Emilio Miguel Torres is a filmmaker who was raised in Ketchikan, Alaska. As a kid, Torres got involved with the local community theater, First City Players, where he was exposed to directing and storytelling. He spent high school in Seattle before attending NYU film school.

Since graduating college in 2021, he has made a handful of short films, including “The Ladder,” which tells the story of an aging Alaskan fisherman who must decide between accepting old age and restarting his life through a futuristic procedure. It was shot in Ketchikan with the help of many of the individuals who helped foster his love of movies as a kid.

Torres currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona, but in the fall of 2023, he returned again to his hometown to shoot his first feature film, an expansion of “The Ladder.” Currently the film is in post-production and Torres has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help finish his movie.

ATMI producer Jordan Kehl spoke with Torres over Zoom about “The Ladder.” He talked about the challenges of filming in the remote town of Ketchikan, what he hopes to accomplish with the crowdfunding campaign, and how his hometown community came together to help him with his passion project.

Hosted by Ormund Alaois.

Music by Kendrick Whiteman and Devin Shreckengost.

Many thanks to supporters of our podcast, including the Alaska State Council on the Arts. The views expressed in this program do not necessarily represent the views of our sponsors.

Alaska Teen Media Institute is based in Anchorage, Alaska. We would like to acknowledge the Dena’ina people, whose land we work on.