSE✦ SILVA ESPADAS × LBL PRODUCTIONS✦ FILMING JALISCO MEXICO · DEC 2026✦ INDIE BILINGUAL FEATURE FILM✦ MORE REQUIRES MORE✦
About the Film
A STORY ABOUT
FAMILY. ROOTS.
GOING HOME.
FAMILY. ROOTS.
GOING HOME.
After the death of their father, three Mexican-American siblings travel to Mexico in search of a secret half-brother — uncovering family truths and reconnecting with a culture they left behind.
"A love letter to Mexico, to the children of immigrants, and to every family still learning how to say goodbye."
— Lisset Mendoza, Director
— Lisset Mendoza, Director
Set between the U.S. and the heart of Jalisco, Mexico, Finding Jose is a comedy-drama that captures the ache of returning home to a place that no longer feels like yours — filled with dusty highways, cantinas, small-town festivals, family secrets, and the kind of absurdity that only comes from people who love each other too much to be honest.
Some are calling it The Mexican Little Miss Sunshine.
Director
Lisset Mendoza
Genre
Comedy Drama · Bilingual
Language
English & Spanish
Location
Jalisco, Mexico
Shooting
Nov–Dec 2026
Status
In Pre-Production
Production
LBL Productions
IMDB
Why This Film Matters
At a time when audiences are seeking authentic, culturally grounded stories, Finding Jose offers a perspective that is both specific and universal — exploring the messy beauty of family, the guilt, the love, the secrets we bury, and the roots we can never escape. Designed to travel across festivals, streaming platforms, and digital spaces, this is a film built to connect.
The Collaboration
WHY SILVA ESPADAS
IS PART OF THIS.
IS PART OF THIS.
Silva Espadas was built on the same foundation that Finding Jose is made of — Mexican immigrant roots, the experience of living between two cultures, and the belief that stories like this deserve to be told. When director Lisset Mendoza reached out, it wasn't just a business opportunity. It was a natural alignment of two projects rooted in the same truth.
Our role in this collaboration is twofold: we're helping design the official crew merch for the film — the shirts worn on set by the team bringing this story to life — and we're releasing a limited run shirt for the public to purchase, with proceeds going directly toward helping fund the production. Every shirt sold is a vote for independent Latino cinema. Every purchase puts us one step closer to seeing this story on screen.
More Requires More — and this film has given everything it has to get here. Help us help it cross the finish line.
The Collaboration Shirt
FINDING JOSE
× SILVA ESPADAS
× SILVA ESPADAS
Coming Soon
The Official Finding Jose
Collaboration Tee
Collaboration Tee
A limited-edition shirt in collaboration with the Finding Jose film. Original hand-drawn artwork. Every purchase directly supports the production of an independent Latino feature film.
$TBD
A portion of every sale goes directly toward
Finding Jose film production costs.
Finding Jose film production costs.
- Premium 100% cotton heavyweight blank
- Oversized unisex fit
- Limited run — once it's gone, it's gone
- Part of proceeds fund Finding Jose production
- Crew version worn on set in Jalisco, Mexico
Shirt Dropping Soon
Sign up below to be notified when it drops
Production Timeline
WHERE THE FILM
IS RIGHT NOW.
IS RIGHT NOW.
Finding Jose is actively in pre-production and moving toward a December 2026 shoot date in Jalisco, Mexico — a location chosen intentionally for its cultural significance to director Lisset Mendoza.
Dec 2025
Script Finalized
Final script completed alongside initial location scouting and grant applications.
Now · 2026
Pre-Production — Active
Crew being finalized, locations secured, casting underway (May 2026), production gear arranged. Silva Espadas crew shirts in design.
Nov–Dec 2026
Principal Photography
Filming on location across Jalisco, Mexico — including Tecalitlán, known for its mariachi festivals and vibrant community celebrations during this time of year.
Early 2027
Post-Production Begins
Editing, color, sound, and score. Initial cut expected May 2027.
2027
Festival Circuit & Release
Targeting film festivals, streaming platforms, and digital distribution.
The Director
MEET LISSET
MENDOZA.
MENDOZA.
LISSET
MENDOZA
MENDOZA
Director · Co-Writer · Producer
A Mexican-American filmmaker from Anaheim, California. Her path into film began at eleven, picking up her dad's camera to record her skate crew's adventures. Since then she has directed a mini-series and over a dozen short films screened at film festivals, co-founded a nonprofit film festival in Los Angeles, and worked alongside The New York Times. Her films explore family, culture, and the everyday humor of growing up between worlds.
Director's Statement
At its core, Finding Jose is about family — the messy, loving, imperfect kind that shapes who we become. The story is built from fragments of my own life and the lives of those closest to me: memories of road trips, laughter, silence, and the unspoken ways we love each other.
The film takes place in Mexico, a place that continues to shape my understanding of home. It's where my family's stories began, and where I've always felt most connected. Through this film, I want to capture the warmth, humor, and chaos of family life, while exploring how returning home can remind us of the parts of ourselves we've forgotten.
"I wanted to make a film that feels honest — one that shows how identity is not something we choose, but something we carry with us."
Explore the Full Film Site
Support the Film
THREE WAYS TO
BE PART OF
THIS STORY.
BE PART OF
THIS STORY.
Independent films like Finding Jose are built by communities, not studios. Every action you take — whether you buy a shirt, share the page, or back the film directly — moves this story closer to existing.
01
Buy the Collaboration Shirt
Limited run. Hand-drawn design by Neftaly Silva. A portion of every sale funds the production directly. Available soon at silvaespadas.com.
02
Back the Film Directly
Visit the LBL Productions website to contribute to the Finding Jose production fund, become a partner, or sponsor the project.
03
Share This Page
Tell someone who needs to know this film exists. Share on social and tag @silvaespadas and @lblproductions. Every share expands the audience before the first frame is shot.
Stay in the Loop
FOLLOW THE
JOURNEY.
JOURNEY.
Follow @silvaespadas for updates on the collab shirt drop and behind-the-scenes moments. Follow @lblproductions for film updates, casting news, and production updates straight from the team on the ground.