It’s been a long and emotional road over the past decade for fans of the galaxy’s misfit heroes, but it sure seems like this journey has finally come to an end. Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 hit theaters this past week and gave audiences another two-hour action-packed adventure ride that is being praised as arguably the best MCU movie since Endgame. The Guardians movies have always been beloved by MCU fans and critics alike and the third is no different, with director James Gunn deserving a standing ovation for his MCU encore.
However, despite the movie being Gunn’s last turn behind the camera for the MCU, and the added confirmation from the director that Volume 3 would be the Guardians last outing, the film itself left several loose-ends and countless possibilities for where the fan-favorite characters could return in the future. So, with all of the Guardians split...
However, despite the movie being Gunn’s last turn behind the camera for the MCU, and the added confirmation from the director that Volume 3 would be the Guardians last outing, the film itself left several loose-ends and countless possibilities for where the fan-favorite characters could return in the future. So, with all of the Guardians split...
- 5/13/2023
- by Jon Meschutt
- JoBlo.com
Rico Rodriguez’s ultimate goal is to avoid further punishment in Shockya’s new exclusive clip from his upcoming drama, ‘Endgame.’ The ‘Modern Family’ actor stars as Jose in the film, who turns to his grandmother for help in the video, which is titled ‘Jose is in Trouble.’ The clip has been unveiled in support of the drama’s distribution by Late Bloomer Productions in theaters tomorrow in L.A., before it expands to more screens on October 2. ‘Jose is in Trouble’ follows Jose as he arrives on the doorstep of his grandmother, Abuelita, who’s played by Ivonne Coll. She immediately asks her grandson what happened to him, as his clothes and school [ Read More ]
The post Exclusive: Watch Modern Family’s Rico Rodriguez Enter The Endgame appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Exclusive: Watch Modern Family’s Rico Rodriguez Enter The Endgame appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/24/2015
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
I am happy to see more people vocalize demand for Latina representation onscreen and the resurging interest in solving this messed up disparity issue (Thank you Gina Rodriguez Golden Globes acceptance speech ). However, the representation issue I find ten times more urgent to address is the anguishing miniscule percentage of Latina Content Creators in film and television.
I give you 5 bomb Latina Directors who are are at the helm of brand new feature films coming out this year, women who are striking through the hostile mass media industry to escape the rule of homogeneity (white male perspective). Now that is something to celebrate. It’s not surprising that three of these are documentaries. The percentage of women directed films in documentaries is higher than in fiction. Now I can’t say with total certainty these 2 Latina directed U.S. fiction feature length films are the only ones out there this year…actually yes I can…..until someone reaches out to correct me ….and I really do hope to be corrected because only two???????
"Los 33"
Director : Patricia Riggen
Writers : Mikko Alanne, Michael John Bell, Craig Borten, Jose Rivera
Producers : Robert Katz, Edward McGurn, Mike Medavoy
Cinematographer : Checco Varese
Music : James Horner
U.S. Distributor : Tba
Cast : Rodrigo Santoro, Antonio Banderas, Cote de Pablo, James Brolin, Juliette Binoche, Gabriel Byrne, Lou Diamond Phillips, Kate del Castillo, Tenoch Huerta
Social Media: @The33Pelicula
Logline: Based on the incredible real-life story of the 33 survivors of a copper-gold mine in Chile that collapsed and trapping them 700 meters underground for 69 days until their rescue.
Add Riggen to the exclusive ranks of women who fought for and have proved they got the chops to direct big action, Hollywood type genre movies like Katheryn Bigelow, Mimi Leder. The trailer for Los 33 that dropped last week reveals an epic dramatization of the intensely emotional struggle to survive the Chilean mine disaster. The English language film carries a sweeping score by none other than James Horner (and naturally you can hear Violetta Parra’s classic song, Gracias Por La Vida). Add to that a big hero performance by Antonio Banderas who leads an ensemble cast of well known international actors (including hottie Mexican star of Güeros, Tenoch Huerta!!). Riggen, who was born in Guadalajara but moved to the states after graduating Columbia’s film school in NY, made a splash with her 2007 film, Under the Same Moon starring a back-then-virtually-unknown-in-the-u.S. Eugenio Derbez, and Kate del Castillo. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival then was picked up by Pantelion, the studio she later worked with on the Eva Mendes starrer Girl in Progress.
Domestic distribution and release stateside is yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile Twentieth Century Fox will be releasing the film in Chile in August, marking the fifth anniversary of the incident, before rolling out the film throughout Latin America including Mexico. For an in-depth account of Los 33, check out current best-seller, “Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle That Set Them Free” by Hector Tobar.
"Endgame"
Director: Carmen Marron
Writers : Hector Salinas, Carmen Marron
Producers : Sandra Avila, Carmen Marron
Executive Producers : Hector Salinas, Betty Sullivan
Associate Producer : Bonnie Emerson
Cinematographer: Francisco Bulgarelli
Music: Brian Standefer
Cinematographer: Francisco Bulgarelli
U.S. Distributor : Tba
Cast : Rico Rodriguez, Efren Ramirez, Justina Machado, Jon Gries
Social Media: @GoForIt_Carmen
Facebook
Logline: Shot in Brownsville and inspired by true events, Endgame is a coming-of-age story about a young boy who joins the school chess team, and with the help of his coach, embarks on a journey of self-discovery, team spirit and the importance of family.
Another talented genre director (and fellow Chicana from Chicago, Heyyy) whose tenacity and talent make her primed to be our Latina Ava Duvernay success story (of course that depends on whether the public (and gatekeepers) support her to make the change to the system to demand her spot in the national mainstream). I wrote about Carmen’s tireless spirit before , mentioning her first film which she shot, wrote, directed and produced in Chicago called Go For It (which incidentally was Gina Rodriguez’s first feature role). Her latest film is Endgame starring the precocious Manny from Modern Family, Rico Rodriguez, and Efren Ramirez from cult classic Napoleon Dynamite, Endgame is one of those irresistible competition, underdog, against-all-odds stories. Ramirez portrays the galvanizing Brownsville public elementary school teacher and chess afficionado, J.J. Guajardo, who in 1989, upon seeing his 6th grade class take an interest in his chess board, began to teach them on the regular. The class excelled and entered regional competitions, going on to enter and win state championships against schools with far more resources. Echoing the positives of disrupting a broke educational status quo with simply offering access to advanced mental cognition building tools, the film echoes another real life story and seminal Chicano film, Stand & Deliver. Big difference; that movie was not directed by a Latino/a.
The film is world premiering at the Dallas International Film Festival April 12 &13. Distribution is yet to be confirmed for theatrical/VOD but stay tuned via the Facebook page.
"No Mas Bebes"
Director: Renee Tajima-Peña
Producers : Virginia Espino
Associate Producer : Kate Trumbull-Valle
Executive Producers : Julie Parker Benello, Wendy Ettinger, Judith Helfland, Sally Jo Fiefer and Sandra Pedlow
U.S. Distributor : Itvs/Latino Public Broadcasting
Cinematographer: Claudio Rocha
Music: Bronwen Jones, additional music by Quetzal
Cast : Antonia Hernandez, Gloria Molina, Dolores Madrigal, Jovita Rivera, Consuelo Hermosillo
Social Media: Facebook
Logline : An investigation of the sterilization of Mexican-American women at Los Angeles County-usc Medical Center during the 1960s and 70s
Sadly, there is an appalling history in the United States of laws and policies authorizing sterilizations of poor women without their knowledge or consent for the “benefit of society”; Buck v. Bell (low-income white women in Virginia), Relf v. Weinberger (young African-American women in Alabama), and female inmates in California. This film focuses on the case of Latinas of Mexican origin in California in Madrigal v. Quilligan . Shedding light on this horrific human rights violation, the film includes interviews with women who suffered this terrible ordeal and locked the memory away, along with former medical staff and the incredible lawyer who filed this suit forty years ago, Antonia Hernandez. A long-time coming, supremely valuable and eye opening contextualization of the Chicano rights movement from the late 60s/70s as well as the current reproductive justice movement.
So kind of cheating here, Renee is not Latina per se, but a sister in the struggle to document the Latino community. Her producer is Latina, Virginia Espino, La born-and-raised historian, plus I really want to rally support for this film because it is one of those Latina stories that really needed to be told and remembered this year which marks the 40th anniversary of the lawsuit (June 19). It is ready to be unveiled and seen by as wide an audience as possible. Stay tuned to hear when the film will have its world premiere before its broadcast in the Fall on Voces, Latino Public Broadcasting’s arts and culture series on PBS.
"Now en Español"
Director: Andrea Meller
Producers : Aaron Woolf, Andrea Meller
Music: Camara Kambon
Cinematographer: Charlie Gruet
U.S. Distributor : PBS/Latino Public Broadcasting
Cast : Marabina Jaimes, Marcela Bordes, Gabriela Lopetegui, Ivette Gonzalez, Natasha Perez
Social Media: @NowenEspanol, website
Logline: Follows the trials and triumphs of the small group of Latina actresses who dub “Desperate Housewives” into Spanish.
Currently hitting the festival circuit in such reputable festivals as Santa Barbara, Chicago Latino Film Festival, CineFestival, ahead of its showing on PBS Voces, "Now en Español" is such an effective and distinct balance of humor, seriousness and insider look by Chilean-American Andrea Meller.
Profiling Marcela Bordes, Ivette Gonzalez, Marabina Jaimes, Gabriela Lopetegui and Natasha Perez, the film is quite plainspoken and sympathetic about the struggle of the actor in Hollywood. Like the comedy fiction film (also directed by a woman!) "In a World," by Lake Bell, the film offers a rare behind the scenes and insight into the voice acting industry. Few actors make make careers out of this, others pick it up for income, but in the end it is a highly distinct skill to dub millions of shows. It’s really fascinating perspective on the representation of Latinas onscreen and off. What I love most about this film on top of it being an important tool for dialogue and change, is that the filmmaker injects a whimsy tone (apropos Wisteria Lane) which makes sparking this conversation and call to action so much more effective. You have no reason to miss this as it premieres on Friday, April 24, 2015, 10:00-11:00 p.m. (check local listings) as part of Voces, Latino Public Broadcasting’s arts and culture series on PBS. To get a taste of the ladies’ charm and humor check out the trailer:
"Ovarian Psycos"
Director: Kate Trumbull-lavalle & Joanna Sokolowski
Producers :Kate Trumbull-lavalle & Joanna Sokolowski
U.S. Distributor : Itvs (broadcast)
Cinematographer: Michael Raines
Music: Jimmy Lavalle
Cast : Ovarian Psycos Cycle Brigade
Social Media: Facebook
Logline: Follows the story of an all woman of color bicycle brigade, the Ovarian Psycos Cycle Brigade. Based in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood in Eastside Los Angeles, the Ova’s are a collective of unapologetic, politicized, young Latina women who host monthly bike rides every full moon for women and women-identified riders.
Ever since I interviewed Kate during her film’s Kickstarter , I’ve been madly anticipating this, so I’m pleased to scoop that it will be ready late Fall thanks to Itvs coming in with finishing funds. Protegees of esteemed film ladies like Renee Tajima Peña and B. Ruby Rich, the ladies have spent more than two years riding with the Ovas for this documentary. Says Joanna, “There are lots of bike groups in La, but what’s unique about the Ova’s is each ride has a sociopolitical theme and ends with a group discussion. They dialogue about everything from violence against women to the gentrification of Boyle Heights”.
The Ova’s s leadership is run by the collective who work “To Serve, not to Self Serve. Credited as founder is activist and music artist, Xela de la X who formed this rad collective in 2011 with the mission to cycle for the purpose of healing, reclaim neighborhoods, and create safer streets for women on the Eastside. Currently being edited the film should be ready for the Fall if not early next year.
In case you are wondering Trumbull-lavalle is two generations apart from family in Northern Mexico. Which I only add as proof that last names and color of skin are not indicators for knowing whether someone identifies as Latino/a or not.
Which leads me to reiterate, I really hope these 5 are not the only Latina directors with films coming out this year. Calling out an A.P.B. to Latina directors with a feature length film (fiction especially) in production or post, holler at your girl...
I give you 5 bomb Latina Directors who are are at the helm of brand new feature films coming out this year, women who are striking through the hostile mass media industry to escape the rule of homogeneity (white male perspective). Now that is something to celebrate. It’s not surprising that three of these are documentaries. The percentage of women directed films in documentaries is higher than in fiction. Now I can’t say with total certainty these 2 Latina directed U.S. fiction feature length films are the only ones out there this year…actually yes I can…..until someone reaches out to correct me ….and I really do hope to be corrected because only two???????
"Los 33"
Director : Patricia Riggen
Writers : Mikko Alanne, Michael John Bell, Craig Borten, Jose Rivera
Producers : Robert Katz, Edward McGurn, Mike Medavoy
Cinematographer : Checco Varese
Music : James Horner
U.S. Distributor : Tba
Cast : Rodrigo Santoro, Antonio Banderas, Cote de Pablo, James Brolin, Juliette Binoche, Gabriel Byrne, Lou Diamond Phillips, Kate del Castillo, Tenoch Huerta
Social Media: @The33Pelicula
Logline: Based on the incredible real-life story of the 33 survivors of a copper-gold mine in Chile that collapsed and trapping them 700 meters underground for 69 days until their rescue.
Add Riggen to the exclusive ranks of women who fought for and have proved they got the chops to direct big action, Hollywood type genre movies like Katheryn Bigelow, Mimi Leder. The trailer for Los 33 that dropped last week reveals an epic dramatization of the intensely emotional struggle to survive the Chilean mine disaster. The English language film carries a sweeping score by none other than James Horner (and naturally you can hear Violetta Parra’s classic song, Gracias Por La Vida). Add to that a big hero performance by Antonio Banderas who leads an ensemble cast of well known international actors (including hottie Mexican star of Güeros, Tenoch Huerta!!). Riggen, who was born in Guadalajara but moved to the states after graduating Columbia’s film school in NY, made a splash with her 2007 film, Under the Same Moon starring a back-then-virtually-unknown-in-the-u.S. Eugenio Derbez, and Kate del Castillo. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival then was picked up by Pantelion, the studio she later worked with on the Eva Mendes starrer Girl in Progress.
Domestic distribution and release stateside is yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile Twentieth Century Fox will be releasing the film in Chile in August, marking the fifth anniversary of the incident, before rolling out the film throughout Latin America including Mexico. For an in-depth account of Los 33, check out current best-seller, “Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle That Set Them Free” by Hector Tobar.
"Endgame"
Director: Carmen Marron
Writers : Hector Salinas, Carmen Marron
Producers : Sandra Avila, Carmen Marron
Executive Producers : Hector Salinas, Betty Sullivan
Associate Producer : Bonnie Emerson
Cinematographer: Francisco Bulgarelli
Music: Brian Standefer
Cinematographer: Francisco Bulgarelli
U.S. Distributor : Tba
Cast : Rico Rodriguez, Efren Ramirez, Justina Machado, Jon Gries
Social Media: @GoForIt_Carmen
Logline: Shot in Brownsville and inspired by true events, Endgame is a coming-of-age story about a young boy who joins the school chess team, and with the help of his coach, embarks on a journey of self-discovery, team spirit and the importance of family.
Another talented genre director (and fellow Chicana from Chicago, Heyyy) whose tenacity and talent make her primed to be our Latina Ava Duvernay success story (of course that depends on whether the public (and gatekeepers) support her to make the change to the system to demand her spot in the national mainstream). I wrote about Carmen’s tireless spirit before , mentioning her first film which she shot, wrote, directed and produced in Chicago called Go For It (which incidentally was Gina Rodriguez’s first feature role). Her latest film is Endgame starring the precocious Manny from Modern Family, Rico Rodriguez, and Efren Ramirez from cult classic Napoleon Dynamite, Endgame is one of those irresistible competition, underdog, against-all-odds stories. Ramirez portrays the galvanizing Brownsville public elementary school teacher and chess afficionado, J.J. Guajardo, who in 1989, upon seeing his 6th grade class take an interest in his chess board, began to teach them on the regular. The class excelled and entered regional competitions, going on to enter and win state championships against schools with far more resources. Echoing the positives of disrupting a broke educational status quo with simply offering access to advanced mental cognition building tools, the film echoes another real life story and seminal Chicano film, Stand & Deliver. Big difference; that movie was not directed by a Latino/a.
The film is world premiering at the Dallas International Film Festival April 12 &13. Distribution is yet to be confirmed for theatrical/VOD but stay tuned via the Facebook page.
"No Mas Bebes"
Director: Renee Tajima-Peña
Producers : Virginia Espino
Associate Producer : Kate Trumbull-Valle
Executive Producers : Julie Parker Benello, Wendy Ettinger, Judith Helfland, Sally Jo Fiefer and Sandra Pedlow
U.S. Distributor : Itvs/Latino Public Broadcasting
Cinematographer: Claudio Rocha
Music: Bronwen Jones, additional music by Quetzal
Cast : Antonia Hernandez, Gloria Molina, Dolores Madrigal, Jovita Rivera, Consuelo Hermosillo
Social Media: Facebook
Logline : An investigation of the sterilization of Mexican-American women at Los Angeles County-usc Medical Center during the 1960s and 70s
Sadly, there is an appalling history in the United States of laws and policies authorizing sterilizations of poor women without their knowledge or consent for the “benefit of society”; Buck v. Bell (low-income white women in Virginia), Relf v. Weinberger (young African-American women in Alabama), and female inmates in California. This film focuses on the case of Latinas of Mexican origin in California in Madrigal v. Quilligan . Shedding light on this horrific human rights violation, the film includes interviews with women who suffered this terrible ordeal and locked the memory away, along with former medical staff and the incredible lawyer who filed this suit forty years ago, Antonia Hernandez. A long-time coming, supremely valuable and eye opening contextualization of the Chicano rights movement from the late 60s/70s as well as the current reproductive justice movement.
So kind of cheating here, Renee is not Latina per se, but a sister in the struggle to document the Latino community. Her producer is Latina, Virginia Espino, La born-and-raised historian, plus I really want to rally support for this film because it is one of those Latina stories that really needed to be told and remembered this year which marks the 40th anniversary of the lawsuit (June 19). It is ready to be unveiled and seen by as wide an audience as possible. Stay tuned to hear when the film will have its world premiere before its broadcast in the Fall on Voces, Latino Public Broadcasting’s arts and culture series on PBS.
"Now en Español"
Director: Andrea Meller
Producers : Aaron Woolf, Andrea Meller
Music: Camara Kambon
Cinematographer: Charlie Gruet
U.S. Distributor : PBS/Latino Public Broadcasting
Cast : Marabina Jaimes, Marcela Bordes, Gabriela Lopetegui, Ivette Gonzalez, Natasha Perez
Social Media: @NowenEspanol, website
Logline: Follows the trials and triumphs of the small group of Latina actresses who dub “Desperate Housewives” into Spanish.
Currently hitting the festival circuit in such reputable festivals as Santa Barbara, Chicago Latino Film Festival, CineFestival, ahead of its showing on PBS Voces, "Now en Español" is such an effective and distinct balance of humor, seriousness and insider look by Chilean-American Andrea Meller.
Profiling Marcela Bordes, Ivette Gonzalez, Marabina Jaimes, Gabriela Lopetegui and Natasha Perez, the film is quite plainspoken and sympathetic about the struggle of the actor in Hollywood. Like the comedy fiction film (also directed by a woman!) "In a World," by Lake Bell, the film offers a rare behind the scenes and insight into the voice acting industry. Few actors make make careers out of this, others pick it up for income, but in the end it is a highly distinct skill to dub millions of shows. It’s really fascinating perspective on the representation of Latinas onscreen and off. What I love most about this film on top of it being an important tool for dialogue and change, is that the filmmaker injects a whimsy tone (apropos Wisteria Lane) which makes sparking this conversation and call to action so much more effective. You have no reason to miss this as it premieres on Friday, April 24, 2015, 10:00-11:00 p.m. (check local listings) as part of Voces, Latino Public Broadcasting’s arts and culture series on PBS. To get a taste of the ladies’ charm and humor check out the trailer:
"Ovarian Psycos"
Director: Kate Trumbull-lavalle & Joanna Sokolowski
Producers :Kate Trumbull-lavalle & Joanna Sokolowski
U.S. Distributor : Itvs (broadcast)
Cinematographer: Michael Raines
Music: Jimmy Lavalle
Cast : Ovarian Psycos Cycle Brigade
Social Media: Facebook
Logline: Follows the story of an all woman of color bicycle brigade, the Ovarian Psycos Cycle Brigade. Based in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood in Eastside Los Angeles, the Ova’s are a collective of unapologetic, politicized, young Latina women who host monthly bike rides every full moon for women and women-identified riders.
Ever since I interviewed Kate during her film’s Kickstarter , I’ve been madly anticipating this, so I’m pleased to scoop that it will be ready late Fall thanks to Itvs coming in with finishing funds. Protegees of esteemed film ladies like Renee Tajima Peña and B. Ruby Rich, the ladies have spent more than two years riding with the Ovas for this documentary. Says Joanna, “There are lots of bike groups in La, but what’s unique about the Ova’s is each ride has a sociopolitical theme and ends with a group discussion. They dialogue about everything from violence against women to the gentrification of Boyle Heights”.
The Ova’s s leadership is run by the collective who work “To Serve, not to Self Serve. Credited as founder is activist and music artist, Xela de la X who formed this rad collective in 2011 with the mission to cycle for the purpose of healing, reclaim neighborhoods, and create safer streets for women on the Eastside. Currently being edited the film should be ready for the Fall if not early next year.
In case you are wondering Trumbull-lavalle is two generations apart from family in Northern Mexico. Which I only add as proof that last names and color of skin are not indicators for knowing whether someone identifies as Latino/a or not.
Which leads me to reiterate, I really hope these 5 are not the only Latina directors with films coming out this year. Calling out an A.P.B. to Latina directors with a feature length film (fiction especially) in production or post, holler at your girl...
- 4/15/2015
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
The good folks at the Dallas Film Society have released their full program for the Dallas International Film Fest 2015. Like in past years, it is a wide and diverse program that includes festival faves like Slow West (pictured), The Wolfpack, and Results alongside world premieres such as Cameron Nelson's Some Beasts and Carmen Marron's Endgame. A German showcase, Latin showcase, and plenty of great documentaries round out the program. The festival runs April 9-19.Check out the full list below and let us know what you're excited to see.Opening Night Film presented by U.S. Risk/Kara & Randall Goss I'll See You In My Dreams (USA) Director: Brett Haley Cast: Blythe Danner; Martin Starr; Sam Elliott; Malin Akerman; June Squibb; Rhea Perlman; Mary Kay Place I'll See...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/17/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Mercedes Jones may or may not be the truth, but she sure as heck spoke it in this week’s installment of Glee. And we can sum up her testimony in a simple mathematical equation: Rachel Berry + Broadway = Endgame.
No disrespect to those who ship Klaine or Brittana or Samcedes or even Samchel (a mashup moniker that makes me a little queasy every time I type it). But as the show sails into the midway point of its sixth and final season, I’m most interested in seeing the original members of New Directions stay true to their career goals...
No disrespect to those who ship Klaine or Brittana or Samcedes or even Samchel (a mashup moniker that makes me a little queasy every time I type it). But as the show sails into the midway point of its sixth and final season, I’m most interested in seeing the original members of New Directions stay true to their career goals...
- 2/7/2015
- TVLine.com
Napoleon Dynamite turns 10 on Wednesday, so we "guess you can say things are getting pretty serious." On June 11, 2004, the delightfully strange tale of an awkward yet confident high-schooler dancing his way through life hit theaters. Made on a budget of $400,000, the film went on to earn $44 million at the box office and has grown into a comedy classic, thanks to its quirky characters, ridiculously quotable conversations and a finicky llama named Tina. School elections and tater tots will never be the same thanks to Napoleon and the rest of the crew. To celebrate the movie's anniversary, the cast reunited at...
- 6/11/2014
- by Kelli Bender and Nicole Sands
- PEOPLE.com
We asked a few LatinoBuzz amigos to get their Robinson Crusoe on and pick a film, an album, a book and a companion from the movies to join them in their shenanigans were they to be stuck on a deserted island (and before anyone nitpicks, filmmakers are resourceful, so of course they built solar powered entertainment centers made from bamboos, coconuts and grass to watch movies and listen to baby making slow jams). We figured we'd start with the narrative filmmakers since they probably sit around thinking about this kinda stuff anyway.
Film: Choosing desert island items may mean sacrificing taste and/or reason, thinking about those items that you wouldn’t forgive yourself for not bringing them as your company, it´s like choosing the woman of your life. Here it goes: Hiroshima Mon Amour; there might be others I fancy as much as or more than (La Dolce Vita, Vertigo, M , some Lubitsch or Preminger), but I can think of no other as unique. I wouldn’t be able to choose any other without feeling Hiroshima’s absence - the best love film, the best movie about war, the best motion picture regarding the memory and its consequences. I can spend my whole life learning about film and the world because of Hiroshima...'.
Album: “Los Preludios de Debussy” by Claudio Arrau. These were so important to my life (I'm referring to my childhood of course) and I think no one does it better than Arrau. Same thing: it is endless. I think I could never tire of this and I could still wake up each and every morning amazed by it.
Book: “Sentimental Education”, by Flaubert. Similar to “Hiroshima”, a book that changed my outlook on literature and the world and I am certain it will keep transforming it forever.
Companion: Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer in 'The fabulous Baker Boys'). Since I saw the film (which I liked very much!) in the provincial movie theater of my childhood, I felt as Jack Baker´s relative and I loved Susie. If we had a piano, it would all be all be perfect. - Santiago Palavecino (Algunas chicas/Some Girls)
Film: This is a tricky question. I've always said that on a deserted island you should bring some porn. You could use that more than regular movies. But since I've got to pick a film I guess it'd be Jaws. Why? Because it's one of my favorites (I could also go with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). But being on a deserted island, Jaws will remind me all the time what'll happen to me for sure if I try to get away!
Album: “ Appetite for Destruction” (Guns N' Roses). Hey, I was 13 when this came out. I listen to it every day while I work, anyways. My favorite, by far.
A Book: I'm going to cheat on this one: 'The Complete Works' by Jorge Luis Borges. The best writer, and enough labyrinths to get lost on endless nights.
Companion: Sherlock Holmes. He's always been my favorite, and also, since my guess is he'll be pretty useless in a deserted island, every time we fail to get out because of him I can get to tell him "Is that the best you can do, Sherlock? - Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead)
Film: Los Olvidados- this is punk rock and Pachuco. Mexico City style before the bombed out bunkers of Sid & Nancy. Bunuel is a hero and I wanna buy Jaibo a beer and milk for the old poetic man!
Album: The Blade Runner album. I can play it over and over, get cranked up or mellow with Blade Runner Blues and the constant rain.
Book: '20 years of Joda' - poems of Jose Montoya, my pop. Epic stuff! 'Ran with Miguel Pinero in the Lower Eastside!”
Companion: Michael Corleone cause he's Mack in my book! Jaibo gets an honorable mention. - Richard Montoya (Water & Power )
Film: I´d choose Misery because a year can go by and I can watch it again eagerly. It's simple and the director (Rob Reiner) and Stephen King are both masters of suspense.
Album: I know this may be considered cheating but it would have to be 'The Best of David Bowie'. That way I have 2 CD's with nearly 40 songs!
Companion: There's many great people who I would to live with but on a deserted Island? It would have to be Mary Poppins for obvious reasons.
Book: And finally the book would be 'Blood Meridian' by Cormac McCarthy because it's one I haven't read yet. Analeine Cal y Mayor - (The Boy Who Smells Like Fish)
Film: I would say White Chicks. I’m going to need some humor! White Chicks is the movie that I put on when I need a good laugh. It does it for me every time. I grew up with characters like that; and admittedly, I can regress back to a few of them myself when no one is looking.
Album: ' Songs From the Capeman' - Paul Simon. I can’t get enough of that album. It instantly takes me to that world and electrifies that side of me that’s determined to make a change for Latinos. I want to keep that feeling with me alive eternally…wherever I’m at.”
Book: There are many but 'Anatomy of the Spirit' by Caroline Myss has been my compass. It taught me how to take control of my destiny by listening to my intuition and body. I stand by her quote: “Your biography becomes your biology.
Companion: The first person that came to mind when I read the question was silly Clarence from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I guess I’m going to need an angel with me, and he’s perfect. He has a pure childlike spirit that would help me find gratitude in the most unlikely moments… even on a deserted island! That right there is the meaning of life. - Carmen Marron (Endgame)
Film: There are so many brilliant, groundbreaking favorite films that have influenced me (The 400 Blows; Jules and Jim ; Law of Desire; et al) but I wouldn't bring any of them. If I'm stuck on a deserted island, I'm bringing Neil Simon's Murder by Death so I can laugh my ass off. Not a great film at all, it's true, but it's a classic comedy.
Album: Oh, this is easy: Madonna's "Ray of Light." I am no Madonna fanatic, but "deserted island, " means beach + summer weather + Fire Island-like atmosphere. So somewhere nearby there's got to be gay guys partying and I will use Madonna to lure them to me so I can be rescued.
One Book: Varga Llosa's "Feast of the Goat" ("La Fiesta del Chivo") -- it's action-packed historical fiction. It will keep me occupied. One of my favorite novels.
Companion: Huckleberry Finn. He will be a great companion: not only will he tell great stories, but undoubtedly, the ever-resourceful Huck Finn will figure out how to build a raft and get us out off that island! - Terracino (Elliot Loves )
Film: Whenever anyone asks me this I always think of what use these items would serve practically on a deserted island, so I answered this in that respect. Tokyo Story - Yasujiro Ozu. This would be a great film to take on a deserted island because it's really about the unavoidable suffering of the cycle of life, which I'm sure you'd relate to if you were stuck on an island. I really could watch this film a million times over and notice something new every time. Watching most Ozu films is not unlike participating in a Zen meditation practice. It's patience and slowness and trying to empty your mind of thought until your left with the basics of existence. Kind of like sitting on a deserted island alone. I can watch the scene where Kyoto says “Life is disappointing, isn't it?” and Noriko smiles and says “Yes it is.” I can watch that endlessly and cry every time. It's so true.
Album: ' Tusk' - Fleetwood Mac. I could also deal with 'Rumours' but I picked 'Tusk' because it's longer and denser; probably better for an island. 'Sara' is maybe my favorite song in the world and so it would be nice to have that with me. I think channeling the powerful witchy energy of Stevie Nicks would be a real asset on an island. This album has so much strange material on - you wouldn't get bored too easily with it. It's also got a range of emotions so if you get too depressed on the island you can just put on 'Never Forget' and feel better. And 'Sisters of the Moon' would be good around a fire at night. Even though you're stuck on an island, it's good to create an ambiance to remind you that life is worth living.
Book: ' In Search of Lost Time' - Marcel Proust. I've only read 'Swann's Way' which is first part of this. My analyst recommend it to me when I was totally heartbroken after someone broke up with me. It really did the trick. This would be a good long epic read that has enough complex ideas in it to keep you occupied for a life time. Probably a good book (or set of books) to get back to nature with.
Companion: I'll say Terry Malloy from “On the Waterfront”. He'd be strong and good to have around to cut down trees and hunt and stuff. He's also easy on the eyes and someone that could do with a little lonely contemplation away from the loading docks. That doesn't sound half bad...stuck on like a tropical island with a young, cute Marlon Brando, watching Ozu, reading Proust and listening to Fleetwood Mac all day. Sign me up! - Joshua Sanchez (Four)
Film: My film would have to be Luis Buñuel's Los Olvidados. I have been a movie watcher since I was a child. Raised on mainstream American films and Wuxia flicks, it wasn't until I was a late teen that I took my first film class and was introduced to the work of Buñuel. Los Olvidados literally changed my perception of the world, both socially and visually. It was also the gateway for me to progress from movie watcher to film student.
Album: Music is my religion and I belong to the church of Robert Nesta Marley. I would prefer the whole anthology, but if I had to choose one album it would be “Exodus”. When on an island listen to island music.
Book: Right around the time I discovered the work of Buñuel, I was gifted Jose Montoya's 'In Formation: 20 years of Joda'. The book is a treasure of epic poems, sketches, and corridos. All testaments to the beauty and strength of Chicana/o culture. 20 years later I pay homage to both of these Maestros in my debut feature film, “Cry Now”. The film's protagonist is nicknamed 'Ojitos' during the course of the narrative, a reference to one of the characters in Los Olvidados. The late great Lupe Ontiveros playing the role of a sage loosely recites Montoya's mantra 'La Locura Cura' (In madness you find truth) while she councils our protagonist.
Companion: To bring it all full circle my fictitious character would have to be a Wuxia hero. As a child I was awe inspired by these bigger than life martial artists. As an adult, Ang Lee's “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” did the same. I know all would be as it should if Yu Shu Lien was on that island with me. - Alberto Barboza (Cry Now )
Film: Nothing But a Man (1964) It's a film that does an incredible job balancing a character-driven story within a politically charged context. It's a film I'm finding myself inspired by as I continue to write Los Valientes.
Album: I'm not a fan of albums, but if I had to choose one I guess I would have to go with any of Prince's albums. His music always puts me in a trance.
Book: My dream journal so I can look back look for signs of what is to become of my future.
Companion: Who better than TV's MacGyver. I'd put his ass to work on getting me off the island! -Aurora Guerrero (Mosquita y Mari)
Film: Hell in the Pacific so that I can be reminded that even in paradise there is a duality.
Album: “La Scala: Concert” by Ludovico Einaudi – I've listened to it a thousand times and each time I feel or discover something new.
Book: “ Voces Reunidas” by Antonio Porchia. Each time I read one of his poems I learn something new and I'm deeply moved.
Companion: Barbarella, so I could never be lonely and I could enjoy this planet-island – Diego Quemada-Díez (La jaula de oro/The Golden Dream)
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
Film: Choosing desert island items may mean sacrificing taste and/or reason, thinking about those items that you wouldn’t forgive yourself for not bringing them as your company, it´s like choosing the woman of your life. Here it goes: Hiroshima Mon Amour; there might be others I fancy as much as or more than (La Dolce Vita, Vertigo, M , some Lubitsch or Preminger), but I can think of no other as unique. I wouldn’t be able to choose any other without feeling Hiroshima’s absence - the best love film, the best movie about war, the best motion picture regarding the memory and its consequences. I can spend my whole life learning about film and the world because of Hiroshima...'.
Album: “Los Preludios de Debussy” by Claudio Arrau. These were so important to my life (I'm referring to my childhood of course) and I think no one does it better than Arrau. Same thing: it is endless. I think I could never tire of this and I could still wake up each and every morning amazed by it.
Book: “Sentimental Education”, by Flaubert. Similar to “Hiroshima”, a book that changed my outlook on literature and the world and I am certain it will keep transforming it forever.
Companion: Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer in 'The fabulous Baker Boys'). Since I saw the film (which I liked very much!) in the provincial movie theater of my childhood, I felt as Jack Baker´s relative and I loved Susie. If we had a piano, it would all be all be perfect. - Santiago Palavecino (Algunas chicas/Some Girls)
Film: This is a tricky question. I've always said that on a deserted island you should bring some porn. You could use that more than regular movies. But since I've got to pick a film I guess it'd be Jaws. Why? Because it's one of my favorites (I could also go with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). But being on a deserted island, Jaws will remind me all the time what'll happen to me for sure if I try to get away!
Album: “ Appetite for Destruction” (Guns N' Roses). Hey, I was 13 when this came out. I listen to it every day while I work, anyways. My favorite, by far.
A Book: I'm going to cheat on this one: 'The Complete Works' by Jorge Luis Borges. The best writer, and enough labyrinths to get lost on endless nights.
Companion: Sherlock Holmes. He's always been my favorite, and also, since my guess is he'll be pretty useless in a deserted island, every time we fail to get out because of him I can get to tell him "Is that the best you can do, Sherlock? - Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead)
Film: Los Olvidados- this is punk rock and Pachuco. Mexico City style before the bombed out bunkers of Sid & Nancy. Bunuel is a hero and I wanna buy Jaibo a beer and milk for the old poetic man!
Album: The Blade Runner album. I can play it over and over, get cranked up or mellow with Blade Runner Blues and the constant rain.
Book: '20 years of Joda' - poems of Jose Montoya, my pop. Epic stuff! 'Ran with Miguel Pinero in the Lower Eastside!”
Companion: Michael Corleone cause he's Mack in my book! Jaibo gets an honorable mention. - Richard Montoya (Water & Power )
Film: I´d choose Misery because a year can go by and I can watch it again eagerly. It's simple and the director (Rob Reiner) and Stephen King are both masters of suspense.
Album: I know this may be considered cheating but it would have to be 'The Best of David Bowie'. That way I have 2 CD's with nearly 40 songs!
Companion: There's many great people who I would to live with but on a deserted Island? It would have to be Mary Poppins for obvious reasons.
Book: And finally the book would be 'Blood Meridian' by Cormac McCarthy because it's one I haven't read yet. Analeine Cal y Mayor - (The Boy Who Smells Like Fish)
Film: I would say White Chicks. I’m going to need some humor! White Chicks is the movie that I put on when I need a good laugh. It does it for me every time. I grew up with characters like that; and admittedly, I can regress back to a few of them myself when no one is looking.
Album: ' Songs From the Capeman' - Paul Simon. I can’t get enough of that album. It instantly takes me to that world and electrifies that side of me that’s determined to make a change for Latinos. I want to keep that feeling with me alive eternally…wherever I’m at.”
Book: There are many but 'Anatomy of the Spirit' by Caroline Myss has been my compass. It taught me how to take control of my destiny by listening to my intuition and body. I stand by her quote: “Your biography becomes your biology.
Companion: The first person that came to mind when I read the question was silly Clarence from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I guess I’m going to need an angel with me, and he’s perfect. He has a pure childlike spirit that would help me find gratitude in the most unlikely moments… even on a deserted island! That right there is the meaning of life. - Carmen Marron (Endgame)
Film: There are so many brilliant, groundbreaking favorite films that have influenced me (The 400 Blows; Jules and Jim ; Law of Desire; et al) but I wouldn't bring any of them. If I'm stuck on a deserted island, I'm bringing Neil Simon's Murder by Death so I can laugh my ass off. Not a great film at all, it's true, but it's a classic comedy.
Album: Oh, this is easy: Madonna's "Ray of Light." I am no Madonna fanatic, but "deserted island, " means beach + summer weather + Fire Island-like atmosphere. So somewhere nearby there's got to be gay guys partying and I will use Madonna to lure them to me so I can be rescued.
One Book: Varga Llosa's "Feast of the Goat" ("La Fiesta del Chivo") -- it's action-packed historical fiction. It will keep me occupied. One of my favorite novels.
Companion: Huckleberry Finn. He will be a great companion: not only will he tell great stories, but undoubtedly, the ever-resourceful Huck Finn will figure out how to build a raft and get us out off that island! - Terracino (Elliot Loves )
Film: Whenever anyone asks me this I always think of what use these items would serve practically on a deserted island, so I answered this in that respect. Tokyo Story - Yasujiro Ozu. This would be a great film to take on a deserted island because it's really about the unavoidable suffering of the cycle of life, which I'm sure you'd relate to if you were stuck on an island. I really could watch this film a million times over and notice something new every time. Watching most Ozu films is not unlike participating in a Zen meditation practice. It's patience and slowness and trying to empty your mind of thought until your left with the basics of existence. Kind of like sitting on a deserted island alone. I can watch the scene where Kyoto says “Life is disappointing, isn't it?” and Noriko smiles and says “Yes it is.” I can watch that endlessly and cry every time. It's so true.
Album: ' Tusk' - Fleetwood Mac. I could also deal with 'Rumours' but I picked 'Tusk' because it's longer and denser; probably better for an island. 'Sara' is maybe my favorite song in the world and so it would be nice to have that with me. I think channeling the powerful witchy energy of Stevie Nicks would be a real asset on an island. This album has so much strange material on - you wouldn't get bored too easily with it. It's also got a range of emotions so if you get too depressed on the island you can just put on 'Never Forget' and feel better. And 'Sisters of the Moon' would be good around a fire at night. Even though you're stuck on an island, it's good to create an ambiance to remind you that life is worth living.
Book: ' In Search of Lost Time' - Marcel Proust. I've only read 'Swann's Way' which is first part of this. My analyst recommend it to me when I was totally heartbroken after someone broke up with me. It really did the trick. This would be a good long epic read that has enough complex ideas in it to keep you occupied for a life time. Probably a good book (or set of books) to get back to nature with.
Companion: I'll say Terry Malloy from “On the Waterfront”. He'd be strong and good to have around to cut down trees and hunt and stuff. He's also easy on the eyes and someone that could do with a little lonely contemplation away from the loading docks. That doesn't sound half bad...stuck on like a tropical island with a young, cute Marlon Brando, watching Ozu, reading Proust and listening to Fleetwood Mac all day. Sign me up! - Joshua Sanchez (Four)
Film: My film would have to be Luis Buñuel's Los Olvidados. I have been a movie watcher since I was a child. Raised on mainstream American films and Wuxia flicks, it wasn't until I was a late teen that I took my first film class and was introduced to the work of Buñuel. Los Olvidados literally changed my perception of the world, both socially and visually. It was also the gateway for me to progress from movie watcher to film student.
Album: Music is my religion and I belong to the church of Robert Nesta Marley. I would prefer the whole anthology, but if I had to choose one album it would be “Exodus”. When on an island listen to island music.
Book: Right around the time I discovered the work of Buñuel, I was gifted Jose Montoya's 'In Formation: 20 years of Joda'. The book is a treasure of epic poems, sketches, and corridos. All testaments to the beauty and strength of Chicana/o culture. 20 years later I pay homage to both of these Maestros in my debut feature film, “Cry Now”. The film's protagonist is nicknamed 'Ojitos' during the course of the narrative, a reference to one of the characters in Los Olvidados. The late great Lupe Ontiveros playing the role of a sage loosely recites Montoya's mantra 'La Locura Cura' (In madness you find truth) while she councils our protagonist.
Companion: To bring it all full circle my fictitious character would have to be a Wuxia hero. As a child I was awe inspired by these bigger than life martial artists. As an adult, Ang Lee's “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” did the same. I know all would be as it should if Yu Shu Lien was on that island with me. - Alberto Barboza (Cry Now )
Film: Nothing But a Man (1964) It's a film that does an incredible job balancing a character-driven story within a politically charged context. It's a film I'm finding myself inspired by as I continue to write Los Valientes.
Album: I'm not a fan of albums, but if I had to choose one I guess I would have to go with any of Prince's albums. His music always puts me in a trance.
Book: My dream journal so I can look back look for signs of what is to become of my future.
Companion: Who better than TV's MacGyver. I'd put his ass to work on getting me off the island! -Aurora Guerrero (Mosquita y Mari)
Film: Hell in the Pacific so that I can be reminded that even in paradise there is a duality.
Album: “La Scala: Concert” by Ludovico Einaudi – I've listened to it a thousand times and each time I feel or discover something new.
Book: “ Voces Reunidas” by Antonio Porchia. Each time I read one of his poems I learn something new and I'm deeply moved.
Companion: Barbarella, so I could never be lonely and I could enjoy this planet-island – Diego Quemada-Díez (La jaula de oro/The Golden Dream)
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
- 3/5/2014
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
Dreams still do come true in Hollywood. Although so few and way far in between, the against-all-odds fairytale dream of an unknown voice getting a shot at the big time and the big screen remarkably still happens. Just ask Chi-town girl, Carmen Marron who didn’t let the fact she didn’t go to film school stop her from diving in and directing Go For It! She got her movie into film festivals and sold it to Lions Gate who released it on 200 screens including all Home Entertainment ancillary. But don’t get it twisted, this ain’t no lottery. It’s a hell of a lot of work to get here. The story you want to tell has to come from deep within your core and show. Only then will studios, agents, financiers come knocking on your door. Take it from Carmen, you just got to do you. You got to be in it for the art/humanities and it’s got to be something you would do for free. If you had to, that is.
Go For It! tells the story of a high school teen, whose passion and talent is hip hop dance, but pursuing this dream clashes with her humble immigrant working class family and stark reality of limited opportunities raised in the inner city streets of Chicago. Carmen wrote it as a way to get through to the high school teens she met while a guidance counselor because she realized it was the only way to get their attention (through entertainment). She never intended to direct the script until after five years of sending it around to directors including Ken Loach who told her she was the only person to direct it. In 2009, Carmen rolled up her sleeves, crewed up and shot the film near right where she grew up in Logan Square. She received a standing ovation at her sold out world premiere at the Dances With Films Festival June of 2010. Carmen has been mad busy since but surprisingly she gives off a calm, just checking things off her crazy full To Do list vibe. I met up with her a few days before she was flying to Panama on behalf of the Fulbright Institute of International Education to talk to young kids about filmmaking. Here is the scoop on her full slate of upcoming films. As you can tell, she is not only riding the momentum but is driving and steering it with a clear vision of the stories she wants to tell. Check it.
Sounds like you had an amazing world premiere screening of Go For It! How did you manage to sell out your first festival screening like that? What kind of promotion did you do?
I’m a marketing freak and so I did a lot on Facebook. I raffled off tickets. I have a business degree so I took a lot of marketing classes. I just think that to make it in this business you have to be marketing savvy. If you are going to be an independent filmmaker, you have to have some knack for it.
They say it’s sometimes harder to make the second feature than the first. How did it go for you? At what point were you completely convinced that no matter what you were going to keep making films?
Before Dances with Films, I did a pre-screening at the Boston International Film Festival, not in competition. It was a rough cut and I just want to see how it played in a non-Latino city to get some honest, hardcore feedback. The audience was 90% Caucasian and they were so moved by it. Many approached me after the screening, crying! That this Caucasian woman from Northern California can relate to a Latina from Chicago trying to follow her dreams - it was really surprising for me. I knew I had a special story, and it was so much who I am. That’s when I thought, ‘I’m going to continue telling stories no matter what happens with this movie. I know now I have the ability to connect with the public.’
Once a film is finished there is so much more to do to get it out there, at what point do you manage to find time to even think about the next project?
It’s different with everybody but with me I was so focused on getting Go For It! in theaters. I really wanted to affect as many kids and women as possible. We got lucky winning audience awards at different film festivals. I didn’t have a sales agent or representation and then someone from Lionsgate came to the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival screening at the Mann theater. Lionsgate called me literally during the second added screening. I don’t even know how they got my number. From there it took the next six months to officially sell it. The deal closed by January and we released it in May 2011. After the movie came out, I was really exhausted. I started getting offers. I had an agent interested in me. I was getting indie scripts to direct but I didn’t really feel any of them. They were dark, Sundance-y stories, good scripts but not inspirational, not my type. Then out of the blue, I get contacted by an attorney on behalf of a writer client, who said they saw my movie. They asked me to read and consider a script to direct. It was called Border Town back then and I didn’t like the title. I didn’t get to reading it until a couple weeks later, in the middle of when I was writing my own script, a Latina comedy which I just finished. Anyway so I read this at night and I literally broke into tears, it was such a good script. The writer and the producer flew out to La to meet me and I got attached. It’s called Saving Esperanza. It’s an incredible true story about a woman who went to the border to do mission work with her child and then fell in love with a baby at an orphanage. She tries to bring the baby to the Us to provide critical medical care because the baby is dying but it’s in the middle of Sept. 11.
Endgame came about in the middle of working on that film. The same producer I was working with told me about another script, also based on true events; an inspirational and empowering Latino story. This was August of last year. I read it, (Endgame) and it had so many good elements to it, but the script needed work so I said to her I would be willing to rewrite the script. The writer was also the producer and a wealthy immigration lawyer in Texas. I told him what I would want to do with it and he was totally receptive and he said we got a deal. That was September. I started rewriting it in October, I started flying out to Texas to do scouting and get local casting after the new year, we did prep in March and shot this past April.
Wow, so both projects came to you fully financed?
Endgame was, the other one we’re still trying to get the rest of the financing. We hope to shoot that in the next six months. I was really lucky because of my reputation with Go For It! These scripts came to me and they were good fits. Its funny, it’s a lesson in this industry where you’re always looking for work, that if do what you love you will attract the right people at the right time. We are tying to get Endgame ready to submit for the Sundance deadline.
So tell me more about Endgame
Endgame is inspired by this incredible success story that is happening right now in Brownsville Texas. It’s the third poorest town in the U.S. It’s right on the border of Matamoros. It’s 99% Latinos, straight from Mexico, and the drop out rate and poverty levels are really high. About twenty years ago the school districts and the parents rallied together and started teaching competitive scholastic Chess in schools to try to improve kids’ cognitive skills, focus, agility, basically to keep them out of trouble. It started with one teacher Jj Guajardo, who we got to be our chess consultant in the movie. He literally took a group of delinquent kids who were always in detention and started teaching them Chess. Sure enough the kids responded and he assembled a little team. They went to regionals, then went on to state. Under his guidance they won State Championships seven years in a row, beating the rich prep kids in Dallas. It still gives me goose bumps to think about it, this is like true life! The vice principal tells me some of these kids didn’t even have running water, and here is the community pitching in to get them bus tickets to go to Dallas to compete with kids who have had grand master coaches since they were five. And these kids are beating the pants off them. So now Brownsville is known around the country for their scholastic chess because they are realizing that is their way to make it. Kids are growing up to go to Yale, Princeton, Harvard. They are traveling all around the world to compete. The film is based on education and Latinos, which is kind of what drives me, like in Go For It. I was a guidance counselor so that resonates with me. It was an honor to be there in Brownsville around all those giving, loving families with so much integrity.
Tell me about the cast
We have a real strong cast. We got lucky. Rico Rodriguez, Manny, the kid from Modern family is the lead and he is amazing. He carries the movie. He’s very charismatic, very humble, normal down to earth kid. His parents have done an amazing job. He’s Mexican from Texas, that’s why we were lucky to get him for this role. We could have never afforded him. This is low budget, I mean much higher than Go For It! but the actors that we got are incredible and we couldn’t really afford their rates. Rico’s parents however, felt that this story represented their lives so they wanted their son to represent their family in such a positive way. Justina Machado plays Rico’s mother, she is also from Chicago. She is a phenomenal actress. Efren Ramirez from Napoleon Dynamite also stars. The film is a mixture of both drama and humor, like Searching for Bobby Fisher, Stand & Deliver. It’s a family film, PG 13.
Was there a conversation about whether it should be bi-lingual? English or Spanish?
In the original we had it that la abuela would speak Spanish and we would do English subtitles, but then Ivonne Cole who plays la abuela said, ‘I really think we should have her speak English with her accent so we can keep her more relatable and people can connect with her’. And it worked better that way without the language barrier. She has her own type of Spanglish.
I remember crossing through Brownsville in my childhood when my family and I used to drive from Chicago to San Luis Potosi. It was like being in a different world, there was a sense you had to really be careful not to fall prey to the lurking danger zone of transients and shadiness. Do you touch on this seedy border town’ side as well as the politics that come with it?
We are telling a tremendous success story here, so yeah we touch on the social obstacles that the kids face. We touch on Rico’s family and the immigration and border issues. It was definitely important to the investor who is an immigration lawyer, to ask questions like, If your child wasn’t born here, should your child be deported as well? The Dreamer angle plays into the story. In general what I wanted to convey was that these students, even though they come from a poor, marginalized community, they are the most confident, down to earth, giving, honest, normal kids that you will ever meet. It shocked the hell out of even me because I also had my own preconceived notions. I was also nervous about the safety since it was a border town. But I was so blown away. I remember seeing Rico Rodriguez, who is you know a millionaire kid, home schooled forever and around the most intelligent sophisticated adults all day long. Here he is transplanted in Brownsville, hanging out with ten other real local kids and I couldn’t tell the difference between any of them. I really couldn’t and I’m very perceptive of emotional behaviors. After this experience I can actually say I would live in Brownsville and raise my kids there and I know they’d be respectful and normal. I wonder if a lot of that has to do with the chess program’s influence. It’s been around now for twenty years. It’s made a huge social impact.
So you got one film in the almost can, another about to shoot, you are also writing your own…tell me
I have written a musical I want to shoot in Chicago. Even though I’m working on these really great projects, that’s my baby baby next. My gift to society, to really show Latinos, you know. It makes me feel really good to provide opportunities to new actors to let them shine, to open more doors so that the audience can demand more roles.
That’s right, you got “Introducing Gina Rodriguez” in Go For It!
Yes, Go For It! was her first feature. I got her right out of Nyu. She had done a short and commercials. She moved out to La right after Go For It. Then there is Aimee Garcia who plays the lead in the film who has been in the industry for 20 years; She said to me, this is my first leading role. I couldn’t believe it. That resonated with me. I think it’s our responsibility as Latinos to keep trying to push these types of films. The films that we are making or choosing, like the scripts that I’m writing or the scripts that come to me. For me I always think when I’m reading something, can I make this lead a Latina? I figure it out how so I can pitch it. You can’t just be like, ‘Oh I’m just going to do whatever they want me to do’. I could’ve easily done that and probably would have made it faster. It’s not what I got into this for. It’s so much a part of me to tell these stories. I would do this for free.
For all my chi-town peeps, you can see Carmen speak at the Women in Film, Chicago event next Wednesday, July 10, 6:00pm – 8:00pm at Moe’s Cantina. Event cost for non-members is $20. More info here.
Go For It! tells the story of a high school teen, whose passion and talent is hip hop dance, but pursuing this dream clashes with her humble immigrant working class family and stark reality of limited opportunities raised in the inner city streets of Chicago. Carmen wrote it as a way to get through to the high school teens she met while a guidance counselor because she realized it was the only way to get their attention (through entertainment). She never intended to direct the script until after five years of sending it around to directors including Ken Loach who told her she was the only person to direct it. In 2009, Carmen rolled up her sleeves, crewed up and shot the film near right where she grew up in Logan Square. She received a standing ovation at her sold out world premiere at the Dances With Films Festival June of 2010. Carmen has been mad busy since but surprisingly she gives off a calm, just checking things off her crazy full To Do list vibe. I met up with her a few days before she was flying to Panama on behalf of the Fulbright Institute of International Education to talk to young kids about filmmaking. Here is the scoop on her full slate of upcoming films. As you can tell, she is not only riding the momentum but is driving and steering it with a clear vision of the stories she wants to tell. Check it.
Sounds like you had an amazing world premiere screening of Go For It! How did you manage to sell out your first festival screening like that? What kind of promotion did you do?
I’m a marketing freak and so I did a lot on Facebook. I raffled off tickets. I have a business degree so I took a lot of marketing classes. I just think that to make it in this business you have to be marketing savvy. If you are going to be an independent filmmaker, you have to have some knack for it.
They say it’s sometimes harder to make the second feature than the first. How did it go for you? At what point were you completely convinced that no matter what you were going to keep making films?
Before Dances with Films, I did a pre-screening at the Boston International Film Festival, not in competition. It was a rough cut and I just want to see how it played in a non-Latino city to get some honest, hardcore feedback. The audience was 90% Caucasian and they were so moved by it. Many approached me after the screening, crying! That this Caucasian woman from Northern California can relate to a Latina from Chicago trying to follow her dreams - it was really surprising for me. I knew I had a special story, and it was so much who I am. That’s when I thought, ‘I’m going to continue telling stories no matter what happens with this movie. I know now I have the ability to connect with the public.’
Once a film is finished there is so much more to do to get it out there, at what point do you manage to find time to even think about the next project?
It’s different with everybody but with me I was so focused on getting Go For It! in theaters. I really wanted to affect as many kids and women as possible. We got lucky winning audience awards at different film festivals. I didn’t have a sales agent or representation and then someone from Lionsgate came to the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival screening at the Mann theater. Lionsgate called me literally during the second added screening. I don’t even know how they got my number. From there it took the next six months to officially sell it. The deal closed by January and we released it in May 2011. After the movie came out, I was really exhausted. I started getting offers. I had an agent interested in me. I was getting indie scripts to direct but I didn’t really feel any of them. They were dark, Sundance-y stories, good scripts but not inspirational, not my type. Then out of the blue, I get contacted by an attorney on behalf of a writer client, who said they saw my movie. They asked me to read and consider a script to direct. It was called Border Town back then and I didn’t like the title. I didn’t get to reading it until a couple weeks later, in the middle of when I was writing my own script, a Latina comedy which I just finished. Anyway so I read this at night and I literally broke into tears, it was such a good script. The writer and the producer flew out to La to meet me and I got attached. It’s called Saving Esperanza. It’s an incredible true story about a woman who went to the border to do mission work with her child and then fell in love with a baby at an orphanage. She tries to bring the baby to the Us to provide critical medical care because the baby is dying but it’s in the middle of Sept. 11.
Endgame came about in the middle of working on that film. The same producer I was working with told me about another script, also based on true events; an inspirational and empowering Latino story. This was August of last year. I read it, (Endgame) and it had so many good elements to it, but the script needed work so I said to her I would be willing to rewrite the script. The writer was also the producer and a wealthy immigration lawyer in Texas. I told him what I would want to do with it and he was totally receptive and he said we got a deal. That was September. I started rewriting it in October, I started flying out to Texas to do scouting and get local casting after the new year, we did prep in March and shot this past April.
Wow, so both projects came to you fully financed?
Endgame was, the other one we’re still trying to get the rest of the financing. We hope to shoot that in the next six months. I was really lucky because of my reputation with Go For It! These scripts came to me and they were good fits. Its funny, it’s a lesson in this industry where you’re always looking for work, that if do what you love you will attract the right people at the right time. We are tying to get Endgame ready to submit for the Sundance deadline.
So tell me more about Endgame
Endgame is inspired by this incredible success story that is happening right now in Brownsville Texas. It’s the third poorest town in the U.S. It’s right on the border of Matamoros. It’s 99% Latinos, straight from Mexico, and the drop out rate and poverty levels are really high. About twenty years ago the school districts and the parents rallied together and started teaching competitive scholastic Chess in schools to try to improve kids’ cognitive skills, focus, agility, basically to keep them out of trouble. It started with one teacher Jj Guajardo, who we got to be our chess consultant in the movie. He literally took a group of delinquent kids who were always in detention and started teaching them Chess. Sure enough the kids responded and he assembled a little team. They went to regionals, then went on to state. Under his guidance they won State Championships seven years in a row, beating the rich prep kids in Dallas. It still gives me goose bumps to think about it, this is like true life! The vice principal tells me some of these kids didn’t even have running water, and here is the community pitching in to get them bus tickets to go to Dallas to compete with kids who have had grand master coaches since they were five. And these kids are beating the pants off them. So now Brownsville is known around the country for their scholastic chess because they are realizing that is their way to make it. Kids are growing up to go to Yale, Princeton, Harvard. They are traveling all around the world to compete. The film is based on education and Latinos, which is kind of what drives me, like in Go For It. I was a guidance counselor so that resonates with me. It was an honor to be there in Brownsville around all those giving, loving families with so much integrity.
Tell me about the cast
We have a real strong cast. We got lucky. Rico Rodriguez, Manny, the kid from Modern family is the lead and he is amazing. He carries the movie. He’s very charismatic, very humble, normal down to earth kid. His parents have done an amazing job. He’s Mexican from Texas, that’s why we were lucky to get him for this role. We could have never afforded him. This is low budget, I mean much higher than Go For It! but the actors that we got are incredible and we couldn’t really afford their rates. Rico’s parents however, felt that this story represented their lives so they wanted their son to represent their family in such a positive way. Justina Machado plays Rico’s mother, she is also from Chicago. She is a phenomenal actress. Efren Ramirez from Napoleon Dynamite also stars. The film is a mixture of both drama and humor, like Searching for Bobby Fisher, Stand & Deliver. It’s a family film, PG 13.
Was there a conversation about whether it should be bi-lingual? English or Spanish?
In the original we had it that la abuela would speak Spanish and we would do English subtitles, but then Ivonne Cole who plays la abuela said, ‘I really think we should have her speak English with her accent so we can keep her more relatable and people can connect with her’. And it worked better that way without the language barrier. She has her own type of Spanglish.
I remember crossing through Brownsville in my childhood when my family and I used to drive from Chicago to San Luis Potosi. It was like being in a different world, there was a sense you had to really be careful not to fall prey to the lurking danger zone of transients and shadiness. Do you touch on this seedy border town’ side as well as the politics that come with it?
We are telling a tremendous success story here, so yeah we touch on the social obstacles that the kids face. We touch on Rico’s family and the immigration and border issues. It was definitely important to the investor who is an immigration lawyer, to ask questions like, If your child wasn’t born here, should your child be deported as well? The Dreamer angle plays into the story. In general what I wanted to convey was that these students, even though they come from a poor, marginalized community, they are the most confident, down to earth, giving, honest, normal kids that you will ever meet. It shocked the hell out of even me because I also had my own preconceived notions. I was also nervous about the safety since it was a border town. But I was so blown away. I remember seeing Rico Rodriguez, who is you know a millionaire kid, home schooled forever and around the most intelligent sophisticated adults all day long. Here he is transplanted in Brownsville, hanging out with ten other real local kids and I couldn’t tell the difference between any of them. I really couldn’t and I’m very perceptive of emotional behaviors. After this experience I can actually say I would live in Brownsville and raise my kids there and I know they’d be respectful and normal. I wonder if a lot of that has to do with the chess program’s influence. It’s been around now for twenty years. It’s made a huge social impact.
So you got one film in the almost can, another about to shoot, you are also writing your own…tell me
I have written a musical I want to shoot in Chicago. Even though I’m working on these really great projects, that’s my baby baby next. My gift to society, to really show Latinos, you know. It makes me feel really good to provide opportunities to new actors to let them shine, to open more doors so that the audience can demand more roles.
That’s right, you got “Introducing Gina Rodriguez” in Go For It!
Yes, Go For It! was her first feature. I got her right out of Nyu. She had done a short and commercials. She moved out to La right after Go For It. Then there is Aimee Garcia who plays the lead in the film who has been in the industry for 20 years; She said to me, this is my first leading role. I couldn’t believe it. That resonated with me. I think it’s our responsibility as Latinos to keep trying to push these types of films. The films that we are making or choosing, like the scripts that I’m writing or the scripts that come to me. For me I always think when I’m reading something, can I make this lead a Latina? I figure it out how so I can pitch it. You can’t just be like, ‘Oh I’m just going to do whatever they want me to do’. I could’ve easily done that and probably would have made it faster. It’s not what I got into this for. It’s so much a part of me to tell these stories. I would do this for free.
For all my chi-town peeps, you can see Carmen speak at the Women in Film, Chicago event next Wednesday, July 10, 6:00pm – 8:00pm at Moe’s Cantina. Event cost for non-members is $20. More info here.
- 7/3/2013
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
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