The Cine+Mas San Francisco Latino Film Festival is at it again this year, showcasing the thriving work of filmmakers from all over the Americas, Spain, and Portugal. Starting September 18, the festival is celebrating Latino film from 20+ countries for nine days.
A city synonymous with gentrification, big tech, and Silicon Valley, San Francisco also boasts badass filmmakers whose work addresses issues such as immigration, sexual orientation and identity, and precarious employment. We got a chance to interview some of these local Bay Area directors and here’s what they had to say.
Enter here for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the movie of your choice at the San Francisco Latino Film Festival. The festival runs through September 27, 2015.
1
Eduardo Maytorena, Director of 'Soledad'
Where are you from?
I’m kind of from all over; we moved a lot when I was a kid. I was born in San Jose, moved to San Diego and then back up north again to Morgan Hill. I spent my summers in Los Angeles with my dad and went to high school in San Diego. My family is from Calexico, which is a small town on the border of Mexicali in the Imperial Valley.
What city do you call home?
I actually just got married and purchased my first home, so if home is where the heart is, then I would have to answer with Los Angeles.
What made you want to become a filmmaker?
Everything about movies – and when I say everything, I mean it. Ever since I can remember, movies have been a part of my life. I was never into sports, so actors, writers, and directors have always been my heroes, so to speak. The Oscars were like my Super Bowl. I may not have been able to tell you how many championships the Lakers have, but by the time I was 10 I could recite every line of dialogue from La Bamba, The Karate Kid, and Top Gun. I think it was when I discovered the work of Deniro, Pacino, and Scorsese that my fascination with movies, stories, and characters kind of bled into my personality. Anyone who knows me can testify to this.
What inspired you to make this film?
This film is a love letter to my best friend Jesse Celedon, whom I’ve known for over 20 years. Jesse and I met in high school and I was his coach in competitive speech/debate, where he went on to win many awards, including first place in the nation in the Dramatic Interpretation category. I also won this title on a collegiate level. Most people don’t think of acting when [they] think about the speech/debate team, but we were literally creating 10-minute monologues with a beginning, middle, and end. We moved to Los Angeles to pursue the next level of our craft, but life had a different plan for both of us and Jesse ended up in Bakersfield dedicating his life to helping out disadvantaged kids by creating his Youthquest organization. I traveled many roads which led me to my career in advertising. A few years ago, we went on a camping trip with our daughters and were reminiscing over a few beers and realized how far we’d gotten from our dream. That was the moment that I decided we needed to stop talking about it and just go for it. I didn’t exactly know how we were going to do it, but I knew we just had to. So at that point, we were faced with [the question of] what would be the right vehicle to showcase all of Jessie’s talents beyond his rough exterior. I wanted to showcase the teddy bear inside the tough guy. I believe in Jesse’s talent beyond the cliché hitman or bouncer that he most likely would be typecasted in. I believe that my best friend Jesse Celedon has much to contribute on screen as a Latino leading man, and he inspired me to make this film.
What was the most rewarding part about making this film?
The rewards have been endless, but beyond the sense of accomplishment and amazing response from our audiences it would have to be our premiere at the Chicago Latino Film Festival. For 20 years, I’ve gone to the movies with my daughter and promised her that one day we would go to an AMC theater and watch a film that said “written by Eduardo Maytorena.” During our Q&A, I was able to put her in the spotlight in front of the entire theater and remind her of that and that will be a moment in my life I will never forget.
How do your parents feel about you becoming a filmmaker?
Wayne and I both have very close and loving relationships with our moms. I’m a momma’s boy (I’m not sure if he would consider himself one too but I think he is), and that’s what we have in common and kept us very close friends. Early on, when we were conceptualizing our story, I wanted to reinvent Taxi Driver with a valet attendant who was addicted to porn and Wayne stopped me. He was like, “I want to make a film that I can take my mom to.” He was right and I thank him for steering us in a different direction, as my mom is really proud of the film. I know my dad is in heaven proudly watching too and guiding me with what I am writing next.
Did you formally study film?
Yeah, with every movie I’ve watched my entire life. I was fortunate to spend a lot of years shadowing and breaking stories with my mentor and close friend Dustin Lee Abraham. I was also beyond fortunate to have my lifelong friend Wayne who had been to film school at SFSU.
What is a movie you are embarrassed to admit you really like?
Over the Top with Sylvester Stallone. I don’t really want to say more about it so I’ll just let that be.
2
Wayne Mitchell, Director of 'Soledad'
Where are you from? I was born in Sacramento and lived there until the age of 12, when my family moved to Santa Rosa, California. I finished high school and attended Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to San Francisco State University.
What city do you call home? I consider Los Angeles home now. I’ve been here for over 16 years and if I’m away too long, I really miss it. To me, LA is a town of infinite possibilities, especially when your passion is filmmaking, and while I’m here I’m closer to making “the dream” a reality.
What made you want to become a filmmaker? Nothing has ever gotten me more excited, made me cry harder, or consistently made me feel more connected than movies. My entire life, I’ve been an audience member and I always will be. When I was very young, I started moving towards acting and continue to do that when I’m lucky enough to, but the desire to be responsible for the full package was always there. It’s fun to be a piece in the puzzle, but there’s also something to being the one who designs the puzzle.
What inspired you to make this film? My co-writer/director Eduardo got back from a camping trip with Jesse Celedon and he shared his experience with me. The two of them went camping in Yosemite with their daughters and there were some moments of silence that stood out to Eduardo that made him look at Jesse in a new light. Those thoughts evolved into, “What kind of story could it be?” which changed to “I want to make Jesse Travis Bickle!” (Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver) The more we worked on the idea, the more I loved it. I knew it was something I wanted to dedicate my time to.
What was the most rewarding part about making this film? Seeing it with audiences has been the most rewarding. We premiered at the Chicago Latino Film Festival, and our very first crowd was on our side from the first second. They laughed at the right moments, cheered when Victor whips Preston’s ass behind the limo, all of it – super rewarding experience.
How do your parents feel about you becoming a filmmaker? They love it. Have been super supportive since day one. My father passed away in 2003, but he was the one that used to take my brother and me to the movies all the time growing up. He even pulled me out of kindergarten so I could see The Empire Strikes Back on the first day. My mom has backed us both our entire lives as well. Currently, my brother Bruce does sculpting and model making for Legacy Effects. He’s crazy talented.
Did you formally study film? I did. I got a B.A. in Cinema and a B.A. in Speech Communications from San Francisco State University. My college film Pure Kill was shot on 16mm film with a camera that was older than everyone on set. Both Eduardo and I are in it, and it’s available on Vimeo.
What is a movie you are embarrassed to admit you really like? Most recently it’s This Means War. Love both Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, but when it came out I thought for sure it’d be a turd. Finally I watched it on HBO and thought it was great. Don’t get me wrong, it’s dumb, but I’ve still seen it five times.
3
Xavier Andre Galindo, Director of 'Change'
Where are you from?
I’m from Lima, Peru.
What city do you call home?
Home to me is both Lima and San Francisco.
What made you want to become a filmmaker?
I found film to be the best medium to satisfy my need to express myself.
What inspired you to make this film?
Having spent a lot of time in the Tenderloin, I have seen it change. I’ve seen its new residents disrespect the neighborhood and its homeless population.
What was the most rewarding part about making this film?
My parents love it.
Did you formally study film?
I didn’t. I became familiar with film through acting. I majored in Broadcasting at SFSU.
What is a movie you are embarrassed to admit you really like?
The Waterboy.
4
Marco Castro-Bojorquez, Director of 'El Canto del Colibrí' ('The Hummingbird Song')
Where are you from?
I was born in Culiacán, the capital of the Sinaloa, Mexico. But I actually spent my childhood between a small fishing village [called] La Reforma (my father’s hometown) and Navolato, my mom’s hometown.
What city do you call home?
Right now, Los Angeles. This amazing city of Los Angeles is home. I love the people in this city and the best part is the sunshine! But I would never forget my formative years as an immigrant in this country and the city that welcomed me and that shaped me into who I am now: San Francisco. Hella love that place!
What made you want to become a filmmaker?
I don’t think that was ever a well-crafted plan or that I was conscious that filmmaking would become an integral part of my life. You see, I am an activist first and then a filmmaker. I directed educational programs for several years for an incredible organization called BAYCAT [Bayview Hunter’s Point Center for Arts and Technology]. There I was able to craft amazing programs empowering the most marginalized folks in San Francisco. We produced many films, but those were part of a community cinema program. Our students and members of different communities were the driving force in our projects and social justice was always one of our building blocks in our efforts. While at BAYCAT, I directed a short film [called] Tres gotas de agua – a film made as an educational tool for Somos Familia, a volunteer-based organization that supports Latino families with LGBTQ people. [It was founded by] two amazing women who had queer children but couldn’t really find culturally relevant support, so they decided to start their own organization. I have been working with them since the very beginning and when I had the opportunity to support them with a film, Tres gotas de agua came along and the rest is history. The activist became a filmmaker with utmost respect for the craft.
What inspired you to make this film?
El Canto del Colibrí is my humble attempt to show that Latino immigrant men are not all like the picture we have been fed in this society: machista, homofóbico, y transfóbico, and certainly not godfather to a queer person. That premise is racist. The Latino immigrant community is the target of horrible and public attacks by other Americans and at times by Latinos as well. We hear so many negative things about us in the media and it is hurtful. There are moments when it is tough to go on. Words hurt, and like one of the parents in the film says when he remembers the racist attacks by his high school peers, “Es como si te rompieran el corazón.” And so, I want to show another picture of our resilient and beautiful community. I want to show that there are Latino immigrant fathers who love their LGBT children unconditionally and that they reaffirm their love as they share their experiences with us, and that their journey wasn’t easy. [It] requires work and constancy and there are issues like race and class intersectionality, gender identity, sexuality, class, machismo and the very same diasporic experience that has had an influence on their lives. I want people to watch this film and reflect – talk with others and to change their hearts and minds. I want to bring real hope to the community that is the target of insults on a daily basis from a country we love and we call home. We are not going anywhere!
What was the most rewarding part about making this film?
I tend to be a little hard on myself so I wasn’t completely happy with the film. It may be the Catholic influence after all these years. LOL. And so, the very positive and generous response the film has received after showing at Frameline39 was an incredible feeling. The ongoing support and love from organizations like the ones I have mentioned before, but also Lambda Legal, where I am a community educator and where for the past three years I have led the efforts of a family acceptance pilot program. [Also] the Brown Boi Project, which invited us to its summer tour and showed the film in places like Bakersfield and Merced, California. When they invited us, it was as if Cannes had called, because it is precisely in those areas where our documentary should be shown. Also newly formed organizations like Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, which has been a partner in our national work on family acceptance. And all of those groups have been important [to the completion of the film]. It’s now programmed to be shown in several film festivals here in the U.S., like the San Francisco Latino Film Festival, which treats us like family, and also in places like Ecuador at the El Lugar Sin Límites Festival Internacional de Cine LGBTI.
I want to tell all of those folks and the ones I didn’t mention that their support means a lot to us. Everyone who worked and participated in El Canto del Colibrí: please know that we love and appreciate you.
How do your parents feel about you becoming a filmmaker?
My parents are both deceased, but by no means were [they] absent for the making of my films. In the case of El Canto del Colibrí, I have always honored the life of my mother Maria de los Angeles Bojorquez with my family acceptance work. My mom was a rural teacher for many years in Mexico, and I was the witness of her commitment and her love for those remote and forgotten villages, where she did most of her work. And my dad’s passing was a painful experience, but somehow he has brought good fortune to our film. My father died just two days before we needed to finalize our work on El Canto. I was with him at the hospital for several weeks, and it was there where I had to do much of the post-production work with the team in San Francisco. El Canto del Colibrí has been dedicated to the memory of my father, Camilo Castro.
Did you formally study film?
No.
What is a movie you are embarrassed to admit you really like?
I really don’t watch Hollywood films, or try not to – they are like Televisa, the same story, only scrambled. I must admit that I watched one of the Beverly Hills Chihuahua movies. I don’t know which one and I don’t think it matters.
5
Kayla Mulholland, Director of 'Resilience Undocumented'
Where are you from?
I’m from Placerville, California.
What city do you call home?
San Francisco.
What inspired you to make this film
I was inspired to make this film after working on an anthropological research project with my professor, Dr. James Quesada, which focused on undocumented day laborers’ lived experiences and how their health was being affected by their vulnerable situations.
What was the most rewarding part about making this film?
The most rewarding part about making this film was getting to show it to people who may never have considered what life might be like for these undocumented workers, and hearing their reflections and responses. It was also rewarding to get to know these men myself; I learned a lot from my experience working with them.
How do your parents feel about you becoming a filmmaker?
My parents are supportive.
Did you formally study film?
I received a Bachelor’s in Cultural Anthropology with an emphasis in Visual Anthropology and a minor in Human Rights and Justice Studies.
What is a movie you are embarrassed to admit you really like?
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.