NEW YORK, NY.- Film Forum will present the U.S. theatrical premiere of Paula Gonz醠ez-Nassers The Scout on Friday, September 25.
Director Gonz醠ez-Nasser spent six years working as a location scout. In this luminous directorial debut, she brings us into a day in the life of a young scout tasked with finding the perfect interiors for a television pilot. Sof韆 (Mimi Davila) moves in and out of other peoples intimate spaces and quotidian lives, tweaking her personality just enough to connect while struggling to find balance between her professional and personal worlds. With a mounting stack of parking tickets and the impertinent commentaries of her crew, she faces a series of small-yet-paralyzing obstacles that render her day increasingly exhausting. Through a constellation of quiet but poignant vignettes, the film offers an original view into the invisible labor of TV production, unfolding as an alternative symphony of a New York grappling with gentrification and a growing erosion of empathy.
THE SCOUT had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival and went on to screen at festivals nationally. Gonz醠ez-Nasser was named one of 25 New Faces in Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine. She has also produced films like Melina Valdezs WEAPONS AND THEIR NAMES (Sundance 2023), and Ryan Martin Browns FREE TIME, which received three nominations at the inaugural Slamdance Indie Awards. She is a two-time Gotham Film Week participant and a 2023 Sundance Producers Intensive Fellow. Previously, Paula worked as a location scout on many New York films and TV shows such as High Maintenance, Russian Doll, Search Party, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS, and more.
Fantastic... a fascinating discovery... feels less constructed than it does conjured out of the quietly authentic experiences of modern life and work... often deeply, witheringly funny. Chase Hutchinson, The Playlist
A discreet and confident debut
Gonz醠ez-Nasser, who was herself a location scout for six years, crafts a modest portrait of its complicated reality. The director reveals how location scouting involves an emotional deftness, a stultifying deference to a directors vision and lots of patience. Parts of THE SCOUT, in its contemplative tone and observational style, reminded me of [Wim Wenders] PERFECT DAYS. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter
An episodic, bittersweet adventure bumming through New York Citys most photogenic homes, rooftops, and pet stores... a contemplative and funny portrait of a city, an industry, and the sacrifices needed to live in both. Jacob Oller, AV Club