"Xemoland" is a make believe world, but for Daniel Cardenas, it was real.
At least he thought so, thanks to a prank pulled by his two olders brothers when he was a kid growing up in Key Biscayne.
"They basically convinced me that there was this alternate universe," said Cardenas, "where all my dreams could come true."
Cardenas turned those childhood memories into an animated film called "Xemoland" that was chosen out of 6,500 submissions to be shown at the Sundance Film Festival.
"Xemoland" is one of only four animated shorts picked from the U.S.
The main character in the film is named Corey, based loosely on Cardenas' life in the early 90's. It takes place in the Ocean VIllage apartment complex where he grew up in Key Biscayne.
"You look around," explained Cardenas, standing just outside his old apartment, "it's such an interesting, weird place to grow up."
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He lives in Los Angeles now, but spent three months in Miami, working 16-hour days to write and direct "Xemoland," making sure it was as authentic as possible.
"I guess this is the way he got to exact his revenge," said Alex Fumero, Xemoland's producer and Cardenas' childhood friend in Key Biscayne. "I don't think he got to do it back when we were kids, so this is the way he gets back at the older siblings, which I think everybody can relate to."
At Sundance, the most important people in the film industry will have a chance to see "Xemoland." And that's why it's such a big deal for these up-and-coming filmmakers, who hope it will serve as a launchpad for their careers.
"It's for now a small dream come true," Fumero said, "and only bigger and better things are to come for us."
"Xemoland" was born thanks to the Borscht Film Festival and a project dedicated to telling Miami stories by emerging Miami artists.
The Knight Foundation also played a critical role, giving Cardenas and his small crew a $5,000 grant to pay for their trip to Sundance, which begins January 20th in Park City, Utah.
