Adios!

After three months, blogging about the Latino film industry has come to an end!

Going into this experience, I was apprehensive and unsure about the blogging process. I had no idea how blogs even worked outside of what you see on myspace, which usually boils down to a lot of dramatics. After picking my topic of the film industry and its ties to Latino culture, I was immediately kicking myself...

How was I supposed to keep this up for a whole semester?

Suprisingly, this task was not only mind opening but difficult because of the abundence of information. The opposite of the problems I was envisioning at the beginning of this assignment.
Thre was a history to this part of the film industry that was worth telling and so much progression with the stars of today to introduce, the selection process was difficult.

Through blogging, I learned not only how to go about finding something worth blogging about every week but also the online essentials I will need if I want to pursue a career with journalism.

To the students of the journalism department at UA...I recommend you consider this class for your capstone. The amount of freedom you have in this class as well as the technology you learn that is essential to journalism today is priceless.

Online journalism is here to stay and why not get a head start by having your own blog with on the Border Beat?

Pedro Almodovar; Latino Industry Legend

Born in 1949, Pedro Almodovar is one of the most successful filmmakers of his time.

Pedro was born in Calzada de Calatrava, a rural town made famous by Don Quijote. As a child, Pedro was turned into the town letter reader and writer for his neighbors. In 1967, Almodovar decided to move to Madrid to experience life in he city. After a few years, Almodovar became interested the world of film and theatre, forever changing the course of his life.

Pedro's interest in film did not limit his creative ability. He wrote for a number of underground magazines and at the fall of the Franco regime, he became a figure in the Maldrilene Movement (the term that defined the culture change after Franco). He published numerous articles and novellas and eventually moved to short film.

His early films were known for being overly sexual and without noise to accompany his work. After ten years of work, the films Almodovar made became popular and were shown around the bars in Madrid. His openly gay lifestyle was often times incorporated into his work, a theme that was not often explored during this time.

His first feature film was entitled, "Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Women on the Heap," in 1980.

It exhibited the sexual freedom and culture of the times and created Almodovar's lasting reputation as an agent provocateur. The film generated a cult following and spent four years showing around theatres in Madrid. With the success of this film, Almovador was able to fund his second film and thus starting his film career.

His most recent film was the critically acclaimed 'Volver,' starring Penelope Cruz.

Today, Pedro Almodovar's films still conjure strong emotions and are enjoyed by people world wide. He continues to be a major figure in world cinema and is know as one of the first major players in the industry of Latino descent.

Gabriel García Márquez

For many people, myself included, when I hear the name Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I think of the long hours I spent in my high school English class. Bad memories of short stories with poetic undertones have always been my association with Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Recently though, my opinions had changed.

The 1985 novel Love in the Time of Cholera has recently become chosen to be a part of Oprah's Book Club; in turn becoming a national best seller almost instantly. Even more recently, the film has been made into a film and is set to be released soon.

Although beginning starting his career as a journalist, it did not take long to transition to writing novels and short poetry. His first major success was the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, as it was cited as a reason for his Nobel Prize in literature when it was awarded to him in 1972.

Over 30 years after his Nobel Prize, the work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez is still widely popular. The film Love in the Time of Cholera is set to be released on November 16, 2007.

The film is directed by Mike Newell and it is the first major English-language film adaptation of a novel by Garcia Marquez. Filmed in Colombia, it follows a love triangle spanning over 50 years that restarts when one of the members tragically dies.

With actors such as John Leguizamo and Benjamin Bratt, and numerous songs on the soundtrack by Shakira (who shares a hometown with Gabriel Garcia Marquez), it is not surprising many are predicting the film to be a success.

After viewing trailers for the film, I went to Barnes & Noble to get a copy of the book to read before I see the movie. It turns out that Gabriel Garcia Marquez isn't as boring as I thought and my associations I have with him and the word 'boring' are quickly disappearing.

Spanglish

A language barrier is a problem that I believe most Americans can relate to or have experienced in the past. In many cases though, this barrier results in confusion and anger because individual wants and needs cannot be understood.

In 2004, language barriers were explored in the film Spanglish. Although the film did not win the Golden Globe it was nominated for the message portrayed remained strong and relatable to audiences world wide. It was released in numerous other countries after the American release.

The story focuses on a wealthy American family, the Claskys, and the mother and daughter pair of Flor and Cristina Moreno.

Flor brings her daughter to America hoping for a better life and tries to remain strictly inside the Latino community avoiding the language and cultural barriers surrounding her. However, she is eventually led to the housekeeping job at the Clasky residence and here is where the differences in culture and language are explored.

James L. Brooks, the films writer and director uses the two different families to draw parallels and compare cultures. Although Flor struggles in everyday life trying to find her spot in the new culture and with money she realizes by living with the affluent Clasky family that she is not alone.

John and Deborah Clasky have difficulties agreeing on how to raise their children and remain faithful and connected to each other. Flor and John develop a special relationship and communicate and help one another despite the language barrier.

Flor does eventually learn English but I think Brooks decides to keep her on the outside for the majority of the movie to prove a point. It is understood that Flor is a functioning member of society and a mother who provides for her daughter the best she can in a country whose language she does not know. So many times in today's world frustration takes over when a person can't speak the language and judgements are made.

Spanglish came out three years ago but it is prevalent to the times we live in today in the United States and in other countries around the world. It is more of a film of understanding and patience rather than preaching a message and using the Mexican and American parallels demonstrates this point perfectly.

A Profile of Héctor Lavoe

"El Cantante" is a film based on the life of famed Puerto Rican salsa singer, Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez. Although the movie starring both Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony was critically panned the story of Lavoe is no less interesting or important to Latin culture.



Lavoe moved to New York when he was only 17 years old and immediately began to perform with numerous music groups throughout the city but it was in 1967 that Lavoe's career really began. Lavoe became the lead singer in Willie Colón's band and released several songs that were hits. The improving status of Lavoe's music career was on the rise but also on the rise was his addiction to drugs. Due to the addiction Colón released Lavoe from the band but continued to help him throughout his solo career.

Lavoe's career was strung with controversial hit songs. For instance, his hit song "el cantante" was recorded against the will of the song's writer but later acknowledged as being great by the very writer who protested it. Also controversial was "bandolera," a song that subjects the woman subject of the song to beatings twice and therefore was protested by feminists.

Despite musical success in the 70s, Lavoe battled deep depression in 1978 and went into isolation from friends and family on the advice of a priest. Upon his emergence, Lavoe was drug free and confident but due to the sudden deaths of his father, teenage son and mother-in-law his personal success was short lived. In combination with these deaths was Lavoe's diagnosis of HIV that pushed Lavoe to his limit.

After a cancelled performance in 1988 due to low ticket sales, Lavoe attempted suicide in June of 1988 in Puerto Rico. Lavoe did survive the suicide attempt but due to continuous drug use and shared needles he would never completely recover. Five years late, Lavoe died in June of 1993 without a penny to his name due to AIDS complications.

Lavoe is remembered as one of the great salsa artists and an inspiration to many artists today. Here is one of his great performances of "mi gente."

A New Latin American Icon

A new role model for Latino youth has emerged. America Ferrera is not new to the film industry but with the emergence of the t.v. show Ugly Betty last year, she is quickly becoming a new icon for the Latino youth.

Ferrera grew up in LA but described her youth as a departure from the typical Latino childhood. While many children attend quincineras, Ferrera was more familiar with the Bar Mitzvah.

Still considered a child, Ferrera started her career in television and film. First with the Disney movie Gotta Kick it Up and later with the critically acclaimed film Real Women Have Curves. It wasn't until 2006 that Ferrera got the role that would change her life- the lead on Ugly Betty.

To the left is an image of America Ferrera as herself. To the right is an image of America Ferrera as her famed character in Ugly Betty.

Ugly Betty is show that takes place in many nations around the world but originated in Colombia with their hit, "Betty La Fea." Ferrera recently won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the nerdy, bushy eyebrowed, unattractive, braces wearing teen, Betty Suarez. After winning the award, the House of Representatives awarded Ferrera for being a role model for young Latina women. Additionally, in the past week America Ferrera has been awarded as the Hispanic Woman of the Year by Billboard and The Hollywood Report.

America Ferrera is a positive role model for young girls of Latina descent and other cultures because she is a girl with a variety of talents and a positive outlook on life. She has not gotten into trouble has many other Hollywood actresses and she has almost completed her college education at USC. For a woman as young as America who has accomplished so much, it will be interesting to see what she can do in the future for the Latino community.

The Father of Latin American Cinema

Born in Santa Fe, Argentina in 1925 was Argentinian filmmaker Fernando Birri. Fernando is generally considered the father of Latin American cinema.

Birri was always involved with the theatre and puppetry but it was not until 1950 that his interests shifted to film. Birri went to Rome to study film until 1953 at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. After graduation from the film school Birri returned to Santa Fe and established the first Latin American film school specializing in documentaries.

When Birri returned to Argentina his focus was creating film that actively portrayed Argentine life but was met with resistance inside the industry. While at the school Birri created two of his most famous works: "Tire die" in 1954 and "Los innundados" in 1961. Both films were based on the social classes within Argentina and were overall ignored by the public.

Although the contributions to Latin American society were great, he was still forced into exile during the military coup de etat in Argentina. It was during this time that he moved back to Italy and began shooting experimental films.

Awhile later in 1986 Birri was one of the men who helped found the International School of Film and Television in Cuba and therefore chosen as one of the schools first principles. He ha taught in Mexico as well as Venezuela but currently resides in Europe.

Birri has not won many awards in his career, the only known award is the International Film Festival award in 1962 for best first film. However, his contribution and daring style for the times is remembered. Birri established film schools and styles which ha not yet been attempted by the Latin community.

Latino International Film Festival

October 7th-14th is a big week in Los Angeles. It is the week of the Latino International Film Festival. The festival is put on by LIFI (Latino International Film Institute), a non profit organization.

In their mission statement they say their purpose is "to showcase and nurture existing and emerging creative Latino talent while serving as a springboard and catalyst for the promotion of Latin films and filmmakers."

Films submitted to this festival come from countries around the world. One of the highlighted films this year, "El Camino de los Ingleses" is from Antonio Banderas in Spain. Another highlighted film is "Fuera Del Cielo." This film is presented by Javier Patrón and is a past winner in the Guadalajara International Film Festival from 2006.

The film festival shows a wide variety of film. They range from feature, documentaries, shorts and special screenings. Films shown throughout the festival portray Latino culture and are presented by Latino producers, actors, writers and fimmakers. If you are in the LA area this week, check out the schedule and see if you can attend!

Un Día Sin Mexicanos

A day without Mexicans. What would it be like? Some believe more opportunities would be available for Americans while others think our economy will suffer. While no one can say for sure, filmmakers Sergio Arau and Yareli Arizmendi explored this possibility.

In September of 2004 "A Day Without a Mexican" was released and it portrayed the events of a day in which all Latinos who resided or worked in California disappeared.

The filmmakers say in statement made on their website that "immigration reform is the civil rights struggle of our time. It is a struggle that affects all of us with its impact on the economic, social and cultural fabric of our society."

In the film Arau and Arizmendi show various situations in which not having a Mexican (or any Latino for that matter) around would affect us. And while the situations are exaggerated their point is clearly understood. One man arrives to his restaurant with and finds it a mess because the dishes were not done. In another instance the streets begin to fill with garbage because workers are not there to pick it up.

Whether or not an individual's stance is for or against propositions restricting the abilities of Latinos immigrating to the USA, it forces everyone to pose the question: what would we do without them? Would Americans step up and take the positions they hold or would we fall to pieces without them?

The film is not in theatres any more but I think it is one worth seeing and DVDs are available. Check out the trailer below and decide for yourself!

Movie Trailer

A Movie Worth Seeing

In my past few blogs I've talked about the negative portrayal of Latin characters in film. While all of my facts are true in previous blogs and my opinions stay the same, I recently saw a film that gives a different perspective.

While often times Latinos are shown to be drug traffickers in movies, it is not often that the reasons why they do it are presented to the audience. The 2004 film Maria Full of Grace, however, takes this perspective.

The film is centered around Maria (played by newcomer Catalina Sandino Moreno), a young girl who grows tired of working on a rose plantation for little money and even less respect. After learning she is pregnant, Maria realizes she needs a job that earn more money and receives an offer to work as a drug courier, carrying pellets of drugs concealed in her body from Colombia to the United States. After only one trip and the death of a friend due to the job, Maria decides to stay quit the job and remain in the United States in hopes to find a better future.

The director, Joshua Marston, wanted to do a film about the stories of immigrants coming into the United States and was inspired by one woman's in particular. Although the story is not based on this one woman, it is the story of many. If you want to find up to date figures, facts, or other information about drug trafficking in the US, click here. But if you are curious about Arizona inparticular, click here.

When the film came out in 2004 it was immediatly nominated for prestigious awards and won many of them. Click here for a full list of those awards & nominations.

The Beginnings

To understand stereotypes in film, it is necessary to start at the beginning. For stereotyping of Latinos, the beginning was the appearances in silent western films in the early 1900s.

The term 'greaser' is a derogatory term used to describe Mexican Americans and although it is not one heard very often in 2007, it was openly used in the early 1900s and used in various movie titles. For example, Greaser's Revenge in 1914 and Tony the Greaser in 1911.

Mexican Americans were referred to as greasers in the early 1900s in film and often times everyday life because of the grease that would get into their hair and on their bodies while working with animal hides.

The typical 'greaser' image used throughout the 1900s is shown below:



The role of a greaser in Hollywood was rarely, if ever, a positive one. They played the first role of the bad guy: dishonest and conniving in every possible way. This portrayal appeared typically in the western genre.

The 'greaser' character continues to be reinvented and appears in films today. While the modern day greaser might have migrated from the wild west or frontier into the city, the character is undoubtedly morally deficient in comparison to the portrayal of their white counterparts. Many times in today's films the greaser is involved with gangs or other illegal activity.

However, in the blatent prejudice in the film industry did not occur without any protest. Due to many complaints and boycotts by the Mexican Government in the 1920s, film producers began to stray away from the specifying the heritage of their Latino characters. This, in turn, led to pan-Latino (a 'you're all the same' state of mind) portrayals that were still offensive to much of the Latino population.

An Accurate Portrayal

When I think of movies that have Latino characters or the Latino culture as a focus point throughout the film there is one film that immediately comes to mind.

"Scarface"


I am sure I am not the only one.

In the past the portrayal of the Latino people has always been more often that not a negative one. The characters in the films based around a Latino culture are often prostitutes, drug lords or violent gang members.

In the films "Blow" and "Traffic", while the actual drug dealers in the United States are white and American, the stem of the problem always goes back to the Latin American countries as well as their people.

One film historian from the University of California-Riverside says the issue with the depiction of Latin Americans is the violence. The films give the idea that Latinos, as a people, are more violent than other Americans. This opinion, however, was given in 1996.

Today the depiction of Latin Americans has changed drastically. Although sometimes still drugs are associated with the Latin American Culture it is in a different perspective. Take for example the film "Maria Full of Grace." This film tells the story of a young girl who was forced to transport drugs in and out of the country using her body as a vessel only because she needed provide for her family. Instead of invoking anger in a viewer, this film creates sympathy for the girls situation.

Over my next few blogs I want to talk about the movies that have not only done positive things for the image of Latin Americans but also effected the progress in a negative manner.

Below The Fold

So last week I went to see the documentary, 'Below The Fold.' Going into the film, I didn't know anything about it except that it told the story of the first Latinos that won the Pulitzer Prize. 26 minutes later I felt as though I had sat through a history class, but not the sleep inducing kind, I heard learned about a group of people who forever altered the way journalism was done.

'Below The Fold' is about a group of young journalists who overcame prejudice at the monster publication, The L.A. Times, to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1984. Members of that prestigious group, George Ramos, Virginia Escalante and the director Roberto Gudino were all in attendance.

Robert Gudino was a film student at U of A and is now attended UCLA for film school. He expressed during the Q&A that he made the film because he was connected and inspired by the humble beginnings of these people. Also that it was a film for the community and his people.

After seeing this film, I understand why it is so important to tell this story. The percentage of Latinos in the newsroom has dropped significantly and there are still battles to be fought to even the playing field for minorities. If, as Robert Gudino hopes, this film does someday make it on PBS, it is a film I recommend everyone to see. It is a film that is encouraging for all journalism students, not just minority students, that the combination of hard work and not giving up will always create a success.

My First Blog

Over the course of this semester, I am planning to not only look at films from the past that have done both positive and negative things for the Hispanic community but find new films and changes in it's portrayal. Film is an easy way to track change and more often than not an accurate reflection of sentiment at a specific time in history. By looking at the progression throughout the past I think it will help to create a clear path for change in the future.