Sometimes, the most powerful stories find you when you least expect them. For Fran Guijarro, what began as a film school assignment turned into a 15-year journey that would forever shape his artistry, his perspective, and his heart.

‘Moses’ is not just a documentary. It is a deeply personal ode to transformation, visibility, and the quiet strength found in connection. Through the lens of this Spanish-American filmmaker and the voice of a man who refused to let his circumstances define him, this film invites us to witness the fog lift not just from Moses’s life, but from our own understanding of what it means to truly see and be seen.

In this conversation, Fran Guijarro tells us more about what inspired this long journey, the patience it took to complete it as well as the gift that it was to him.

 

1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey as a filmmaker?

Fran: I was born in Málaga, Spain, and today I call San Francisco home. I’m a Spanish-American creative director and filmmaker with a deep love for stories that reveal the human spirit. I studied film at EICTV (the International School of Film and Television in Cuba), and at Stanford University, but most of what I’ve learned has come from making films. Over the years, I’ve directed two short documentaries, Mexican Cuisine and The Mural, and Moses is my first feature. When I’m not working, I enjoy learning and playing music, occasionally moonlighting as a one-man band, with guitar, ukulele, piano, and Native American flutes in the mix.

 

2. As a creative, I believe you have had several ideas for stories you could tell through film. How were you able to settle on this idea for making Moses? If there was a method to it, what was it?

Fran: The origin of Moses was pure serendipity. In 2007, I arrived in San Francisco to study film on a scholarship. I was struck by the scale of the homelessness crisis in the city, something that deeply moved me and ultimately inspired ‘I Wish’, a narrative short film that I wrote for one of my classes.

The story centred on a real person experiencing homelessness, so I began pitching the idea to several unhoused individuals I regularly passed on my way to school. No one seemed interested, until one day, I was greeted warmly by a panhandler. His name was Moses, and he accepted my invitation to star in the film.

Neither of us could have imagined that this small student project would ignite a life-changing journey for him, one that led Moses to reclaim his life, reconnect with his family, and return to his music. I continued documenting his story over the next 15 years. What began as a class assignment evolved into Moses, a feature documentary born unintentionally from a short narrative film.

 

3. As an immigrant, does Moses’s journey mirror yours in any way?

Fran: As an immigrant, one of the deepest longings is simply to be seen, to be recognised for who you truly are, the way people knew you back home. I believe Moses carried a similar longing. He would often say, “Being homeless is like being behind the fog of San Francisco, you’re invisible. But communication is the key to being seen.” At its core, this film is a testament to that truth: that through communication, we can truly see and be seen.

 

4. Moses was filmed for over 15 years. At what point did you realise this was no longer just a class project, but a lifelong creative commitment?

Fran: When his backstory started to surface: his family, the incredible music he wrote in the 1970s, and all the storytellers he inspired from “the office,” the street corner where he panhandled for over two decades. Life was unfolding a singular, once-in-a-lifetime story in front of me, and I felt a deep responsibility to tell it.

 

5. Were there moments during those 15 years when you thought about walking away from the project? What pulled you back in?

Fran: There were definitely times when continuing felt overwhelming. With over 700 hours of footage, no outside funding, and the challenge of living in San Francisco—one of the most expensive cities in the world—there were days it felt almost impossible to keep going. I was juggling multiple jobs just to stay afloat, and the weight of telling such a deeply personal story over so many years was heavy.

But then I’d look at Moses, at the way he was reclaiming his life after more than two decades of homelessness. I watched him reconnect with his family, stay clean and sober, graduate from high school at age 66, find stable housing, and return to the music that had always lived inside him. In a world that so often equates homelessness with despair and darkness, his journey was a powerful reminder that transformation is possible. That hope is real. That’s what kept me going.

6. Also, given the span of time it took to make this film, how did you navigate changes in technology, storytelling trends, and your own growth as a filmmaker?

Fran: Making Moses over 15 years meant constantly learning to adapt. When I began filming, back in 2007, I was using a MiniDV camcorder, the Canon 5D was just starting to revolutionize indie filmmaking, and RED had introduced the first 4K digital cinema camera. As technology evolved, I had to keep learning: upgrading equipment, preserving old footage, and blending formats to create a cohesive visual language.

But the biggest evolution wasn’t technical, it was personal. I grew up while making this film. I began as a film student in my mid-twenties and finished it in my forties. Along the way, Moses became my teacher. He taught me patience, empathy, and how to listen deeply. Trends in storytelling came and went, but what stayed with me was the value of honesty. I learned that a story told with heart and truth can cut through any format or fad. That belief guided every step of this journey.

 

7. The film uses multiple film formats, MiniDV, 35mm, Super 16, Super 8. How did the visual texture of these formats help tell Moses’ story?

Fran: Yes, Moses is quite an eclectic film, and the range of shooting formats (MiniDV, HD, 4K, 35mm, Super 16, and Super 8), was never just a stylistic choice. It was a reflection of the journey itself. Filming over 15 years meant using whatever tools I had access to at the time. I still remember buying my first DSLR camera, a Canon 7D, and pairing it with an old Nikkor 50mm 1.4 lens I found on eBay for forty bucks. I was thrilled I could finally capture vérité footage with a more cinematic look.

The film also includes some powerful archival footage we uncovered, which adds even more depth to Moses’s backstory. I think the mix of textures helps tell the story, it gives the audience a visceral sense of time passing, of life unfolding in real time. 

 

8. What were some of the most difficult ethical decisions you had to make in documenting someone’s life over such a long period?

Fran: Filming Moses during his battle with addiction was emotionally brutal, not because he hid from the lens, but because I couldn’t hide from what I was witnessing. I wasn’t just a filmmaker pointing a camera. I was a friend watching someone I cared for slip in and out of dangerous places.

There were days I feared the worst, an overdose. But I kept filming, not out of detachment, but because I believed his story mattered. All of it. The pain, the setbacks, the moments most people look away from.

When Moses finally completed rehab and remained sober for the rest of his life, the knot of fear I had carried for so long slowly gave way to gratitude; gratitude that the camera caught not just the darkness, but the light. The hope.

9. Moses’s music from the ’70s forms the emotional backbone of the film. How important was it for you to capture this as well and did it pose any challenges for you?

Fran: The central message of the film, in Moses’s own words, is: “Communication is the key to being seen.” It was a truth he came to understand through music. “I learned that from music, because music is communication. It’s a two-way connection between the player and the audience. True music is love.”

Those words stayed with me. They became the emotional compass I had been searching for and the guiding thread of the story. That’s why music isn’t just part of Moses; it’s at its very heart.

But weaving his music into the film wasn’t easy. Moses had written and arranged most of his songs in the 1970s. During production, we were fortunate to recover a few of his original recordings. It felt like unearthing buried treasure. But many others hadn’t survived the passage of time.

That’s when Moses decided to re-record them, bringing in some of the same musicians he had played with four decades earlier. The experience was nothing short of magical. Watching him return to the studio, reclaiming his voice and his guitar after everything he’d been through, was one of the most powerful and beautiful moments of the entire journey.

 

10. Was there ever a point where you were worried the story wouldn’t have an arc or resolution, or it wasn’t going anywhere?

Fran: Moses’s story was unfolding in real time with no script, and I knew I was witnessing a powerful arc of transformation. But for a long time, I felt I was missing the thread that ties everything together. I found it when we realised how many storytellers Moses had inspired over the years from his street corner, and how that connected to his core message: “Communication is the key to being seen.”, that life-changing lesson he had learned through music. In that moment, I found the heart of the story.

 

11. For the people who get to see this film, what is that one message that you hope they take away from this film?

Fran: As Moses himself would often say, “Communication is the key to solving any problems we might have in life.” Like I’ve already mentioned, that idea became the heart of the film. His message isn’t just about homelessness, it’s about the human condition. Whether it’s couples in crisis, nations at war, or friends who’ve drifted apart, communication is what can lead us back to each other. Moses is a testament to that universal truth.

 

12. Lastly, can you share with us any advice for filmmakers who would love to make a lifelong creative project like yours?

Fran: Be patient with the story, with yourself, and with the process. Lifelong projects aren’t built overnight. They require trust, not just in your vision, but in the people whose stories you’re telling. Stay open, stay humble, and let the story lead. And don’t be afraid to ask for help, you’ll need a great team around you. I was lucky to have one. Without them, I couldn’t have told this story, especially Diya and Juli, my co-producers. They became my backup engines every time I was running out of fuel.

In a world that often moves too fast to stop and listen, Moses reminds us that the most profound truths can unfold slowly, quietly, and unexpectedly, if only we’re patient enough to stay with them. Fran Guijarro’s unwavering commitment to telling Moses’s story is a beautiful act of creative defiance against invisibility, and a gentle but urgent call for all of us to connect with ourselves and with the stories waiting on the other side of the fog.

Moses is not just a film; it is an invitation to remember that hope is real, and it speaks in the language of love, music, and human connection. A connection that we all need and must learn to share.

In Conversation With Reina K., brings to you the kind of scoop that gives you a real insight into the mind, drive and craft of filmmakers from across the world.