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Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)

Perspectives 2025
Rico belongs to a tight-knit Dominican-American community in the Bronx. He is hustling his way through a carefree summer, selling bootleg “nutcracker” cocktails and chasing girls on the beach. But when circumstances arise that force his girlfriend Destiny to move in with his family, the small apartment becomes the stage for their messy, complicated love life. It is only a matter of time before they must face a sobering reality: they are growing up too fast in a city that waits for no one. Writer-director Joel Alfonso Vargas turns his hometown into the heartbeat of his debut feature film. Teaming up with talent cast on the streets, he and his two leading actors deliver an authentic, slice-of-life portrait of the Bronx. With grit and humour, he paints a tender portrait of the chaos and charm of urban living as well as the ups and downs of youthful abandon when life takes an unexpected turn.
by Joel Alfonso Vargas (Director, Screenplay)
with Juan Collado, Destiny Checo, Yohanna Florentino, Nathaly Navarro USA 2025 English, Spanish 100' Colour International premiere | Debut film

With

  • Juan Collado (Rico)
  • Destiny Checo (Destiny)
  • Yohanna Florentino (Mami/Andrea)
  • Nathaly Navarro (Sally)

Crew

Director Joel Alfonso Vargas
Screenplay Joel Alfonso Vargas
Cinematography Rufai Ajala
Editing Irfan Van Tuijl, Joel Alfonso Vargas
Music Niklas Sandahl
Sound Design Omar Gabriel Delnevo
Production Design Lia Chiarin
Producer Paolo Maria Pedullà
Executive Producers Christine Vachon, Gabriel Mayers, Julie Waters, Evan Dyal, Robina Riccitiello, Josh Peters, Liam Francis Quigley

Produced by

Perpetuum Films

Watermark Media

Killer Films

Spark Features

World Sales

Cinetic Media

Photos

Joel Alfonso Vargas

© Adam Pietkiewicz

The director grew up shaped by the hip-hop culture of The Bronx which became a key inspiration for his journey into filmmaking. Initially self-taught, he experimented with short films and found his actors on Craigslist. He later studied at the University of Southern California, the University of the Arts in London and the UK’s National Film and Television School. Following his education, he remains committed to grassroots filmmaking, using small crews, street-cast talent and semi-improvised dialogue. He collaborates closely with marginalised communities to tell nuanced stories around themes of diasporic identity and social justice. Mad Bills to Pay is his debut feature film.

Filmography

2017 Nube; short film · Target Is Hiring; short film 2024 Shadow; short film · Que te vaya bonito, Rico (May It Go Beautifully for You, Rico); short film 2025 Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2025