Oscar-winning Chilean director Sebastián Lelio has wrapped production on the newly announced musical film “The Wave,” inspired by the mass protests and university rallies that took place during Chile’s so-called “feminist May” movement in 2018.
The film — starring newcomers Daniela López, Avril Aurora, Lola Bravo and Paulina Cortés — centers on Julia, a dedicated music student who gets involved in the growing feminist movement on her university campus — a group effort where women step up to bring attention to the widespread harassment and abuse suffered by many of their peers. Amid the excitement of protest marches, she joins her friends in dancing and singing, revisiting her own experiences of mistreatment. But as she gathers the courage to share her story, she unexpectedly becomes a central figure in the movement. It’s a role she didn’t foresee, but one which forces her to address her identity as a survivor in a...
The film — starring newcomers Daniela López, Avril Aurora, Lola Bravo and Paulina Cortés — centers on Julia, a dedicated music student who gets involved in the growing feminist movement on her university campus — a group effort where women step up to bring attention to the widespread harassment and abuse suffered by many of their peers. Amid the excitement of protest marches, she joins her friends in dancing and singing, revisiting her own experiences of mistreatment. But as she gathers the courage to share her story, she unexpectedly becomes a central figure in the movement. It’s a role she didn’t foresee, but one which forces her to address her identity as a survivor in a...
- 4/10/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-winning director Sebastián Lelio has wrapped production and released first images on his new musical film The Wave (La Ola), inspired by the protests and university rallies that took place in Chile during the so-called “feminist May” in 2018.
The film, which stars newcomers Daniela López, Avril Aurora, Lola Bravo and Paulina Cortés, shot on location in Chile for nine weeks.
It centres on Julia, a dedicated music student, who gets involved in the growing feminist movement on her university campus to protest widespread harassment and abuse suffered by many of their peers. Julia joins her friends in dancing and singing,...
The film, which stars newcomers Daniela López, Avril Aurora, Lola Bravo and Paulina Cortés, shot on location in Chile for nine weeks.
It centres on Julia, a dedicated music student, who gets involved in the growing feminist movement on her university campus to protest widespread harassment and abuse suffered by many of their peers. Julia joins her friends in dancing and singing,...
- 4/10/2024
- ScreenDaily
Oscar-winning filmmaker Sebastián Lelio has wrapped production on musical film The Wave (La Ola) inspired by the wave of feminist civil disobedience that swept Chile in the spring of 2018.
The mass protests and university rallies, sparked by a collective desire to bring attention to widespread harassment and abuse against women in Chile, came to be known as the “Feminist May”.
The movement was seen as a turning point for Chilean consciousness around women’s rights, reverberated across the world.
The movie’s original musical compositions have been created collaboratively by 17 female Chilean musicians including Ana Tijoux, Camila Moreno and Javiera Parra, as well as the film’s award-winning composer Matthew Herbert, whose credits include Lelio’s The Wonder, A Fantastic Woman, Gloria Bell and Disobedience.
The choreographer is award-winning Ryan Heffington who has worked with recording artists including Sia, Florence and the Machine and Christine and the Queens as well...
The mass protests and university rallies, sparked by a collective desire to bring attention to widespread harassment and abuse against women in Chile, came to be known as the “Feminist May”.
The movement was seen as a turning point for Chilean consciousness around women’s rights, reverberated across the world.
The movie’s original musical compositions have been created collaboratively by 17 female Chilean musicians including Ana Tijoux, Camila Moreno and Javiera Parra, as well as the film’s award-winning composer Matthew Herbert, whose credits include Lelio’s The Wonder, A Fantastic Woman, Gloria Bell and Disobedience.
The choreographer is award-winning Ryan Heffington who has worked with recording artists including Sia, Florence and the Machine and Christine and the Queens as well...
- 4/10/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Chilean director Sebastián Lelio has revealed details of his new film, The Wave, a Spanish-language production the director of The Wonder and A Fantastic Woman has shot under the radar in Chile over the past nine weeks.
A musical, The Wave was inspired by the mass demonstrations protesting violence against women that swept Chile in 2018, galvanizing the feminist movement in the country and leading to constitutional reform on the rights of women.
The film follows Julia (newcomer Daniela López), a Chilean music student who gets involved in the growing feminist movement on her university campus. While joining her friends in dancing and singing as part of the protests against gender-based violence, Julia revisits her own experiences of mistreatment. She unexpectedly becomes a central figure in the movement that is pushing for change in a society that is resistant to it. Produced by Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue and Lelio,...
A musical, The Wave was inspired by the mass demonstrations protesting violence against women that swept Chile in 2018, galvanizing the feminist movement in the country and leading to constitutional reform on the rights of women.
The film follows Julia (newcomer Daniela López), a Chilean music student who gets involved in the growing feminist movement on her university campus. While joining her friends in dancing and singing as part of the protests against gender-based violence, Julia revisits her own experiences of mistreatment. She unexpectedly becomes a central figure in the movement that is pushing for change in a society that is resistant to it. Produced by Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue and Lelio,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sebastián Lelio is setting the soundtrack of a feminist revolution with musical film “The Wave (La Ola)” — it just wrapped production.
The Academy Award-winning director helms the film that follows music student Julia (Daniela López) who gets involved in the growing feminist #MeToo movement on her university campus. Amid the excitement of protest marches, per the official synopsis, Julia joins her friends in dancing and singing, revisiting her own experiences of mistreatment. As she gathers the courage to share her own abuse story, she unexpectedly becomes a central figure in the movement — a role she didn’t foresee, which forces her to address her identity as a survivor in a society that promises change but remains resistant to it.
Avril Aurora, Lola Bravo, and Paulina Cortés also star. See below for first-look images.
Lelio co-wrote the screenplay with Manuela Infante, Josefina Fernández, and Paloma Salas. The writer/director/producer was...
The Academy Award-winning director helms the film that follows music student Julia (Daniela López) who gets involved in the growing feminist #MeToo movement on her university campus. Amid the excitement of protest marches, per the official synopsis, Julia joins her friends in dancing and singing, revisiting her own experiences of mistreatment. As she gathers the courage to share her own abuse story, she unexpectedly becomes a central figure in the movement — a role she didn’t foresee, which forces her to address her identity as a survivor in a society that promises change but remains resistant to it.
Avril Aurora, Lola Bravo, and Paulina Cortés also star. See below for first-look images.
Lelio co-wrote the screenplay with Manuela Infante, Josefina Fernández, and Paloma Salas. The writer/director/producer was...
- 4/10/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The morning Ana Tijoux jumps on a Zoom call from Barcelona to talk to Rolling Stone about her new album, South African lawyers are making a case for Palestinians at The Hague. The Franco-Chilean rapper’s life has always been marked by politics. Born in Lille to Chilean immigrants fleeing the Pinotchet coup, she’s now a mother of two. Like much of the world, she’s been following the siege in Gaza closely and thinking about how people around the world can connect to what’s happening and speak out.
- 1/25/2024
- by E.R. Pulgar
- Rollingstone.com
Mark Ballas and BC Jean set out with all intentions of having a normal, run-of-the-mill first dance at their Nov. 25 wedding.
“At first we thought we’d just stand there and sway to our song,” the Dancing with the Stars pro, 30, says in the current issue of People.
But swaying to Coldplay’s “Magic” just wasn’t going to cut it for Ballas, who currently stars as Frankie Valli in Broadway’s Jersey Boys.
“I ended up putting something together,” says the dancer, who ultimately choreographed a “very understated and romantic” Argentine tango, which he taught his Alexander Jean bandmate...
“At first we thought we’d just stand there and sway to our song,” the Dancing with the Stars pro, 30, says in the current issue of People.
But swaying to Coldplay’s “Magic” just wasn’t going to cut it for Ballas, who currently stars as Frankie Valli in Broadway’s Jersey Boys.
“I ended up putting something together,” says the dancer, who ultimately choreographed a “very understated and romantic” Argentine tango, which he taught his Alexander Jean bandmate...
- 11/30/2016
- by Patrick Gomez
- PEOPLE.com
It may be just a smidge too late to rock out to an official “song of the summer,” but for fans of Comedy Central’s “Broad City,” the jams can keep on rolling well into autumn. Pitchfork reports that the Ilana Glazer- and Abbi Jacobson-starring sitcom is finally make a big ‘ol step into adulthood, thanks to the impending release of an official soundtrack.
The new album includes “Broad City” favorites like RJD2, Lizzo, Scooter Island, Tony Quattro and many more, and yes (yas?) even includes a song that sounds pretty close to the gals’ #Yasqueen catchphrase, K Rizz’s own “Yes Bitch.”
Read More: Abbi Jacobson & Ilana Glazer on Their Favorite Comedic Performances on ‘Broad City’ & Beyond (Consider This)
The album was executive produced by “Broad City” Music Supervisor Matt FX Feldman and will be out October 28 via Milan Records (in association with Comedy Central Records). Vinyl...
The new album includes “Broad City” favorites like RJD2, Lizzo, Scooter Island, Tony Quattro and many more, and yes (yas?) even includes a song that sounds pretty close to the gals’ #Yasqueen catchphrase, K Rizz’s own “Yes Bitch.”
Read More: Abbi Jacobson & Ilana Glazer on Their Favorite Comedic Performances on ‘Broad City’ & Beyond (Consider This)
The album was executive produced by “Broad City” Music Supervisor Matt FX Feldman and will be out October 28 via Milan Records (in association with Comedy Central Records). Vinyl...
- 9/2/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Complete list of winners and nominees of the 2014 Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on Sunday February 8. Winners will be updated as they're announced during the telecast and pre-telecast. Record Of The Year “Fancy,” Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli Xcx “Chandelier,” Sia **Winner** “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” Sam Smith “Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift “All About That Bass,” Meghan Trainor Album Of The Year **Winner** “Morning Phase,” Beck “Beyoncé,” Beyoncé “X,” Ed Sheeran “In The Lonely Hour,” Sam Smith “Girl,” Pharrell Williams Song Of The Year “All About That Bass,” Kevin Kadish & Meghan Trainor, songwriters (Meghan Trainor) “Chandelier,” Sia Furler & Jesse Shatkin, songwriters (Sia) “Shake It Off,” Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift) **Winner** “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith) “Take Me To Church,” Andrew Hozier-Byrne, songwriter (Hozier) Best New Artist Iggy Azalea Bastille Brandy Clark...
- 2/8/2015
- by Donna Dickens
- Hitfix
For the last few years, I’ve taken it upon myself in my capacity as Sos co-founder and eternal DJ to gather up some of my favorite tracks of the year, along with excerpts of dialogue and scoring from some of my favorite films (and, this year, TV series!) of the year, and cram it into a mix that could fit onto a hypothetical CD-r. But since this has been the year of the mixtape (hello Guardians of the Galaxy, Mommy, and Boyhood), and since there’s been such an overwhelming bounty of great music to choose from, I opted for a “C120″ format – two “sides,” one hour each. Since non-film music is the one area of pop culture Sound on Sight will (hopefully) never devote a subsection to, it’s the one instance I allow myself every year to flex my geekery in this area.
Lots of really great...
Lots of really great...
- 12/22/2014
- by Simon Howell
- SoundOnSight
Inquiring minds want to know, what has the Peruvian-American multi-media artist and filmmaker of the radical film Sleep Dealer been up to since he broke through at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. I had a chance to catch up with Alex and find out what’s shaking.
Sleep Dealer had been percolating through development for a few years when it participated in the 2001 Sundance Institute Screenwriters lab. It premiered in the festival’s Us Dramatic Competition in 2008 where it was bestowed with the Waldo Screenwriting Award for Alex and his co-writer David Riker. The ambitious and thoughtful genre bender (eco/romance/sci-fi/adventure/socio-political thriller), was a uniquely original feature debut which earned him lots of buzz including a spot on Variety’s Ten Directors to Watch. On the heels of all the Sundance momentum, Alex was courted around town for various projects, mostly speculative script work (aka free labor). One of the projects he became attached to write and direct was a film based on the Wired article “La Vida Robot,” then being produced by Salma Hayek and John Wells. Meanwhile, Sleep Dealer was released by Maya Entertainment in April 2009. Unfortunately, Maya’s theatrical releases struggled to make much profit (the company quietly shuttered last year to dissolve its debt). Sleep Dealer averaged 2k in its 18 booked theaters NY/La Opening Weekend engagement. My opinion? Lack of a strong and savvy marketing campaign along with Maya’s model of booking the film at its out of the way fringe theater markets hurt the film’s shot at targeting the audience it eventually found elsewhere. And where it did find a cultish nerd-like audience was in the educational space. Alex has traveled to over 50 campuses and continues to do so in order to discuss and engage with the complex layers and themes the film generates - a testament to the heavily research based scientific, sociological and immigration alchemy of the film.
So let’s hear what else Alex has been up to. {redacted transcription of our recorded conversation}.
What are some of the exciting things you’ve worked on immediately after Sleep Dealer?
David Riker and I developed a TV series. It’s called “Blink!” It’s about a woman who suffers a strange accident, loses her eyesight, and is given digital retinas, a technology that is currently being developed. Shortly after she starts to see again, she realizes something is terribly wrong – her head is transmitting. You can see what she sees through a live video feed. She doesn’t know if her eyes are malfunctioning, if she’s been ‘hacked,’ etc. The show follows Blink as she tries to unravel what’s inside her head and the possibility that she is part of a conspiracy that might even be altering her reality. We still have the material and are looking for a partner for it, we’ve had different partners along the way.
One of the more surprising developments for me was an ongoing collaboration with the community of activists working around the cause of immigration. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network became aware of my work through Sleep Dealer. They are really active working with day laborers in this grassroots way, but they also have a unique cultural strategy. They happened to be in touch with Manu Chao, the legendary and popular World music artist, who in his work sings about the experience of migration. They put me in touch with him and we produced a video in Arizona. We did the same thing with Ana Tijoux, a Latin Hip Hop artist, and we are dialoging with other artists like Zack de Rocha and La Santa Cecilia, a local La group Latino music mashup group. It’s been deeply fulfilling not going through agencies but rather activists that are committed to the same values that I am committed to. So that kind of has been my reality; partly working with these activist groups on these cultural projects, partly shopping around ideas in this system like the Sci-Fi TV series, and partly supporting Sleep Dealers’s after life.
You also work with other filmmakers on an ongoing basis, talk about your collective:
I’ve been working with other filmmakers for the past 14 years through a small distribution company called SubCine, like subliminal, subliminated. The idea behind the name is that experimental films, documentaries and risky fiction films are already shut out of the mainstream film culture, so then if you are making that kind of work from the Latino perspective its yet another level of marginalization. Its like we are the outsiders of the outsiders. It’s an exciting place to be, to think, imagine and attack from. We are a small collective of filmmakers like myself, Jim Mendiola Gregorio Rocha, Jesse Lerner, Cristina Ibarra, Natalia Almada, Dolissa Medina. A lot of us were making our films in the 90s and selling our films individually. We decided that instead of selling them individually, to compile a catalog together. From one day to the next, a distributor was born. We have a warehouse that keeps the films, does all the fulfillment and billing so we don’t have to lick the stamps anymore. Most traditional distributors pay filmmakers 40% minus expenses. We pay 70% with no expenses taken out of that. We are a very slender operation but set up to make the sales and get the money to the filmmakers. Right now we have almost 50 films in the catalog and over 20 filmmakers that we work with. I manage that on a month to month basis as one of my many other side projects. It’s been super fulfilling because its getting the films seen. They are sold to only a little segment; the libraries, universities and colleges to be used in classroom. Those institutions will pay $300 more or less for a DVD because they are using it in the institutional context. Then that work is seen by young people hungry to learn, whose ideas about the world and ideas about film are being shaped, so its a win-win-win.
That’s an interesting model, you think there is room for more of these kind of distribution platforms for Latino filmmakers?
We were inspired by New Day Films, a social issue documentary distribution collective. It’s a lot of the same thought; Lets not work alone, lets work together. If you sell your film maybe the person who bought it would want to buy my film. It’s like this collective spirit of a distributor that’s owned by the filmmakers. The educational market doesn’t sound glamorous, but it’s absolutely essential for students to see the wide variety of films and it gets to them when their brains are soft and squishy and malleable. It’s an influential moment to reach that audience. And they still pay - librarians still care about getting a licensed copy of a film for their collection and are willing to pay for it. In a day and age when nobody seems to get paid, this market is a unique space to be.
With all these side projects and day to day busy-ness and constant fellow filmmaker collaboration and stimulation how do you concentrate on developing your own projects and tell us what personal project are you focusing on now?
I have a curious mind and active imagination, which is a curse and a blessing. Definitely over the years I have had many ideas and I try to do everything I just mentioned plus develop my own material. About a year ago I got interested in the story of a legendary Chicano activist - somebody who should be as well known as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X or Cesar Chavez but who is not. His name is Reies López Tijerina. He led an armed movement in New Mexico to reclaim part of the land for the original Mexican families that had settled there before it was the United States - the land that was stolen after the war with Mexico. Tijerina is a fascinating character and there are parts of his story that are like a Quentin Tarantino film. Like he would wear a suit in the desert while armed, trying to arrest police officers….it has that kind of great genre and humor in it, but it also taps into extraordinary realities and histories about The Southwest which have, for the most part, been forgotten.
How much does the general public know about this man?
I think the general public knows close to nothing. People who study Chicano history would run into his story but not everybody even in that category…We live in a strange age where there are 53 million Latinos in this country and yet if you ask, ‘Who are some great Latino figures in U.S. history?’ most folks can’t name five. Whether it’s the result of a concerted effort or not, the history is missing. I mean, you look at Arizona and they are banning books about Chicano history, you start to think maybe it is concerted. Either way, you don’t get 50 million people here overnight. There’s a long history that has been erased and its part of the duty of artists who define themselves as Latino to rescue parts of that history because we deserve to know it. Tijerina is one of those incendiary, wild and fantastic stories and there should be many films about it and yet it is exactly the opposite. He’s nearly completely forgotten and he’s not the only one, there is a whole series of these kind of figures that have been swept under the rug. It’s a problem and also an opportunity because it is definitely time now to think of ways that are visually exciting to tell these stories. When I talk about history, it’s not to put someone to sleep, its not a Ken Burns treatment. This is life and death, sex, people fighting over billions of dollars that are at stake, the future of the country - these are high stakes, thrilling stories going back to days of the Conquest up until today.
How would you go about rescuing these histories and making it modern, relevant and accessible in order to capture people’s interest in unknown historical figures?
All the way through, if you look at any chapter in Latino history, and as I would define it, it starts with the conquest when the Spanish meet Native Americans and start to kill each other and enslave each other and make babies together and create a whole new race -is there anything more Shakespearean? More dramatic? No. Obviously Mel Gibson took a stab at that time period with Apocalpyto, which was wildly successful commercially. Why? Because he used a kind of genre approach. It’s not a historical film, it’s an action film. Now I didn’t love the film but I can respect that it’s a piece of pop culture that is also telling a part of history. Do I love its point of view? No. But I respect the craft. And so starting with that going up to, anywhere you drop the needle on Latino history there is something equally dramatic going on..…In the Us Mexico war countless moments and characters and stories could be told through the genre of a heightened western that would be incredible. Quentin Tarantino has just shown that films that are set in historical contexts but that us the energy and aesthetics of genre filmmaking can be wildly successful. So the approach needs to be creative, elevated, the approach needs to push the envelope. You can mine these histories for all kinds of fantastic narratives. And, of course, the future can be mined as well.
Thanks to Alex for sharing!
Sleep Dealer had been percolating through development for a few years when it participated in the 2001 Sundance Institute Screenwriters lab. It premiered in the festival’s Us Dramatic Competition in 2008 where it was bestowed with the Waldo Screenwriting Award for Alex and his co-writer David Riker. The ambitious and thoughtful genre bender (eco/romance/sci-fi/adventure/socio-political thriller), was a uniquely original feature debut which earned him lots of buzz including a spot on Variety’s Ten Directors to Watch. On the heels of all the Sundance momentum, Alex was courted around town for various projects, mostly speculative script work (aka free labor). One of the projects he became attached to write and direct was a film based on the Wired article “La Vida Robot,” then being produced by Salma Hayek and John Wells. Meanwhile, Sleep Dealer was released by Maya Entertainment in April 2009. Unfortunately, Maya’s theatrical releases struggled to make much profit (the company quietly shuttered last year to dissolve its debt). Sleep Dealer averaged 2k in its 18 booked theaters NY/La Opening Weekend engagement. My opinion? Lack of a strong and savvy marketing campaign along with Maya’s model of booking the film at its out of the way fringe theater markets hurt the film’s shot at targeting the audience it eventually found elsewhere. And where it did find a cultish nerd-like audience was in the educational space. Alex has traveled to over 50 campuses and continues to do so in order to discuss and engage with the complex layers and themes the film generates - a testament to the heavily research based scientific, sociological and immigration alchemy of the film.
So let’s hear what else Alex has been up to. {redacted transcription of our recorded conversation}.
What are some of the exciting things you’ve worked on immediately after Sleep Dealer?
David Riker and I developed a TV series. It’s called “Blink!” It’s about a woman who suffers a strange accident, loses her eyesight, and is given digital retinas, a technology that is currently being developed. Shortly after she starts to see again, she realizes something is terribly wrong – her head is transmitting. You can see what she sees through a live video feed. She doesn’t know if her eyes are malfunctioning, if she’s been ‘hacked,’ etc. The show follows Blink as she tries to unravel what’s inside her head and the possibility that she is part of a conspiracy that might even be altering her reality. We still have the material and are looking for a partner for it, we’ve had different partners along the way.
One of the more surprising developments for me was an ongoing collaboration with the community of activists working around the cause of immigration. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network became aware of my work through Sleep Dealer. They are really active working with day laborers in this grassroots way, but they also have a unique cultural strategy. They happened to be in touch with Manu Chao, the legendary and popular World music artist, who in his work sings about the experience of migration. They put me in touch with him and we produced a video in Arizona. We did the same thing with Ana Tijoux, a Latin Hip Hop artist, and we are dialoging with other artists like Zack de Rocha and La Santa Cecilia, a local La group Latino music mashup group. It’s been deeply fulfilling not going through agencies but rather activists that are committed to the same values that I am committed to. So that kind of has been my reality; partly working with these activist groups on these cultural projects, partly shopping around ideas in this system like the Sci-Fi TV series, and partly supporting Sleep Dealers’s after life.
You also work with other filmmakers on an ongoing basis, talk about your collective:
I’ve been working with other filmmakers for the past 14 years through a small distribution company called SubCine, like subliminal, subliminated. The idea behind the name is that experimental films, documentaries and risky fiction films are already shut out of the mainstream film culture, so then if you are making that kind of work from the Latino perspective its yet another level of marginalization. Its like we are the outsiders of the outsiders. It’s an exciting place to be, to think, imagine and attack from. We are a small collective of filmmakers like myself, Jim Mendiola Gregorio Rocha, Jesse Lerner, Cristina Ibarra, Natalia Almada, Dolissa Medina. A lot of us were making our films in the 90s and selling our films individually. We decided that instead of selling them individually, to compile a catalog together. From one day to the next, a distributor was born. We have a warehouse that keeps the films, does all the fulfillment and billing so we don’t have to lick the stamps anymore. Most traditional distributors pay filmmakers 40% minus expenses. We pay 70% with no expenses taken out of that. We are a very slender operation but set up to make the sales and get the money to the filmmakers. Right now we have almost 50 films in the catalog and over 20 filmmakers that we work with. I manage that on a month to month basis as one of my many other side projects. It’s been super fulfilling because its getting the films seen. They are sold to only a little segment; the libraries, universities and colleges to be used in classroom. Those institutions will pay $300 more or less for a DVD because they are using it in the institutional context. Then that work is seen by young people hungry to learn, whose ideas about the world and ideas about film are being shaped, so its a win-win-win.
That’s an interesting model, you think there is room for more of these kind of distribution platforms for Latino filmmakers?
We were inspired by New Day Films, a social issue documentary distribution collective. It’s a lot of the same thought; Lets not work alone, lets work together. If you sell your film maybe the person who bought it would want to buy my film. It’s like this collective spirit of a distributor that’s owned by the filmmakers. The educational market doesn’t sound glamorous, but it’s absolutely essential for students to see the wide variety of films and it gets to them when their brains are soft and squishy and malleable. It’s an influential moment to reach that audience. And they still pay - librarians still care about getting a licensed copy of a film for their collection and are willing to pay for it. In a day and age when nobody seems to get paid, this market is a unique space to be.
With all these side projects and day to day busy-ness and constant fellow filmmaker collaboration and stimulation how do you concentrate on developing your own projects and tell us what personal project are you focusing on now?
I have a curious mind and active imagination, which is a curse and a blessing. Definitely over the years I have had many ideas and I try to do everything I just mentioned plus develop my own material. About a year ago I got interested in the story of a legendary Chicano activist - somebody who should be as well known as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X or Cesar Chavez but who is not. His name is Reies López Tijerina. He led an armed movement in New Mexico to reclaim part of the land for the original Mexican families that had settled there before it was the United States - the land that was stolen after the war with Mexico. Tijerina is a fascinating character and there are parts of his story that are like a Quentin Tarantino film. Like he would wear a suit in the desert while armed, trying to arrest police officers….it has that kind of great genre and humor in it, but it also taps into extraordinary realities and histories about The Southwest which have, for the most part, been forgotten.
How much does the general public know about this man?
I think the general public knows close to nothing. People who study Chicano history would run into his story but not everybody even in that category…We live in a strange age where there are 53 million Latinos in this country and yet if you ask, ‘Who are some great Latino figures in U.S. history?’ most folks can’t name five. Whether it’s the result of a concerted effort or not, the history is missing. I mean, you look at Arizona and they are banning books about Chicano history, you start to think maybe it is concerted. Either way, you don’t get 50 million people here overnight. There’s a long history that has been erased and its part of the duty of artists who define themselves as Latino to rescue parts of that history because we deserve to know it. Tijerina is one of those incendiary, wild and fantastic stories and there should be many films about it and yet it is exactly the opposite. He’s nearly completely forgotten and he’s not the only one, there is a whole series of these kind of figures that have been swept under the rug. It’s a problem and also an opportunity because it is definitely time now to think of ways that are visually exciting to tell these stories. When I talk about history, it’s not to put someone to sleep, its not a Ken Burns treatment. This is life and death, sex, people fighting over billions of dollars that are at stake, the future of the country - these are high stakes, thrilling stories going back to days of the Conquest up until today.
How would you go about rescuing these histories and making it modern, relevant and accessible in order to capture people’s interest in unknown historical figures?
All the way through, if you look at any chapter in Latino history, and as I would define it, it starts with the conquest when the Spanish meet Native Americans and start to kill each other and enslave each other and make babies together and create a whole new race -is there anything more Shakespearean? More dramatic? No. Obviously Mel Gibson took a stab at that time period with Apocalpyto, which was wildly successful commercially. Why? Because he used a kind of genre approach. It’s not a historical film, it’s an action film. Now I didn’t love the film but I can respect that it’s a piece of pop culture that is also telling a part of history. Do I love its point of view? No. But I respect the craft. And so starting with that going up to, anywhere you drop the needle on Latino history there is something equally dramatic going on..…In the Us Mexico war countless moments and characters and stories could be told through the genre of a heightened western that would be incredible. Quentin Tarantino has just shown that films that are set in historical contexts but that us the energy and aesthetics of genre filmmaking can be wildly successful. So the approach needs to be creative, elevated, the approach needs to push the envelope. You can mine these histories for all kinds of fantastic narratives. And, of course, the future can be mined as well.
Thanks to Alex for sharing!
- 2/27/2013
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
The 55th Grammy Awards have arrived, and music's biggest night promises a ton of trophies, and hopefully some great live performances by today's hottest acts. Who has the best record of 2012? How about the year's best new artist? Stick with Zap2it throughout the night, as we continue updating the list of this year's winners!
All of the award categories are below, with the winners in bold.
Record of the Year"Lonely Boy" by The Black Keys"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by Kelly Clarkson"We Are Young" by Fun., featuring Janelle Monáe"Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye, featuring Kimbra"Thinkin Bout You" by Frank Ocean"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift
Album of the Year"El Camino" by The Black Keys"Some Nights" by Fun."Babel" by Mumford & Sons"Channel Orange" by Frank Ocean"Blunderbuss" by Jack White
Song of the Year...
All of the award categories are below, with the winners in bold.
Record of the Year"Lonely Boy" by The Black Keys"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by Kelly Clarkson"We Are Young" by Fun., featuring Janelle Monáe"Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye, featuring Kimbra"Thinkin Bout You" by Frank Ocean"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift
Album of the Year"El Camino" by The Black Keys"Some Nights" by Fun."Babel" by Mumford & Sons"Channel Orange" by Frank Ocean"Blunderbuss" by Jack White
Song of the Year...
- 2/11/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
While everyone was buzzing about big releases from Frank Ocean, Fiona Apple, Mumford & Sons and Taylor Swift, you might have missed some must-listens. Here's what you should know about, and why:
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Grizzly Bear, "Shields" (Warp)
Yes, iTunes named Grizzly Bear's "Shields" the best album of 2012. Yes, the critics adored it. And yes, it debuted in the Top 10.
But did it earn any Grammy nominations? No. Is it selling well? No. Have you heard it? Probably not.
And that needs to change.
"Shields" is a semimasterpiece that feels both old and new – and in the best ways possible. Anchored by the voices of Edward Droste and Daniel Rossen, this Brooklyn, N.Y.-based foursome has created a disc that is genre-defying and consistent throughout.
The 10 tracks that make up "Shields" are drum-filled and smoky, and half the songs are more than five minutes long. That's a bit unusual, but it's...
___
Grizzly Bear, "Shields" (Warp)
Yes, iTunes named Grizzly Bear's "Shields" the best album of 2012. Yes, the critics adored it. And yes, it debuted in the Top 10.
But did it earn any Grammy nominations? No. Is it selling well? No. Have you heard it? Probably not.
And that needs to change.
"Shields" is a semimasterpiece that feels both old and new – and in the best ways possible. Anchored by the voices of Edward Droste and Daniel Rossen, this Brooklyn, N.Y.-based foursome has created a disc that is genre-defying and consistent throughout.
The 10 tracks that make up "Shields" are drum-filled and smoky, and half the songs are more than five minutes long. That's a bit unusual, but it's...
- 1/3/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
By Michael Lopez
It’s been a good week for Juanes and Jesse y Joy. Not only did they earn some nominations for this year’s Premio Lo Nuestro Awards, they’re up for some Grammy gold too. Several Tr3s faves scored nods from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, as did mainstream acts like Fun., Frank Ocean and Mumford & Sons.
As far as the Latinos are concerned, El Rockero and J y J picked up the most buzz. They’re both up for Best Latin Pop Album against artists like Fonseca, Kany Garcia and Ricardo Arjona. Romeo Santos earned a nod in the Tropical Album category (which surprisingly omitted Prince Royce’s Phase II).
Elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world, Ana Tijoux, Campo and Carla Morrison (who just snagged a Latin Grammy) picked up nominations in the Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative category and Gerardo Ortiz has...
It’s been a good week for Juanes and Jesse y Joy. Not only did they earn some nominations for this year’s Premio Lo Nuestro Awards, they’re up for some Grammy gold too. Several Tr3s faves scored nods from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, as did mainstream acts like Fun., Frank Ocean and Mumford & Sons.
As far as the Latinos are concerned, El Rockero and J y J picked up the most buzz. They’re both up for Best Latin Pop Album against artists like Fonseca, Kany Garcia and Ricardo Arjona. Romeo Santos earned a nod in the Tropical Album category (which surprisingly omitted Prince Royce’s Phase II).
Elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world, Ana Tijoux, Campo and Carla Morrison (who just snagged a Latin Grammy) picked up nominations in the Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative category and Gerardo Ortiz has...
- 12/7/2012
- by Carolina Moreno
- Huffington Post
By The Associated Press
Nashville, Tenn. -- Nominees announced Wednesday in top categories for the 55th annual Grammy Awards:
Record of the Year: "Lonely Boy," The Black Keys; "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," Kelly Clarkson; "We Are Young," fun. featuring Janelle Monae; "Somebody That I Used To Know," Gotye Featuring Kimbra; "Thinkin Bout You," Frank Ocean; "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," Taylor Swift.
Album of the Year: "El Camino," The Black Keys; "Some Nights," fun.; "Babel," Mumford & Sons; "Channel Orange," Frank Ocean; "Blunderbuss," Jack White.
Song of the Year: "The A Team," Ed Sheeran, songwriter (performed by Ed Sheeran); "Adorn," Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel); "Call Me Maybe" Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen); "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," Jorgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson); "We Are Young," Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (fun. featuring...
Nashville, Tenn. -- Nominees announced Wednesday in top categories for the 55th annual Grammy Awards:
Record of the Year: "Lonely Boy," The Black Keys; "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," Kelly Clarkson; "We Are Young," fun. featuring Janelle Monae; "Somebody That I Used To Know," Gotye Featuring Kimbra; "Thinkin Bout You," Frank Ocean; "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," Taylor Swift.
Album of the Year: "El Camino," The Black Keys; "Some Nights," fun.; "Babel," Mumford & Sons; "Channel Orange," Frank Ocean; "Blunderbuss," Jack White.
Song of the Year: "The A Team," Ed Sheeran, songwriter (performed by Ed Sheeran); "Adorn," Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel); "Call Me Maybe" Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen); "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," Jorgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson); "We Are Young," Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (fun. featuring...
- 12/6/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
The nominees for the 2012 Latin Grammy awards are in, and Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra tops the list with six nods.
Guerra scored two of the 10 "Best Song" nominations for his "Azul Sabina" and "En El Cielo No Hay Hospital." The Dominican singer’s unique blend of merengue, bolero, bachata and rock has already earned him 12 Latin Grammys.
The list of nominees released Tuesday by the Latin Recording Academy includes both established musical titans such as Cuban jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, and relative newcomers, including Afro-Colombian hip hop group Choc Quib Town.
Brazil's Caetano Veloso, who first came to prominence in the 1960s playing a samba-infused style of rock known as Tropicalia, is up for four awards. Caetano will also be honored as the "2012 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year."
The Latin Grammys are scheduled for Nov. 15 in Las Vegas and will be televised by Univision.
Check out the...
Guerra scored two of the 10 "Best Song" nominations for his "Azul Sabina" and "En El Cielo No Hay Hospital." The Dominican singer’s unique blend of merengue, bolero, bachata and rock has already earned him 12 Latin Grammys.
The list of nominees released Tuesday by the Latin Recording Academy includes both established musical titans such as Cuban jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, and relative newcomers, including Afro-Colombian hip hop group Choc Quib Town.
Brazil's Caetano Veloso, who first came to prominence in the 1960s playing a samba-infused style of rock known as Tropicalia, is up for four awards. Caetano will also be honored as the "2012 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year."
The Latin Grammys are scheduled for Nov. 15 in Las Vegas and will be televised by Univision.
Check out the...
- 9/26/2012
- by Miguel Ferrer
- Huffington Post
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