The screeching sound of the subway comforts Matthew Baquero, who grew up with the F train right outside his window.

“The sound honestly helps me sleep, because I feel like I’m connected to my childhood memories,” Baquero, the son of Colombian immigrants who came to New York City more than 30 years ago, said.

“My mom is my hero. My dad as well,” he said. “They’re two very brave people that made that trip just like millions of other people and I feel like that, as New Yorkers, is what connects us.”

What You Need To Know

  • Matthew Baquero pays homage to his parents in his feature film "San Pablo," which takes place in his mother’s hometown of Cartago

  • Baquero is the son of Colombian immigrants who came to New York City more than 30 years ago

  • "San Pablo" has won multiple awards including best foreign feature film at the Studio City Film Festival in Los Angeles

Baquero pays homage to his parents in his feature film “San Pablo,” which takes place in his mother’s hometown of Cartago. The story follows a young café worker who dreams of moving to France, struggling to escape his crime-ridden neighborhood.

He says the message of “San Pablo” is universal, one that anyone who has ever had a dream can understand.

“A lot of people in any part of the world can relate to that struggle. The struggle of having limited resources, the struggle of wanting to have a better life for themselves and their families,” he said.

Four years after he began writing the script, Baquero, who splits his time between Colombia, Florida and Brooklyn, returned to his beloved borough to premiere his film at the famed Alpine Cinema in Bay Ridge.

“Seeing it here on a major avenue in Brooklyn, I can’t put into words how amazing that is,” he said.

Family and friends gathered inside the 103-year-old movie theater Saturday night to support Baquero.

“To see him here is such a sense of pride, not just for me but for our entire family,” Claudia Hach, his cousin, said.

“I’m extremely proud. I have no words. I just can’t believe that it’s my godson doing this,” Ana Velasco, his godmother, said.

Baquero says nothing will ever compare to seeing “San Pablo” on the marquee of the theater he went to as a child.

“It’s a dream come true. If you would’ve asked me 10 years ago if I was gonna have a movie here at Alpine where I grew up coming to with all my cousins and my family, I would’ve thought you were crazy,” he said. “It’s a very beautiful thing, to be honest.”

”San Pablo” has won multiple awards, including best foreign feature film at the Studio City Film Festival in Los Angeles.