Staff Reports | Happenings & Events
The 2025 Phoenix Film Festival has officially selected The Ladder, the debut feature film by Scottsdale-based filmmaker Emilio Miguel Torres, to compete in its Narrative Feature Competition.
The highly anticipated, 11-day festival runs from March 27 to April 6, with Mr. Torres’ film set to screen daily the weekend of April 4-6, according to a press release.
Shot on location in Ketchikan, Alaska, The Ladder is a historic milestone as the first narrative feature produced in the southeast Alaskan town since 1954, the release states.
Mr. Torres, an NYU film school graduate, was drawn to filming in Ketchikan, where he grew up, due to its stunning landscapes and deeply artistic community. The feature film is based on the award-winning short of the same name, which has gained significant recognition, amassing nearly 200,000 views on YouTube and getting distributed to stream on Alaska Airlines’ in-flight entertainment.
The Ladder is a deeply personal sci-fi drama that explores themes of identity, belonging, and generational change inspired by experiences from Mr. Torres’ own life. It follows an aging Alaskan fisherman and father, grieving his late wife, considering a mysterious procedure promising a fresh start in the twilight of life.
As close friends undergo the transformation, he grapples with his longing for a second chance and the cost of letting go of the life he’s known. The film features a unique cast of local non-actors and authentically portrays the Alaskan setting while tackling universal themes of family, aging, and the pursuit of second chances.
Despite its Alaskan backdrop, The Ladder has strong ties to Arizona.
Pre-production took place in the Valley, and the film was edited by Santiago Manriquez, a Phoenix-based filmmaker. Although Mr. Torres filmed The Ladder in Alaska, he is based in Arizona, where he creates films and commercial projects. He also serves as the digital content manager at the Scottsdale Unified School District.
He’s also a member of the Arizona Production Association. In March, Mr. Torres will travel to Fargo, North Dakota for the 2025 Fargo Film Festival, which also selected The Ladder for its prestigious lineup.
His first independent film was produced for less than $185,000, made possible through community support, sponsorships from organizations such as Tongass Federal Credit Union, and a highly successful online crowdfunding campaign that raised over $50,000 in 2024, the release states.
The production was spearheaded by Studio16, an independent production company dedicated to crafting high-production-value films that amplify underrepresented voices. Studio16 was founded by fellow NYU alum Alexandria Hellman, an African American and Jewish award-winning producer whose work has been recognized in major film festivals across the country.
