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Sharon Kleinberg’s I Am Mario Moves From TIFF to New York

Iconic Original Media Editorial Team

September 16, 2026

A busy street at night in San Pedro Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico, seen from above; an illustrative image of urban Mexico

Some debut features take the long route to an audience. Sharon Kleinberg’s I Am Mario (Soy Mario) is taking a fast one: from Toronto to New York in a single week. The Mexican drama was scheduled for its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12. It now moves to the New York Latino Film Festival, which runs September 15 to 20, for its U.S. premiere, according to BroadwayWorld.

A father’s story, told differently

The premise is unusual. Cinema Tropical’s TIFF guide describes the film this way: “Kleinberg’s directorial debut centers on a forty-year-old trans taxi driver who faces an unexpected pregnancy that opens the possibility of fulfilling his dream of becoming a father.” BroadwayWorld describes the film as an exploration of identity, bodily autonomy, masculinity and the desire to build a family.

Kleinberg is new to directing features but not to storytelling. BroadwayWorld describes the Mexico City-born artist as a filmmaker, playwright and actress with a 25-year career. It reports that she developed the screenplay over three years of research in collaboration with Mexico’s transgender community. That process shows in the casting. Mario is played by Oustin de León, whom BroadwayWorld describes as a non-professional trans actor and a Tae Kwon Do master.

Recognition before the festival run

The film arrives with awards already won. At the Guadalajara International Film Festival, de León received the Mezcal Award for Best Performance, and the film won the Maguey Jury Award in the festival’s LGBTQIA+ competition, according to the festival. The supporting cast includes Héctor Kotsifakis, Mayra Batalla, Ruth Ramos, Krystian Ferrer and Mercedes Hernández. Gerard Uzcategui is the cinematographer and Aldo Álvarez Morales edited the 97-minute, Spanish-language film.

At TIFF, I Am Mario screens in the festival’s Discovery section. Cinema Tropical lists it as one of two Latin American debut features in that section, alongside Joaquín Ruano’s Guatemalan film Nosotros. BroadwayWorld lists Toronto screenings on September 10 (press and industry), September 12, September 14 and September 20, all at the Scotiabank Theatre. The festival itself runs September 10 to 20, with awards to be announced on the final day, September 20, according to Movie Scene Canada.

Why New York matters

For a Mexican independent film, a U.S. premiere at the New York Latino Film Festival is a strategic choice. A New York screening puts a first-time director in front of American programmers, distributors and press shortly after a major international festival. Moving from Toronto to New York in one week gives I Am Mario two chances to build word of mouth while attention is high.

There is also the story itself. Trans narratives on screen have too often been told by outsiders or centered on suffering. Kleinberg’s approach, as the festival materials describe it, is grounded in years of community research and led by a non-professional trans performer. It suggests a different model: a film about fatherhood, family and belonging whose central character is allowed to want something ordinary.

Distribution plans for the United States have not been announced in the sources reviewed. For now, New York audiences have a short window to see one of the season’s more distinctive first features before its festival run moves on.

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