I AM MARIO to Premiere at TIFF and New York Latino Film Festival
Oustin de León, winner of the Mezcal Award for Best Actor in Guadalajara, leads the Mexican drama's cast.
I Am Mario (Soy Mario), the feature directorial debut by Mexican filmmaker Sharon Kleinberg, will have its International Premiere in the Discovery section of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), running September 10–20, followed by its U.S. Premiere at the New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF), September 15–20.
The intimate drama had its World Premiere at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, where Oustin de León received the Mezcal Award for Best Actor and the film received the Jury's Maguey Award for Best LGBTQIA+ Film. Marking a compelling new voice in Mexican cinema, Kleinberg's debut offers a nuanced and deeply empathetic exploration of identity, bodily autonomy, masculinity, and the desire to build a family.
The film centers on Mario, a gentle 40-year-old transgender taxi driver living in urban Mexico. With a close circle of colleagues and a caring relationship with his mother and two sisters, Mario has built a stable life for himself. When he unexpectedly becomes pregnant, he is presented with the possibility of fulfilling his longtime dream of becoming a father. But the pregnancy also challenges deeply held beliefs about his own masculinity, setting him on an intimate journey through his changing body, his relationships, and his understanding of himself.
At the center of the film is non-professional trans actor and Tae Kwon Do master Oustin de León, whose naturalistic performance anchors the story. An actor and playwright before making her feature directorial debut, Kleinberg drew on her extensive background in theater to direct de León alongside seasoned professional actors—including Héctor Kotsifakis, Mayra Batalla, Ruth Ramos, Krystian Ferrer, and Mercedes Hernández—incorporating his physical discipline and lived experience into the film's understated, intimate approach.
Developed over three years of research and close collaboration with members of Mexico's trans community, Kleinberg's screenplay confronts social taboos and traditional notions of machismo surrounding transmasculine pregnancy. Rather than focusing solely on societal barriers, the film foregrounds relationships—family, friendship, and the desire to belong. Through Mario's unexpected path toward fatherhood, I Am Mario offers an intimate portrait of vulnerability, self-determination, and the courage to redefine oneself.
TIFF Screenings
Thursday, September 10, 3:15pm at Scotiabank Theatre — P&I
Saturday, September 12, 12:10pm at Scotiabank Theatre — International Premiere
Monday, September 14, 6:40pm at Scotiabank Theatre
Sunday, September 20, 3:50pm at Scotiabank Theatre
About the Film
I Am Mario. Soy Mario, Mexico, 2026, 97 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. Written and directed by Sharon Kleinberg; Produced by: Sharon Kleinberg, Jaime Tiktin; Executive Producers: Jaime Tiktin, Sharon Kleinberg, Lourdes Elizarrarás; Production Directors: Álvaro González Kuhn, Adriana Ortega; Production Company: Producciones Siete Elefantes S.A. de C.V; Cinematographer: Gerard Uzcategui; Production Design: Alfonso de Lope; Editor: Aldo Álvarez Morales; Sound: Daniel Balboa; Sound Design: Raynier Hinojosa O'Farrill; Cast: Oustin de León, Héctor Kotsifakis, Mayra Batalla, Ruth Ramos, Krystian Ferrer, Mercedes Hernández, Fermín Martínez, Fernanda Rivera, Norma Pablo, Assira Abbate, Kathy Bernal. World Sales: Habanero Film Sales.
About the Director
Sharon Kleinberg (she/her) is a Mexico City-born filmmaker, playwright, and actress with a 25-year career across theater, film, and television. Trained at the Dimitrios Sarrás Academy and El SET, she has performed in over twenty plays, short films, TV series, and features. She later studied screenwriting at the Centro Internacional de Guión para Cine y Televisión (CIGCITE), building a strong body of work as a playwright with acclaimed stage productions such as Esperando morir. Across both stage and screen, Kleinberg's work explores moral dilemmas, human rights, identity, and gender inequality. I Am Mario is her feature directorial debut.
