In an period the place the media usually prioritizes spectacle over substance, Washington J. Calvache Durand is pushed by purpose-driven storytelling. The movie producer’s newest triumph, “The Weight of Bullying,” lately garnered awards on the LA Movie Awards, a preferred movie competition for unbiased cinema, proves that socially acutely aware filmmaking is having a second.
This documentary, which delves into the emotional and societal toll of bullying, has resonated globally, incomes a Suncoast Emmy Award for Finest Quick Inspirational Movie and honors at a number of worldwide festivals. However for Calvache Durand, recognition is just a part of the story.
A Movie That Sparks Reflection: The Premise of The Weight of Bullying
At its core, “The Weight of Bullying” transcends the everyday narrative of sufferer and perpetrator. Directed by Cisco Movies’ José Francisco Malavé, the movie shifts the lens to look at how bullying ripples by way of households and communities. “Bullying isn’t only a private problem—it’s a cultural one,” Calvache Durand explains. “We wished to point out not solely the ache of the sufferer however the invisible scars on mother and father, siblings, and even bystanders.”
This method struck a chord with audiences. By humanizing the impression of bullying, the movie exposes the fragility of emotional well-being in an more and more disconnected world. Its stark portrayal of how isolation, rumor-mongering, and verbal harassment can result in tragic penalties, together with adolescent suicide, has sparked essential conversations. The movie’s instructional worth, coupled with its uncooked emotional honesty, earned reward from educators, psychologists, and advocates. “It’s a narrative that society must confront head-on,” Calvache Durand says.
Collaboration with a Visionary: Working with José Francisco Malavé
For Calvache Durand, the partnership with Malavé was instrumental to the movie’s success. “From the start, we shared a mission: to make use of storytelling as a catalyst for change,” he recounts. Collectively, they crafted a manufacturing that balanced creative ambition with social accountability. The method, Calvache Durand admits, was “demanding however deeply fulfilling.” Malavé’s directorial imaginative and prescient, paired with Calvache Durand’s strategic perception as a producer, created a synergy that elevated the undertaking past a documentary right into a motion.
Their collaboration epitomizes what Calvache Durand calls “filmmaking with goal”—a philosophy that transforms media right into a instrument for consciousness and motion. “When the story resonates, when it stirs empathy, that’s when change begins,” he says.
Addressing a Nationwide Disaster: The Staggering Actuality of Bullying
The movie’s relevance is underscored by alarming statistics: 20% of U.S. college students aged 12–18 expertise bullying yearly, with social exclusion and verbal harassment being the most typical kinds. For Calvache Durand, the answer lies in reimagining how society approaches the problem. “Bullying is a symptom of a bigger drawback: a scarcity of empathy and household disconnect,” he mentioned.
He emphasizes the significance of schooling and group accountability. “We’re seeing extra aggression and fewer compassion. Households and colleges should take accountability—not only for punishing bullying conduct, however for fostering the emotional intelligence to stop it.” Platforms like The Weight of Bullying play a task on this shift by difficult viewers to reevaluate their very own roles in perpetuating or difficult dangerous dynamics.
A Producer with Objective: Calvache Durand and Cisco Movies
As an govt producer at Cisco Movies, Calvache Durand has change into a driving power within the documentary area. In 2025 alone, he produced 4 socially impactful initiatives, together with “The Weight of Bullying” and “Voices of Rett,” every incomes nationwide and worldwide acclaim. His skill to determine narratives that bridge artistry with advocacy units him aside.
For Calvache Durand, the success of those initiatives is a staff effort. “Our tales resonate as a result of we care deeply in regards to the folks behind them,” he says. This ethos is mirrored in Cisco Movies’ dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices and tackling pressing societal points.
The Human Face of Bullying: What the Movie Exhibits
The Weight of Bullying avoids sensationalism, opting as a substitute for a compassionate exploration of its topic. By way of intimate interviews and real-life tales, the movie reveals the long-term trauma bullying inflicts on people and households. “We don’t shrink back from the ache,” Calvache Durand notes. “However we additionally spotlight resilience. Restoration is feasible, and so is therapeutic.”
By framing bullying as a collective accountability, the movie challenges viewers to mirror on their very own communities. “It’s a name to motion,” Calvache Durand says. “Everybody has a task in prevention—whether or not as a pupil, mother or father, or educator.”
Trying Forward: New Tasks and a Legacy of Influence
With 2026, Calvache Durand is already turning his focus to a brand new slate of documentaries designed to increase the boundaries of purpose-driven storytelling. Matters embrace humanity’s relationship with nature, private resilience, scientific innovation, and inspirational human journeys. Whereas particulars stay underneath wraps, the initiatives are slated for submission to prestigious festivals such because the Telly Awards, Banff Movie Pageant, and the Emmys.
“Every story we inform is a chance to make a distinction,” Calvache Durand says. His upcoming work continues the mission he pioneered with The Weight of Bullying: to encourage, educate, and depart a legacy past leisure.
A Multifaceted Chief: A Producer’s Broader Mission
Past filmmaking, Calvache Durand is a trailblazer in enterprise and accessibility. As CEO of Loyal Building and founding father of Loyal Accessible Options, he’s a champion of ADA-compliant areas for folks with disabilities, embedding social impression into his entrepreneurial ventures. His DIAMOND Technique, a seven-stage enterprise framework, empowers professionals to align their work with goal, reflecting his perception that “it’s not about progress—it’s about legacy.”
Calvache Durand incessantly lectures on acutely aware management, enterprise technique, and the media’s position in societal change. His judging position within the 2024–2025 Emmy Awards Spanish-language classes underscores his versatility within the trade.
The Way forward for Objective-Pushed Storytelling
Calvache Durand’s philosophy of filmmaking as a instrument for transformation is obvious: “Tales have the ability to attach us, to problem us, and to vary us.” As he continues to provide documentaries that problem norms and advocate for fairness, his work serves as a blueprint for the way media can bridge divides and ignite empathy.
As he explains: “Objective-driven storytelling isn’t nearly creating content material—it’s about creating contribution. After we inform tales that matter, we give voice to the unvoiced and hope to those that’ve misplaced it.”
Watch the trailer for The Weight of Bullying right here.
