A-list writers and producers including Greg Berlanti, John Wells, Ilene Chaiken and many more toasted the era of peak TV at Variety and IndieWire’s first-ever showrunners dinner.
Related stories'El Chapo' Trailer: Mexico's Most Notorious Drug Lord Blasts His Way to TV -- WatchInside Steve Levitan's TV Showrunner Gun SummitPivot and Univision Acquire TV Rights to Doc 'Cesar's Last Fast' Ahead of Sundance Premiere...
Related stories'El Chapo' Trailer: Mexico's Most Notorious Drug Lord Blasts His Way to TV -- WatchInside Steve Levitan's TV Showrunner Gun SummitPivot and Univision Acquire TV Rights to Doc 'Cesar's Last Fast' Ahead of Sundance Premiere...
- 9/14/2017
- by Michael Schneider
- Indiewire
It was 1992, and the Rodney King riots were being felt across the country, especially amongst the high school students filing into Sarah Feinbloom’s Ancient History class at Boston Latin School in Massachusetts.
“My students were riled by the riots. They couldn’t concentrate. I felt like what I was teaching was irrelevant. What they really wanted to talk about were issues of police brutality, violence in their neighborhoods, the fact that they couldn’t sleep because they heard gunshots in the night, and they were scared.”
Feinbloom veered off the curriculum and started talking with her class about civil rights, and soon she and her students were collaborating on her first film, "Youth to Youth: A Video About Violence." With no film school experience, Sarah improvised as she went along.
“I wanted my students to cultivate a deeper understanding of how personal and systemic violence affects them and even in small ways do something themselves to prevent it. So we went out together and interviewed students, police officers, a Vietnam veteran, a rape survivor, and created segments about the ways people confront and experience violence. I was hooked on documentaries after that. I saw how important it was for young people to be able to tell their own stories and have safe spaces where they could discuss what was really going on in their lives.”
"Youth to Youth" ended up being shown in classrooms around the country, and this first foray launched a lifelong journey of framing social justice, diversity and human rights issues through documentary film.
Feinbloom, an award-winning filmmaker and educator, was one of the first directors to bring the voices of young people reflecting on religious diversity to the media spotlight. Her 2002 documentary "What Do You Believe?" highlighted the spiritual lives of American teenagers, leading Feinbloom along with Dp and co-producer Klara Grunning-Harris into the homes of Muslim, Pagan, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Native American teenagers. "What Do You Believe?" premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival, has sold more than 2,000 copies, was voted "One of Ten Best Videos for Young Adults in 2003" by the American Library Association, and aired on PBS.
“When I started touring with the film, it was often those kids that were in the minority at their schools that approached me. Muslim and Pagan girls said it was the first time they had ever seen something about themselves on screen. Some conservative Christian students said it was the first time they had ever really considered someone else’s religious perspective.”
Using her film as a centerpiece, Sarah created and led workshops nationally on interfaith dialogue and violence prevention and has been featured at conferences including the American Academy of Religion, Ford Foundation Difficult Dialogues, and the National Association of Multicultural Educators. However, her main goal has always been to reach young audiences.
"Teens are often the subject of stories about alcohol and drugs, crime reports, and educational statistics, but rarely are they asked for their intellect and perspective. I want people from different backgrounds to watch my films, talk about them, discuss them – together. I want them to talk about being alive."
Sarah’s filmography is expansive, showcasing a number of pertinent social concerns. Her film "Earth, Water, Woman" spotlights the Fondes Amandes Community Re-Forestation Project in Trinidad and Tobago, and its charismatic Rastafarian leader Akilah Jaramogi, in their ongoing efforts to transform barren hillsides into a vibrant, healthy ecosystem. "Daughters and Sons: Preventing Child-trafficking in the Golden Triangle" took Feinbloom to Thailand, where she profiled a program that rescues children before they are trafficked into the sex-industry, and subsequently won the award for Best Short in Child Advocacy at the Artivist Film Festival and helped raise over $250,000 trafficking prevention.
“I am especially interested in stories that offer solutions to what might seem like intractable problems, stories that offer hope and don’t just leave us in despair.”
Although most well known for her activist documentaries, Feinbloom also dabbles in lighter subjects. "In Search of the Heart of Chocolate," a “chocumentary” featured at Palm Springs International Short Fest, follows Feinbloom as she searches for the origins of her chocolate obsession, interviewing chocolate enthusiasts along the way, delving into chocolate cake, art, fantasy, chocolate croissants, spirituality, sex, love and hot fudge, and journeying into the past to uncover chocolate’s special place in our hearts.
Sarah’s success in documentary filmmaking, her experience as an educator, and her long time involvement with New Day Films prompted filmmakers to reach out to her for assistance with educational sales and community impact campaigns. After working as a consultant with several great projects, such as Jarreth Merz’s Sundance Film An African Election, Sarah founded the boutique documentary distribution company, Good Docs, in order to share her expertise with fellow independent filmmakers and generate revenue from sales in the educational market.
Good Docs’ curated collection highlights labor and civil rights struggles, environmental activism, juvenile justice reform, multicultural visibility, the fight for gender equality and much more. Their titles include several award-winning documentaries, including Amir Bar-Lev's "Happy Valley," Richard Ray Perez's "Cesar's Last Fast," Darius Clark Monroe’s "Evolution of a Criminal," and Grace Lee’s Peabody Award-winning film "American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs."
“They have been an indispensable partner with us in the educational market,” Grace Lee praised. “Good Docs has personally reached out to dozens of institutions and individuals, with a keen eye to the different disciplines that might appreciate my film, and there are many more than I had even imagined.”
Sarah’s right-hand woman, Alana Hauser, is the Educational Research and Outreach Coordinator at Good Docs. While earning her bachelor of arts in Latin American Studies and Spanish at Washington University in St. Louis, Alana worked at Whole Kids Foundation, Meals on Wheels and More, and the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project. After moving to Los Angeles, Alana looked to film to reflect the poignant micro-narratives she had collected over the years.
“Good Docs is a perfect synthesis of my knowledge and passions, as it uses film to shape social discourse and connect audiences with stories that are too often invisible from the public eye. “
Alana also interns at Sundance Institute Women’s Initiative and works for the La-based non-profit WriteGirl, constantly working to advocate for stronger representations of women in the media.
Feinbloom and Hauser make up a powerful Good Docs team, searching for films with the potential for positive social change, spreading the word about social activism, and supporting filmmakers both creatively and financially throughout the process. For further information about Sarah Feinbloom see http://sarafinaproductions.com or go to http://gooddocs.net to find out more about Good Docs and their work.
“My students were riled by the riots. They couldn’t concentrate. I felt like what I was teaching was irrelevant. What they really wanted to talk about were issues of police brutality, violence in their neighborhoods, the fact that they couldn’t sleep because they heard gunshots in the night, and they were scared.”
Feinbloom veered off the curriculum and started talking with her class about civil rights, and soon she and her students were collaborating on her first film, "Youth to Youth: A Video About Violence." With no film school experience, Sarah improvised as she went along.
“I wanted my students to cultivate a deeper understanding of how personal and systemic violence affects them and even in small ways do something themselves to prevent it. So we went out together and interviewed students, police officers, a Vietnam veteran, a rape survivor, and created segments about the ways people confront and experience violence. I was hooked on documentaries after that. I saw how important it was for young people to be able to tell their own stories and have safe spaces where they could discuss what was really going on in their lives.”
"Youth to Youth" ended up being shown in classrooms around the country, and this first foray launched a lifelong journey of framing social justice, diversity and human rights issues through documentary film.
Feinbloom, an award-winning filmmaker and educator, was one of the first directors to bring the voices of young people reflecting on religious diversity to the media spotlight. Her 2002 documentary "What Do You Believe?" highlighted the spiritual lives of American teenagers, leading Feinbloom along with Dp and co-producer Klara Grunning-Harris into the homes of Muslim, Pagan, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Native American teenagers. "What Do You Believe?" premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival, has sold more than 2,000 copies, was voted "One of Ten Best Videos for Young Adults in 2003" by the American Library Association, and aired on PBS.
“When I started touring with the film, it was often those kids that were in the minority at their schools that approached me. Muslim and Pagan girls said it was the first time they had ever seen something about themselves on screen. Some conservative Christian students said it was the first time they had ever really considered someone else’s religious perspective.”
Using her film as a centerpiece, Sarah created and led workshops nationally on interfaith dialogue and violence prevention and has been featured at conferences including the American Academy of Religion, Ford Foundation Difficult Dialogues, and the National Association of Multicultural Educators. However, her main goal has always been to reach young audiences.
"Teens are often the subject of stories about alcohol and drugs, crime reports, and educational statistics, but rarely are they asked for their intellect and perspective. I want people from different backgrounds to watch my films, talk about them, discuss them – together. I want them to talk about being alive."
Sarah’s filmography is expansive, showcasing a number of pertinent social concerns. Her film "Earth, Water, Woman" spotlights the Fondes Amandes Community Re-Forestation Project in Trinidad and Tobago, and its charismatic Rastafarian leader Akilah Jaramogi, in their ongoing efforts to transform barren hillsides into a vibrant, healthy ecosystem. "Daughters and Sons: Preventing Child-trafficking in the Golden Triangle" took Feinbloom to Thailand, where she profiled a program that rescues children before they are trafficked into the sex-industry, and subsequently won the award for Best Short in Child Advocacy at the Artivist Film Festival and helped raise over $250,000 trafficking prevention.
“I am especially interested in stories that offer solutions to what might seem like intractable problems, stories that offer hope and don’t just leave us in despair.”
Although most well known for her activist documentaries, Feinbloom also dabbles in lighter subjects. "In Search of the Heart of Chocolate," a “chocumentary” featured at Palm Springs International Short Fest, follows Feinbloom as she searches for the origins of her chocolate obsession, interviewing chocolate enthusiasts along the way, delving into chocolate cake, art, fantasy, chocolate croissants, spirituality, sex, love and hot fudge, and journeying into the past to uncover chocolate’s special place in our hearts.
Sarah’s success in documentary filmmaking, her experience as an educator, and her long time involvement with New Day Films prompted filmmakers to reach out to her for assistance with educational sales and community impact campaigns. After working as a consultant with several great projects, such as Jarreth Merz’s Sundance Film An African Election, Sarah founded the boutique documentary distribution company, Good Docs, in order to share her expertise with fellow independent filmmakers and generate revenue from sales in the educational market.
Good Docs’ curated collection highlights labor and civil rights struggles, environmental activism, juvenile justice reform, multicultural visibility, the fight for gender equality and much more. Their titles include several award-winning documentaries, including Amir Bar-Lev's "Happy Valley," Richard Ray Perez's "Cesar's Last Fast," Darius Clark Monroe’s "Evolution of a Criminal," and Grace Lee’s Peabody Award-winning film "American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs."
“They have been an indispensable partner with us in the educational market,” Grace Lee praised. “Good Docs has personally reached out to dozens of institutions and individuals, with a keen eye to the different disciplines that might appreciate my film, and there are many more than I had even imagined.”
Sarah’s right-hand woman, Alana Hauser, is the Educational Research and Outreach Coordinator at Good Docs. While earning her bachelor of arts in Latin American Studies and Spanish at Washington University in St. Louis, Alana worked at Whole Kids Foundation, Meals on Wheels and More, and the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project. After moving to Los Angeles, Alana looked to film to reflect the poignant micro-narratives she had collected over the years.
“Good Docs is a perfect synthesis of my knowledge and passions, as it uses film to shape social discourse and connect audiences with stories that are too often invisible from the public eye. “
Alana also interns at Sundance Institute Women’s Initiative and works for the La-based non-profit WriteGirl, constantly working to advocate for stronger representations of women in the media.
Feinbloom and Hauser make up a powerful Good Docs team, searching for films with the potential for positive social change, spreading the word about social activism, and supporting filmmakers both creatively and financially throughout the process. For further information about Sarah Feinbloom see http://sarafinaproductions.com or go to http://gooddocs.net to find out more about Good Docs and their work.
- 6/1/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Diego Luna to Participate in the Ambulan-thon!: A Google Hangout Version of the Ambulante Experience
With 72 hours to go on Kickstarter, Ambulante California will host a monumental Google Hangout that will include an incredible line-up of guest speakers. Filmmakers, festival programmers, and other renown industry personalities will share their excitement for the traveling documentary film festival in unique ways, aiming to inform people what this great event will entail and hopefully inspire them to support its crowd-funding campaign. This great undertaking by the Ambulante team and friends will bring the festival experience to everyone that joins keeping in line with Ambulante's idea of connecting with audiences in innovative ways unbound by traditional spaces.
Tune in Monday July 14th from 9:00 Am to 9:00 Pm to learn how to start a revolution, how to make a movie, how to get that movie seen, breaking news, live musical sets, how to make delicious guacamole, a reading from 100 Years of Solitude, loteria cards, and many more fun an engaging activities in an effort to connect the festival and the film community with those who really have the power to enrich the project: the audience. It doesn’t get more immersive than this.
As if this is not enough, Ambulante’s very own Diego Luna will participate in this epic telethon, which will be helmed by Ambulante California’s Christine Davila. After the event’s conclusion the organizers and some of the guests will head over to “El Chavo” in Los Feliz for drinks to transform the virtual hang a real shindig. If you are in Los Angeles this is also a great chance to connect face to face with the team, and to witness first hand the outstanding community spirit of Ambulante.
You don’t have to wait till Monday. You can become a backer now: Ambulante California’s Kickstarter
The Hangout will take place in two parts (First part: 9:00 Am to 5:00 P/ Second part: 5:30 Pm to 9:00 Pm). You can RSVP Here
You can also click here for the Facebook Invite for the Google Hangout event
Here is the list of confirmed guests:
Master of Ceremonies and your host: Christine Davila, director of Ambulante California
Diego Luna - co-founder Ambulante
Elena Fortes - co-founder Ambulante
Richard Ray Perez - dir. of "Cesar's Last Fast"
Ondi Timoner - multi-media artist (We Live In Public)
Joe Beyer - Sundance Artist Services
Bernardo Ruiz - dir. "Reportero"
Tin Dirdamal - dir. of "Rivers of Men"
Viviana Franco - Executive Director of From Lot to Spot
Jehane Noujaim & Karim Amer dir. "The Square"
Gloria Moran - dir. "The Unique Ladies"
Basil Tsiokas - doc guru (WhatNotToDoc)
Tatiana Tensen- artist and bon vivant
Dilcia Barrera - Lacma programmer
Maggie McKay - La Film Festival
Yolanda Cruz dir. "Reencuentros: 2501 Migrantes"
Issa Rodrigues - East La Community Corporation
Ryan Murdock dir. "Bronx Obama"
Julianna Brannum dir. "Ladonna Harris"
Ron Najor - producer of "Short Term 12" and "I am Not a Hipster"...
Tune in Monday July 14th from 9:00 Am to 9:00 Pm to learn how to start a revolution, how to make a movie, how to get that movie seen, breaking news, live musical sets, how to make delicious guacamole, a reading from 100 Years of Solitude, loteria cards, and many more fun an engaging activities in an effort to connect the festival and the film community with those who really have the power to enrich the project: the audience. It doesn’t get more immersive than this.
As if this is not enough, Ambulante’s very own Diego Luna will participate in this epic telethon, which will be helmed by Ambulante California’s Christine Davila. After the event’s conclusion the organizers and some of the guests will head over to “El Chavo” in Los Feliz for drinks to transform the virtual hang a real shindig. If you are in Los Angeles this is also a great chance to connect face to face with the team, and to witness first hand the outstanding community spirit of Ambulante.
You don’t have to wait till Monday. You can become a backer now: Ambulante California’s Kickstarter
The Hangout will take place in two parts (First part: 9:00 Am to 5:00 P/ Second part: 5:30 Pm to 9:00 Pm). You can RSVP Here
You can also click here for the Facebook Invite for the Google Hangout event
Here is the list of confirmed guests:
Master of Ceremonies and your host: Christine Davila, director of Ambulante California
Diego Luna - co-founder Ambulante
Elena Fortes - co-founder Ambulante
Richard Ray Perez - dir. of "Cesar's Last Fast"
Ondi Timoner - multi-media artist (We Live In Public)
Joe Beyer - Sundance Artist Services
Bernardo Ruiz - dir. "Reportero"
Tin Dirdamal - dir. of "Rivers of Men"
Viviana Franco - Executive Director of From Lot to Spot
Jehane Noujaim & Karim Amer dir. "The Square"
Gloria Moran - dir. "The Unique Ladies"
Basil Tsiokas - doc guru (WhatNotToDoc)
Tatiana Tensen- artist and bon vivant
Dilcia Barrera - Lacma programmer
Maggie McKay - La Film Festival
Yolanda Cruz dir. "Reencuentros: 2501 Migrantes"
Issa Rodrigues - East La Community Corporation
Ryan Murdock dir. "Bronx Obama"
Julianna Brannum dir. "Ladonna Harris"
Ron Najor - producer of "Short Term 12" and "I am Not a Hipster"...
- 7/13/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
For almost a decade, Ambulante, a nomadic documentary film festival, has inspired audiences across Mexico through the thought provoking, enlightening, and fascinating films they screen. Founded by Mexican superstars Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal as well as producer Pablo Cruz and Elena Forters.
Their mission is to democratize documentary culture. Since 2005, the non profit has annually organized an epic three-month tour across Mexico presenting remarkable international documentary cinema in areas with limited access to film. Thanks to a grant from the Ford Foundation, they plan to bring the project to the U.S. starting in California, most specifically in Los Angeles.
In order to bring Ambulante to California please back their Kickstarter Campaign. There is only 30 days to make this outstanding event happen.
From Sept. 21 – Oct 4 Ambulante will show a documentary each night, in a different neighborhood in the greater Los Angeles area in an alternative venue and for free.
Ambulante California has already initiated their efforts with recent community screenings of the films "Cesar's Last Fast" by Richard Ray Perez on May 1st at MacArthur Park and "Illusion Nacional" by Olallo Rubio on June 11th at the Mexican Consulate of Los Angeles. Both events were marvelously received by the community and were made possible thanks to overwhelming support from varied sources.
To make the full length festival a reality much more needs to be done and everyone can help.
Here’s how you can help in taking this project from beta to reality:
1. First, check out their fun video and read more about the project on the Kickstarter page.
2. Share the link far and wide with emails and Facebook posts.
3. Pledge your support.
4. Please follow and retweet the festival @AmbulanteCA
5. Please like their page on Facebook and spread the hashtag #BringAmbulante2CA
Ambulante is a collective effort and it will require incredible support to bring it to life. Visit the Kickstarter page Here. There are tons of great rewards!
Check out the video below...
Their mission is to democratize documentary culture. Since 2005, the non profit has annually organized an epic three-month tour across Mexico presenting remarkable international documentary cinema in areas with limited access to film. Thanks to a grant from the Ford Foundation, they plan to bring the project to the U.S. starting in California, most specifically in Los Angeles.
In order to bring Ambulante to California please back their Kickstarter Campaign. There is only 30 days to make this outstanding event happen.
From Sept. 21 – Oct 4 Ambulante will show a documentary each night, in a different neighborhood in the greater Los Angeles area in an alternative venue and for free.
Ambulante California has already initiated their efforts with recent community screenings of the films "Cesar's Last Fast" by Richard Ray Perez on May 1st at MacArthur Park and "Illusion Nacional" by Olallo Rubio on June 11th at the Mexican Consulate of Los Angeles. Both events were marvelously received by the community and were made possible thanks to overwhelming support from varied sources.
To make the full length festival a reality much more needs to be done and everyone can help.
Here’s how you can help in taking this project from beta to reality:
1. First, check out their fun video and read more about the project on the Kickstarter page.
2. Share the link far and wide with emails and Facebook posts.
3. Pledge your support.
4. Please follow and retweet the festival @AmbulanteCA
5. Please like their page on Facebook and spread the hashtag #BringAmbulante2CA
Ambulante is a collective effort and it will require incredible support to bring it to life. Visit the Kickstarter page Here. There are tons of great rewards!
Check out the video below...
- 6/18/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Over the past week we have published 5 interview with the directors of some of the most interesting films currently playing in theaters. From acclaimed French auteur Francois Ozon on Young & Beautiful, Marc Silver and his immigration documentary Who is Dayani Cristal?, and Polish visionary Pawel Pawlikowski and his latest work Ida. At the same time we also featured interviews with talented documentarian Richard Ray Perez and his perspective on an icon in Cesar's Last Fast, and Argentinian director Lucia Puenzo's historical fiction The German Doctor. Take look at all these fascinating conversations directly from the source of the art form, the directors.
Francois Ozon on Young & Beautiful
"Beauty can be something difficult to cope with” It is not usual, but he said some of these girls want to go with these dirty old men because their beauty is too much too heavy to carry. They don't want to be humiliated, but they want to feel normal." -Francois Ozon
Full Interview
Lucia Puenzo on The German Doctor
"This is a character that lived 30 years running away from the Mossad, which was always hot on his heels in Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. They never captured him, and he probably died without ever being found, this lends itself for these kinds of conspiracy theories and myths. We can only hope that he died in a prison like many other Nazis that were extradited, and not at the beach in Brazil. He is a character that lends itself to these intriguing stories because they never found him." -Lucia Puenzo
Full Interview
Richard Ray Perez on Cesar's Last Fast
"Cesar is this is uniquely committed man. He is committed in a way I think few people on this Earth are. Now, he has flaws, and probably some serious flaws, but it could take that type of person to make those changes. Yeah, he was probably a control freak, yes he probably didn’t tolerate descent, but if you think about what he did, and the commitment, that’s some heavy stuff. I wouldn’t be able to do it, most people wouldn’t be able to do it. He is a deeply committed man who is complicated, but most interesting human beings are complicated. He made immensely positive impact on society. The fact that he was a flawed man shouldn’t undermine all the positive that he accomplished."-Richard Ray Perez
Interview Part 1
Interview Part 2
Marc Silver on Who is Dayani Cristal?
"I remember being in the car with my friends talking about the situation, and what I found really interesting was to ask myself “If I lived in Honduras, were my chances of earning a living were really small, would I have made that journey for my family?” And you know what, I probably would have. If people start asking that question to themselves it might a more useful way of understanding the immigration debate, more than defending your right-wing or left-wing opinion." -Marc Silver
Full Interview
Paweł Pawlikowski on Ida
"Ida has multiple origins, the most interesting ones probably not quite conscious. Let's say that I come from a family full of mysteries and contradictions and have lived in one sort of exile or another for most of my life. Questions of identity, family, blood, faith, belonging, and history have always been present." -Paweł Pawlikowski
Full Interview...
Francois Ozon on Young & Beautiful
"Beauty can be something difficult to cope with” It is not usual, but he said some of these girls want to go with these dirty old men because their beauty is too much too heavy to carry. They don't want to be humiliated, but they want to feel normal." -Francois Ozon
Full Interview
Lucia Puenzo on The German Doctor
"This is a character that lived 30 years running away from the Mossad, which was always hot on his heels in Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. They never captured him, and he probably died without ever being found, this lends itself for these kinds of conspiracy theories and myths. We can only hope that he died in a prison like many other Nazis that were extradited, and not at the beach in Brazil. He is a character that lends itself to these intriguing stories because they never found him." -Lucia Puenzo
Full Interview
Richard Ray Perez on Cesar's Last Fast
"Cesar is this is uniquely committed man. He is committed in a way I think few people on this Earth are. Now, he has flaws, and probably some serious flaws, but it could take that type of person to make those changes. Yeah, he was probably a control freak, yes he probably didn’t tolerate descent, but if you think about what he did, and the commitment, that’s some heavy stuff. I wouldn’t be able to do it, most people wouldn’t be able to do it. He is a deeply committed man who is complicated, but most interesting human beings are complicated. He made immensely positive impact on society. The fact that he was a flawed man shouldn’t undermine all the positive that he accomplished."-Richard Ray Perez
Interview Part 1
Interview Part 2
Marc Silver on Who is Dayani Cristal?
"I remember being in the car with my friends talking about the situation, and what I found really interesting was to ask myself “If I lived in Honduras, were my chances of earning a living were really small, would I have made that journey for my family?” And you know what, I probably would have. If people start asking that question to themselves it might a more useful way of understanding the immigration debate, more than defending your right-wing or left-wing opinion." -Marc Silver
Full Interview
Paweł Pawlikowski on Ida
"Ida has multiple origins, the most interesting ones probably not quite conscious. Let's say that I come from a family full of mysteries and contradictions and have lived in one sort of exile or another for most of my life. Questions of identity, family, blood, faith, belonging, and history have always been present." -Paweł Pawlikowski
Full Interview...
- 5/2/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
After almost a decade of creating a successful traveling platform to showcase important documentary films around Mexico, Ambulante, the non-profit founded by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Pablo Cruz, and Elena Fortes, has expanded to California. Ambulante California aims to continue this mission engaging audiences in the Los Angeles area.
The new organization's film public even will take place this Thursday May 1st in Los Angeles at MacArthur Park, this will include a musical performance by Alternative band Las Cafeters , and the screening of documentary Cesar's Last Fast, which chronicles the efforts and devotion of the farmworkers leader for a just cause. This is a Free event that encourages audiences from all backgrounds to participate and get to know Ambulante's mission ahead of the their official inaugural festival to take place September 21st to October 4th all around the Los Angeles county.
Learn more about Ambulante California Here
Take a look at out interview with Richard Ray Perez director of Cesar's Last Fast
Interview Part 1
Interview Part 2...
The new organization's film public even will take place this Thursday May 1st in Los Angeles at MacArthur Park, this will include a musical performance by Alternative band Las Cafeters , and the screening of documentary Cesar's Last Fast, which chronicles the efforts and devotion of the farmworkers leader for a just cause. This is a Free event that encourages audiences from all backgrounds to participate and get to know Ambulante's mission ahead of the their official inaugural festival to take place September 21st to October 4th all around the Los Angeles county.
Learn more about Ambulante California Here
Take a look at out interview with Richard Ray Perez director of Cesar's Last Fast
Interview Part 1
Interview Part 2...
- 4/30/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
In the first part of this extensive interview with Richard Ray Perez, the filmmaker revisited in detail the unbelievable course of events that would lead him to helm this project. In this second part, Perez talked to us about the challenges particular to his film in the editing room, his profound relationship with Chavez' cause from an early age, the distinct strengths of both his piece and the recently released narrative film on the leader's life.
Read the first part of the Interview Here
Carlos Aguilar: Besides the fact that opportunity to make the film presented itself to you in such a incredibly serendipitous manner, did you have any sort of personal connection to the Chavez story?
Richard Ray Perez: In 1969 I was 4 years old, I was in Head Start, which is this public pre-school for poor kids where you get free lunch. There were these university students who used to come and volunteer, mostly from Cal State Northridge. One day me and the other preschool kids were sitting around the desk, we were having our free lunch, and part of it was a fruit cocktail. I noticed one of the college students when he started eating his, he was plucking the grapes out of the fruit cocktail. I asked him, “How come you are doing that?” and he said, “Because the people who own the grape fields they treat the people who picked the grapes terribly. They pay them very little money, they make them live in shacks, they humiliate them, and if they complaint they fired them.” I remember looking down at my grapes, and I saw everything he said in my them. They looked really ugly, and I couldn’t bring myself to eat them, so I started plucking the grapes our of my fruit cocktail. All the other kids that were listening, they looked down at the grapes and they also started plucking them out. None of us ate the grapes for the rest of the year. After that, the ones that continued to be on the free lunch program all through elementary school, I remember we would never eat the grapes.
That was when I was 4 years old, then I went on to learn that my dad had been a migrant farm worker before I was born for 22 years. At that time when I was in preschool I still had aunts and uncles in central California who were farmworkers. Within a couple years the boycott came to my hometown, 20 miles from here in the Northeast valley. They came and they set up picket lines in front of the super markets. My parents would join and they'd take me, and my brothers and sisters. Very early on I was aware of the grape boycott but not really knowing much, then eventually I became more consciously aware thanks to my family supporting the movement.
Aguilar: When did you become aware of Cesar Chavez not in an abstract way, but as the face of the movement?
Perez: I would probably say 7 or 8 years old, not long after. I remember watching TV in 1970 and understanding the news about the Vietnam War. I remember seeing him on TV with the grape strikes. When he came to town, we would go visit my aunts and uncles and my dad would talk to them and ask "Has Chavez been around here?,"so I was aware if him pretty young.
Aguilar: After reviewing the footage and learning so much bout Chavez, how did your perception of him change?
Perez: That was the hardest part, learning that Cesar Chavez wasn't a perfect man. It really began around 2005, there was a series of articles in the L.A. Times written by Miriam Pawel. She is somebody who has written one book about the farmworker movement and one about Cesar Chavez - the first comprehensive biography. When she was a writer for the L.A. Times, she wrote a 4 or 5-part article about the Ufw. It started with the ineffectiveness of today's Ufw and how today's farmworkers are living under the same conditions before Cesar organized them. Then it started going into the latter years and accused Cesar of being an authoritarian, purging people from the union, suspecting people were communists and marginalizing them, really having this control impulses.
There was starting to be more writing about that. People who were purged for the union themselves started writing. One very credible guy, who is now a professor at Harvard, he wrote a book. That was the tough part, to realize all these things about a guy who up until then had been inaccurately portrayed as a saint. His sainthood is edged on your psyche, he is an icon. To learn that he has this darker side, that he is imperfect, and then try to reconcile that realizing it's possible for imperfect people to do amazing things. Because he left a trail of wreckage by not tolerating descent and authoritarianism, that doesn't diminish what he did, it just adds to the complexity of this man. In the end what he did was phenomenal, how he did it, or how his control issues may have halbert the success of the union in the later years, that's a different problem. But I do think those negative things are also true.
Aguilar: The narrative film focuses on the lack of a close relationship between Cesar and his family, why did you decide to not delve into this subject?
Perez: The family relationships didn't seem penetrable. There was no real way to getting that in an honest manner. During the interviews I asked Paul some questions like "Was it hard being his son?." He gave very generic answers "I knew I had to share him" or "He would only show up for part of my sisters' weddings." I didn't have the material to really convey the emotional weight, if there was any behind it. Also, it wasn't that interesting, I didn't think it was interesting in the narrative film. I thought it was forced. It wasn't fully developed, it was like "Cesar go take out the trash and talk to Fernando." It was pasted on the way they tried to deal with his shortcoming of some sort. I'm sure he couldn't have been a perfect dad because of the life he chose. It wasn't the story I wanted to tell. The power was in the fast, and the spiritual commitment, that's what came from the material. I really worked with the most emotional and powerful material that there was, and I constructed the story around that.
Aguilar: As you mention, the spiritual component is crucial for your film. How did you deal with this idea of sainthood around him?
Perez: What was interesting about that sainthood thing, and we talked about this early on with Paul. The archdiocese at one point went to the Chavez family and said, “We want to put him up for sainthood”, and he replied, “My dad was not a saint we don’t want to go there." Whoever represented the church said, “You don’t understand, some saints were really bad people. Some were murderers, and philanders, etc. But they had a shift in their lives”. Some of them have these questionable backgrounds, so we have a misconception of sainthood. That was something really interesting. It also sort of intersected with where I was in my life at that point, spiritually. Growing up, they tried to raise me Catholic, and I was really rebellious. I was very anti-Catholic and anti-Christian for most of my adult life. By the time I came across that material I was much more understanding of the power of Christianity. I’m not a Christian anymore I’m a Buddhist, but by the time I was working on the film I had been meditating regularly for about 7 years. I had a lot of compassion for Christianity, and I saw this and thought, “What this man is doing is intense.” There was all this passion we are not even used to seeing, certainly not in this country, in Mexico yes, people are willing to crawl on their knees for a mile based on their faith. I was raised here, and while I knew that was sort of my grandmother’s Catholicism, I was still shocked by how intense this was. I got it right away because where I was spiritually I saw the power in what he was doing.
Aguilar: With the recent release of the narrative film Cesar Chavez, what do you think are the differences and individual strengths between that film and your documentary?
Perez: I think they are complimentary. The narrative is great because it is getting a broad audience and it is almost like the “Cesar 101,” really introducing this generation of Americans, and possibly a global audience, to who this man was. In that respect it’s doing a wonderful job. From what I hear, people that knew nothing or very little about Chavez really liked the narrative film, this is a mainstream audience. I think it really opens up the door for my film, which, like most documentaries, is targeting a different audience. The documentary is an opportunity for a deeper dive into the subject and much heavier part of his life – the spiritual life.
There is a difference in the form itself between the two. There are two reasons why I’m a documentary filmmaker. The main reason is the power of the medium. The most powerful films I’ve seen have been documentaries. Of course, there are some narrative films that I could never forget, but there are more documentaries that have had that impact on me. The power of the documentary film, when done well, I think is usually more impacting than a narrative, at least for me. The other reason is that documentaries are cheaper, they are more accessible to make.
Aguilar: How did you manipulate and balance the material to create the powerful effect the film has on audiences?
Perez: That’s exactly what a filmmaker working with his editors does. How do you edit this material against all the other material? How do you, on the micro level, sequence the shots to get that effect. Then on the macro level how do you arrange them in the larger 90-minute arc? When I first started watching the footage I had a conceptual idea, but then the challenge was to figure out how to organize that idea onto paper, and then into the edit room being limited by the material you have. Like most documentary editing it was a lot of trial and error. For me it was always important not to bore the audience with information but keeping it around storytelling. I tell people “I’m not a journalist and I’m not a historian, I’m a storyteller."
Therefore I’m going to manipulate these pieces of reality or these piece of truth –because there is no one truth- to put them together into this shape with a desired effect. That’s what I think the essence of documentary filmmaking is, how do you manipulate the material to create an emotional impact, as opposed to just delivering information. “Cesar Chavez was born in Arizona in 1926, then this happened, etc” like those old school PBS documentaries. An example of how we approached the sequencing is the fact that Lorena Parlee didn’t start shooting until day 23 of his fast. We didn’t have Day 1, or Day 2, none of that, but we had to create this impression that the cameras were there at the beginning to sort of launch the ticking clock. I think there is like a Day 10 in there or a Day 15, then Day 24. In the credits we admit “Hey we got a bit creative with the Day numbers” That was a conscious decision I made as an artist.
Aguilar: Where there any images or episode that you decides not to include? If so, why?
Perez: There was a great story where Martin Sheen talks about how he first met Cesar Chavez. It’s a funny story and Martin Sheen is a great storyteller, but we could not find place for it. There was other material I wish I could have included like the granddaughters stitching the lining of the coffin. On the other hand, there were some interviews where people had some really strong opinions about Cesar in the latter days. First of all, I don’t know how credible they were, and I think it would have been irresponsible to include them. There was stuff like these examples that didn’t make it because I don’t think they would have helped the story.
Aguilar: How do you think your film will resonate with "Chicanos" or Mexican Americans, given that Chavez is perhaps their most iconic hero?
Perez: Chicanos are an interesting group, partly because we tend to self-segregate and we have a bit of a chip on our shoulder. A lot of ethnic and minorities do that, that’s why there is a craving for feel-good history, they might say “We are just as good as everybody else, we can fight”. I’m sure it’s going to resonate with them. That’s great. One of the powers I saw in my lifetime came from Cesar Chavez organizing. My dad was beat down from being a farmworker and an uneducated factory worker, and he had this inferiority complex because of that. When he would go out and interact in the “White World” he became a demure man. But when Cesar Chavez came along and showed him that Mexican Americans and Mexicans had power to fight back and challenge the system, I could see that it gave him pride. All of a sudden he felt empowered, that’s incredible. It is not just Chicanos or Mexicans; it is really about poor people. For them to see the film and think that poor people can organize and demand dignity and rights and that it has been done in the past, that would be a wonderful for them to get from the film.
Aguilar: After all the difficulties to make the film, the endless hours watching footage, and through that, getting to know this man, who is Cesar Chavez for you?
Perez: Cesar is this is uniquely committed man. He is committed in a way I think few people on this Earth are. Now, he has flaws, and probably some serious flaws, but it could take that type of person to make those changes. Yeah, he was probably a control freak, yes he probably didn’t tolerate descent, but if you think about what he did, and the commitment, that’s some heavy stuff. I wouldn’t be able to do it, most people wouldn’t be able to do it. He is a deeply committed man who is complicated, but most interesting human beings are complicated. He made immensely positive impact on society. The fact that he was a flawed man shouldn’t undermine all the positive that he accomplished.
Cesar's Last Fast opens in L.A. on April 25th and it's currently playing in New York...
Read the first part of the Interview Here
Carlos Aguilar: Besides the fact that opportunity to make the film presented itself to you in such a incredibly serendipitous manner, did you have any sort of personal connection to the Chavez story?
Richard Ray Perez: In 1969 I was 4 years old, I was in Head Start, which is this public pre-school for poor kids where you get free lunch. There were these university students who used to come and volunteer, mostly from Cal State Northridge. One day me and the other preschool kids were sitting around the desk, we were having our free lunch, and part of it was a fruit cocktail. I noticed one of the college students when he started eating his, he was plucking the grapes out of the fruit cocktail. I asked him, “How come you are doing that?” and he said, “Because the people who own the grape fields they treat the people who picked the grapes terribly. They pay them very little money, they make them live in shacks, they humiliate them, and if they complaint they fired them.” I remember looking down at my grapes, and I saw everything he said in my them. They looked really ugly, and I couldn’t bring myself to eat them, so I started plucking the grapes our of my fruit cocktail. All the other kids that were listening, they looked down at the grapes and they also started plucking them out. None of us ate the grapes for the rest of the year. After that, the ones that continued to be on the free lunch program all through elementary school, I remember we would never eat the grapes.
That was when I was 4 years old, then I went on to learn that my dad had been a migrant farm worker before I was born for 22 years. At that time when I was in preschool I still had aunts and uncles in central California who were farmworkers. Within a couple years the boycott came to my hometown, 20 miles from here in the Northeast valley. They came and they set up picket lines in front of the super markets. My parents would join and they'd take me, and my brothers and sisters. Very early on I was aware of the grape boycott but not really knowing much, then eventually I became more consciously aware thanks to my family supporting the movement.
Aguilar: When did you become aware of Cesar Chavez not in an abstract way, but as the face of the movement?
Perez: I would probably say 7 or 8 years old, not long after. I remember watching TV in 1970 and understanding the news about the Vietnam War. I remember seeing him on TV with the grape strikes. When he came to town, we would go visit my aunts and uncles and my dad would talk to them and ask "Has Chavez been around here?,"so I was aware if him pretty young.
Aguilar: After reviewing the footage and learning so much bout Chavez, how did your perception of him change?
Perez: That was the hardest part, learning that Cesar Chavez wasn't a perfect man. It really began around 2005, there was a series of articles in the L.A. Times written by Miriam Pawel. She is somebody who has written one book about the farmworker movement and one about Cesar Chavez - the first comprehensive biography. When she was a writer for the L.A. Times, she wrote a 4 or 5-part article about the Ufw. It started with the ineffectiveness of today's Ufw and how today's farmworkers are living under the same conditions before Cesar organized them. Then it started going into the latter years and accused Cesar of being an authoritarian, purging people from the union, suspecting people were communists and marginalizing them, really having this control impulses.
There was starting to be more writing about that. People who were purged for the union themselves started writing. One very credible guy, who is now a professor at Harvard, he wrote a book. That was the tough part, to realize all these things about a guy who up until then had been inaccurately portrayed as a saint. His sainthood is edged on your psyche, he is an icon. To learn that he has this darker side, that he is imperfect, and then try to reconcile that realizing it's possible for imperfect people to do amazing things. Because he left a trail of wreckage by not tolerating descent and authoritarianism, that doesn't diminish what he did, it just adds to the complexity of this man. In the end what he did was phenomenal, how he did it, or how his control issues may have halbert the success of the union in the later years, that's a different problem. But I do think those negative things are also true.
Aguilar: The narrative film focuses on the lack of a close relationship between Cesar and his family, why did you decide to not delve into this subject?
Perez: The family relationships didn't seem penetrable. There was no real way to getting that in an honest manner. During the interviews I asked Paul some questions like "Was it hard being his son?." He gave very generic answers "I knew I had to share him" or "He would only show up for part of my sisters' weddings." I didn't have the material to really convey the emotional weight, if there was any behind it. Also, it wasn't that interesting, I didn't think it was interesting in the narrative film. I thought it was forced. It wasn't fully developed, it was like "Cesar go take out the trash and talk to Fernando." It was pasted on the way they tried to deal with his shortcoming of some sort. I'm sure he couldn't have been a perfect dad because of the life he chose. It wasn't the story I wanted to tell. The power was in the fast, and the spiritual commitment, that's what came from the material. I really worked with the most emotional and powerful material that there was, and I constructed the story around that.
Aguilar: As you mention, the spiritual component is crucial for your film. How did you deal with this idea of sainthood around him?
Perez: What was interesting about that sainthood thing, and we talked about this early on with Paul. The archdiocese at one point went to the Chavez family and said, “We want to put him up for sainthood”, and he replied, “My dad was not a saint we don’t want to go there." Whoever represented the church said, “You don’t understand, some saints were really bad people. Some were murderers, and philanders, etc. But they had a shift in their lives”. Some of them have these questionable backgrounds, so we have a misconception of sainthood. That was something really interesting. It also sort of intersected with where I was in my life at that point, spiritually. Growing up, they tried to raise me Catholic, and I was really rebellious. I was very anti-Catholic and anti-Christian for most of my adult life. By the time I came across that material I was much more understanding of the power of Christianity. I’m not a Christian anymore I’m a Buddhist, but by the time I was working on the film I had been meditating regularly for about 7 years. I had a lot of compassion for Christianity, and I saw this and thought, “What this man is doing is intense.” There was all this passion we are not even used to seeing, certainly not in this country, in Mexico yes, people are willing to crawl on their knees for a mile based on their faith. I was raised here, and while I knew that was sort of my grandmother’s Catholicism, I was still shocked by how intense this was. I got it right away because where I was spiritually I saw the power in what he was doing.
Aguilar: With the recent release of the narrative film Cesar Chavez, what do you think are the differences and individual strengths between that film and your documentary?
Perez: I think they are complimentary. The narrative is great because it is getting a broad audience and it is almost like the “Cesar 101,” really introducing this generation of Americans, and possibly a global audience, to who this man was. In that respect it’s doing a wonderful job. From what I hear, people that knew nothing or very little about Chavez really liked the narrative film, this is a mainstream audience. I think it really opens up the door for my film, which, like most documentaries, is targeting a different audience. The documentary is an opportunity for a deeper dive into the subject and much heavier part of his life – the spiritual life.
There is a difference in the form itself between the two. There are two reasons why I’m a documentary filmmaker. The main reason is the power of the medium. The most powerful films I’ve seen have been documentaries. Of course, there are some narrative films that I could never forget, but there are more documentaries that have had that impact on me. The power of the documentary film, when done well, I think is usually more impacting than a narrative, at least for me. The other reason is that documentaries are cheaper, they are more accessible to make.
Aguilar: How did you manipulate and balance the material to create the powerful effect the film has on audiences?
Perez: That’s exactly what a filmmaker working with his editors does. How do you edit this material against all the other material? How do you, on the micro level, sequence the shots to get that effect. Then on the macro level how do you arrange them in the larger 90-minute arc? When I first started watching the footage I had a conceptual idea, but then the challenge was to figure out how to organize that idea onto paper, and then into the edit room being limited by the material you have. Like most documentary editing it was a lot of trial and error. For me it was always important not to bore the audience with information but keeping it around storytelling. I tell people “I’m not a journalist and I’m not a historian, I’m a storyteller."
Therefore I’m going to manipulate these pieces of reality or these piece of truth –because there is no one truth- to put them together into this shape with a desired effect. That’s what I think the essence of documentary filmmaking is, how do you manipulate the material to create an emotional impact, as opposed to just delivering information. “Cesar Chavez was born in Arizona in 1926, then this happened, etc” like those old school PBS documentaries. An example of how we approached the sequencing is the fact that Lorena Parlee didn’t start shooting until day 23 of his fast. We didn’t have Day 1, or Day 2, none of that, but we had to create this impression that the cameras were there at the beginning to sort of launch the ticking clock. I think there is like a Day 10 in there or a Day 15, then Day 24. In the credits we admit “Hey we got a bit creative with the Day numbers” That was a conscious decision I made as an artist.
Aguilar: Where there any images or episode that you decides not to include? If so, why?
Perez: There was a great story where Martin Sheen talks about how he first met Cesar Chavez. It’s a funny story and Martin Sheen is a great storyteller, but we could not find place for it. There was other material I wish I could have included like the granddaughters stitching the lining of the coffin. On the other hand, there were some interviews where people had some really strong opinions about Cesar in the latter days. First of all, I don’t know how credible they were, and I think it would have been irresponsible to include them. There was stuff like these examples that didn’t make it because I don’t think they would have helped the story.
Aguilar: How do you think your film will resonate with "Chicanos" or Mexican Americans, given that Chavez is perhaps their most iconic hero?
Perez: Chicanos are an interesting group, partly because we tend to self-segregate and we have a bit of a chip on our shoulder. A lot of ethnic and minorities do that, that’s why there is a craving for feel-good history, they might say “We are just as good as everybody else, we can fight”. I’m sure it’s going to resonate with them. That’s great. One of the powers I saw in my lifetime came from Cesar Chavez organizing. My dad was beat down from being a farmworker and an uneducated factory worker, and he had this inferiority complex because of that. When he would go out and interact in the “White World” he became a demure man. But when Cesar Chavez came along and showed him that Mexican Americans and Mexicans had power to fight back and challenge the system, I could see that it gave him pride. All of a sudden he felt empowered, that’s incredible. It is not just Chicanos or Mexicans; it is really about poor people. For them to see the film and think that poor people can organize and demand dignity and rights and that it has been done in the past, that would be a wonderful for them to get from the film.
Aguilar: After all the difficulties to make the film, the endless hours watching footage, and through that, getting to know this man, who is Cesar Chavez for you?
Perez: Cesar is this is uniquely committed man. He is committed in a way I think few people on this Earth are. Now, he has flaws, and probably some serious flaws, but it could take that type of person to make those changes. Yeah, he was probably a control freak, yes he probably didn’t tolerate descent, but if you think about what he did, and the commitment, that’s some heavy stuff. I wouldn’t be able to do it, most people wouldn’t be able to do it. He is a deeply committed man who is complicated, but most interesting human beings are complicated. He made immensely positive impact on society. The fact that he was a flawed man shouldn’t undermine all the positive that he accomplished.
Cesar's Last Fast opens in L.A. on April 25th and it's currently playing in New York...
- 4/24/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
The work of a documentary filmmaker is to try to decode via visual statements the chosen issue or figure. Although the artist uses reality as the malleable raw material, this does not imply the final product is rid of subjectivity. Storytelling is a personal matter, and as such, it relies on the nuances and vision of the one manipulating the story. Perhaps that is why Dir. Richard Ray Perez’ depiction of Cesar Chavez is different to that of others. His is a spiritual Chavez, an imperfect man capable of grandeur. Not a saint but a devoted believer who used that faith to benefit others who couldn’t fend for themselves. In the hands of a more conventional creator the story could have been too much of an idealistic homage or a didactic factsheet devoid of any interesting analysis. What the director crafted in Cesar’s Last Fast is a story of sacrifice with the purpose of social change. Utilizing incredibly intimate unseen footage shot by the late Lorena Parlee, filmmaker Richard Ray Perez elaborately made a film that doesn’t want to be the definite biography on the farmworkers’ beloved hero, but at least an honest one, as honest as the relative truth of cinema allows. What the camera doesn’t capture remains mysterious to those who will only meet the man through screens.
In this in-depth two-part interview Mr. Perez discussed with us the origin and unfathomable challenges to get the film off the ground, and his personal relationship to the Chavez legacy.
Carlos Aguilar: Please tell us how you got involved with the project, and how you manged to make a film with such incredible freedom given the stature of this historical figure?
Richard Ray Perez: Several years ago, I had a mentor who really wanted to make a documentary film about Cesar Chavez, for years. He heard the documentary rights might be available. He knew my background, that my father had been a farmworker so he thought I’d make a good addition to the team . . So we met with the Cesar Chavez Foundation, we had a really good meeting with them, and so my mentor started negotiating the contract. He wanted exclusive documentary rights. But ultimately the Chavez Foundation told him that they couldn’t give him exclusive rights because somebody close to the family had a non-exclusive deal to make a documentary. So my mentor stopped pursuing the project.
About two weeks later I got a phone call from the other filmmaker, she said “Hi, I’m Lorena Parlee, I know you were trying to make a film about Cesar Chavez. Well, I’m the filmmaker whose already been working on the project. She said “I’ve been working on a Chavez film for about 10 years, and I’ve amassed 85 hours of Chavez-related footage, about 20 hours have never been seen by the public, I’ve been holding it off for my film. I used to be Cesar’s press secretary. During his fast I had volunteered crews and I had access, I shot all this stuff around his 1988 fast. Then when Cesar died the family let me shoot video of the private rosary service, Cesar’s brother building Cesar’s coffin, the granddaughters knitting the lining in the coffin, etc. I have all this footage and nobody has ever seen it, it is incredibly intimate access. Then there is all this the footage I’ve acquire over the years. But because I’ve never had exclusive rights I’ve been having trouble raising the money”
She wanted my advice, she asked, “Do you think your mentor would be willing to team-up with me and be the producer, and I will direct. We’ll go back to the Chavez foundation and try to get the exclusive rights” And I said, “It sounds like a good idea, but I know my mentor is only interested in directing this film and I don’t think he’d be interested in co-directing with you or producing the project.” I advised her, “If you want to make the film you really want to make, I suggest you pursue this on your own.”
She was totally appreciative; we went on to talk about the farmworkers. Then she asked “How about you? Would you be willing to come on board and help me out as a producer” I said, “I totally would, but I’ve just started a freelance gig. I’m available in 6 months” She replied “I need someone to help me make this film now because I’m being treated for breast cancer, and I could only work on this film two weeks out of the month” I said to myself, if this woman is who she says she is and has what she says, then she has some good material. I said “Ok in 6 months if you haven’t found anybody, call me and I’ll totally work on this project for free, or deferred payment.” 6 months comes around, I don’t hear from her so I thought, “She found somebody else, anybody in their right mind is going to jump on this.” 9 months later I get a phone call from this elderly guy, he says “Hi, I’m Lorena Parlee’s step-father. Lorena died last month of breast cancer, and she left your name and her notes for us to contact you immediately to see if you’d finish her film”
She had told her parents about this conversation where I told her not to work with my mentor, and I think she appreciated that advice. She got sicker and sicker, until unfortunately she past away. It took a long courtship between the parents and me because even though they wanted me to finish her film, they still wanted to gain trust from me. At one point they said, “Come and pick up the tapes, they are in our garage” I said “Wait, we have to have this legally on paper” So I had a lawyer dropped a contract, they looked at it, and legal language is strong, so they flipped out. There was a whole other set of negotiations. In the end, I got a contract from them that said I could use this footage to finish a film as long as she got co-producers' credit and a co-directors' credit. Then after I was done with the footage I had to turn it over to an archive in her name at UCLA.
I went to the Chavez’ people after I had nailed this on paper. I said, "I want to finish Lorena Parlee's film" the first thing they said was "Where is the footage?" They knew she had the footage and they wanted it. I said "I have legal control of the footage for the next 5 years, I want to finish the film, would you give me an exclusive deal?" I had a good lawyer, what he did was, rather than negotiate a whole new contract, he just negotiated transferring the contract they had with Lorena Parlee to me. It gave her editorial control, but he changed it so that I had the exclusive documentary rights. It was something they had already agreed to in the past, and all the terms were pretty Ok except the exclusivity. So he said, "Let me just change that and get them to sign it" and sure enough they did. That’s how I got editorial control.
Lorena had left a 2-hour string out, which was not a film I could make. I saw it and it was just a linear traditional history from the beginning of his life to the end, which had been done before in 1997 with a PBS documentary called The Fight in the Fields. But when I had all the tapes - she had all these VHS tapes - they were labeled Day 23, Day 24, Day 25. I was like “What is this?” so I popped them in and Day 23 is that press conference with Martin Sheen, that’s intense. Day 24, is more drama, more intense. Then everyday gets more intense. First I was like, “Is this what I think it is? Never-before-seen footage” The second thing I thought was “That’s the natural spine of the film” That escalating conflict, and that suspense, “Will he break the fast? When is he going to break it? Will he die before? Will he harm himself?” It was just almost immediate, just looking at those things sequentially I was like “That’s it”. Between the days I could separate them and tell the back story because most people don’t know concretely what he did.
After I got the footage I just started from the ground up. I went back to Lorena’s parents and said, “I see a different film, I see one about his spiritual commitment as embodied by this fast. That’s the film I’d like to make” Her step-father is a retired minister, he totally got it and they were Ok with it, and I basically made my own film with the material.
Cesar's Last Fast opens in L.A. on April 25th and it's currently playing in New York...
In this in-depth two-part interview Mr. Perez discussed with us the origin and unfathomable challenges to get the film off the ground, and his personal relationship to the Chavez legacy.
Carlos Aguilar: Please tell us how you got involved with the project, and how you manged to make a film with such incredible freedom given the stature of this historical figure?
Richard Ray Perez: Several years ago, I had a mentor who really wanted to make a documentary film about Cesar Chavez, for years. He heard the documentary rights might be available. He knew my background, that my father had been a farmworker so he thought I’d make a good addition to the team . . So we met with the Cesar Chavez Foundation, we had a really good meeting with them, and so my mentor started negotiating the contract. He wanted exclusive documentary rights. But ultimately the Chavez Foundation told him that they couldn’t give him exclusive rights because somebody close to the family had a non-exclusive deal to make a documentary. So my mentor stopped pursuing the project.
About two weeks later I got a phone call from the other filmmaker, she said “Hi, I’m Lorena Parlee, I know you were trying to make a film about Cesar Chavez. Well, I’m the filmmaker whose already been working on the project. She said “I’ve been working on a Chavez film for about 10 years, and I’ve amassed 85 hours of Chavez-related footage, about 20 hours have never been seen by the public, I’ve been holding it off for my film. I used to be Cesar’s press secretary. During his fast I had volunteered crews and I had access, I shot all this stuff around his 1988 fast. Then when Cesar died the family let me shoot video of the private rosary service, Cesar’s brother building Cesar’s coffin, the granddaughters knitting the lining in the coffin, etc. I have all this footage and nobody has ever seen it, it is incredibly intimate access. Then there is all this the footage I’ve acquire over the years. But because I’ve never had exclusive rights I’ve been having trouble raising the money”
She wanted my advice, she asked, “Do you think your mentor would be willing to team-up with me and be the producer, and I will direct. We’ll go back to the Chavez foundation and try to get the exclusive rights” And I said, “It sounds like a good idea, but I know my mentor is only interested in directing this film and I don’t think he’d be interested in co-directing with you or producing the project.” I advised her, “If you want to make the film you really want to make, I suggest you pursue this on your own.”
She was totally appreciative; we went on to talk about the farmworkers. Then she asked “How about you? Would you be willing to come on board and help me out as a producer” I said, “I totally would, but I’ve just started a freelance gig. I’m available in 6 months” She replied “I need someone to help me make this film now because I’m being treated for breast cancer, and I could only work on this film two weeks out of the month” I said to myself, if this woman is who she says she is and has what she says, then she has some good material. I said “Ok in 6 months if you haven’t found anybody, call me and I’ll totally work on this project for free, or deferred payment.” 6 months comes around, I don’t hear from her so I thought, “She found somebody else, anybody in their right mind is going to jump on this.” 9 months later I get a phone call from this elderly guy, he says “Hi, I’m Lorena Parlee’s step-father. Lorena died last month of breast cancer, and she left your name and her notes for us to contact you immediately to see if you’d finish her film”
She had told her parents about this conversation where I told her not to work with my mentor, and I think she appreciated that advice. She got sicker and sicker, until unfortunately she past away. It took a long courtship between the parents and me because even though they wanted me to finish her film, they still wanted to gain trust from me. At one point they said, “Come and pick up the tapes, they are in our garage” I said “Wait, we have to have this legally on paper” So I had a lawyer dropped a contract, they looked at it, and legal language is strong, so they flipped out. There was a whole other set of negotiations. In the end, I got a contract from them that said I could use this footage to finish a film as long as she got co-producers' credit and a co-directors' credit. Then after I was done with the footage I had to turn it over to an archive in her name at UCLA.
I went to the Chavez’ people after I had nailed this on paper. I said, "I want to finish Lorena Parlee's film" the first thing they said was "Where is the footage?" They knew she had the footage and they wanted it. I said "I have legal control of the footage for the next 5 years, I want to finish the film, would you give me an exclusive deal?" I had a good lawyer, what he did was, rather than negotiate a whole new contract, he just negotiated transferring the contract they had with Lorena Parlee to me. It gave her editorial control, but he changed it so that I had the exclusive documentary rights. It was something they had already agreed to in the past, and all the terms were pretty Ok except the exclusivity. So he said, "Let me just change that and get them to sign it" and sure enough they did. That’s how I got editorial control.
Lorena had left a 2-hour string out, which was not a film I could make. I saw it and it was just a linear traditional history from the beginning of his life to the end, which had been done before in 1997 with a PBS documentary called The Fight in the Fields. But when I had all the tapes - she had all these VHS tapes - they were labeled Day 23, Day 24, Day 25. I was like “What is this?” so I popped them in and Day 23 is that press conference with Martin Sheen, that’s intense. Day 24, is more drama, more intense. Then everyday gets more intense. First I was like, “Is this what I think it is? Never-before-seen footage” The second thing I thought was “That’s the natural spine of the film” That escalating conflict, and that suspense, “Will he break the fast? When is he going to break it? Will he die before? Will he harm himself?” It was just almost immediate, just looking at those things sequentially I was like “That’s it”. Between the days I could separate them and tell the back story because most people don’t know concretely what he did.
After I got the footage I just started from the ground up. I went back to Lorena’s parents and said, “I see a different film, I see one about his spiritual commitment as embodied by this fast. That’s the film I’d like to make” Her step-father is a retired minister, he totally got it and they were Ok with it, and I basically made my own film with the material.
Cesar's Last Fast opens in L.A. on April 25th and it's currently playing in New York...
- 4/23/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Recently during the latest Sundance Film Festival, Ambulante, the non-profit aimed to promote documentary as a tool for social change and cultural transformation, celebrated its upcoming U.S. launch with an Ambulante California reception. Founded by Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Pablo Cruz as part of Canana Films in 2005, this traveling documentary film organization presented two films during the festival Cesar's Last Fast by Richard Ray Perez and Lorena Parlee (Read Carlos Aguilar' Review) and The Measure of All Things by Sam Green and yMusic.
Both Luna and Bernal have had several films played at Sundance in diverse roles as actors, producers, and even directors. Their titles include Who Is Dayani Cristal?, Abel, Sin Nombre, and the breakthrough hit directed by Alfonso Cuaron Y Tu Mama Tambien. "Ambulante was born out of a need to create spaces for cinema in Mexico like those we encountered while traveling to other countries presenting our films" said Diego Lune about the Ambulante initiative. "Throughout the years Sundance has undoubtedly been one of the most significant platforms for me as a filmmaker, and a vital meeting point to connect with the public and artist community. It is a source of inspiration for what we have conceived up until now with Ambulante, and it is very exciting to finally realize our dream of introducing Ambulante California at Park City" concluded the multifaceted Mexican filmmaker.
Executive Director, Elena Fortes said, “We are thrilled to be here representing Ambulante for the first time at the festival. Sundance Institute is the leading champion of supporting urgent non-fiction stories and developing the independent and courageous filmmakers of our time. Through our traveling platform, Ambulante strengthens that shared mission of broadening documentary culture by bringing these films directly to the general public to develop a diverse audience for the non-fiction narrative."
Newly appointed Director of Ambulante California, Christine Davila confirmed the documentary Cesar's Last Fast will be the very first film to be presented at the Ambulante California Film Festival at a special free community screening in Los Angeles in May. "It really could not be more fitting and representative of the programming vision and local context we have in mind for Ambulante California than to inaugurate our California launch with this insightful look at one of our iconic bi-cultural American political leaders.Cesar's Last Fast epitomizes the type of film we deem is crucial to support by bringing it directly to the communities to carve out a space for engagement and the dialogue it sparks. We are looking forward to co-representing the film and creating and inspiring social cinema intervention with the public at large"
Ambulante California is made possible in part through the Ford Foundation. The organization is currently seeking the rest of their funding through their fiscal sponsorship with the International Documentary Association (Ida). Fortes adds, "We are extremely grateful to the Ford Foundation and the Ida for their support in this critical development phase." We also want to thank the Consulate of Mexico in Utah for their support.
The Ambulante California Film Festival tour will run from September 21 to October 4 across the Greater Los Angeles area and each day it will offer a free screening at a different venue, from universities, high schools, and museums, to community centers, parks, and makeshift outdoor spaces. Expanding on Ambulante's global mission, Ambulante California is the first official attempt to establish a long-term presence of Ambulante outside of Latin America. A crowd-funding campaign will be launched in the spring, along with an open submissions call for California-produced documentary short films, a selection of which will be presented as a highlight of the festival. The overall strategy is to make the development of the festival highly interactive by inviting the public to take part in the shaping of the festival. One of the ways to get involved is to vote on which places the Ambulante tour should consider stopping at to put on a screening event.
Ambulante
Ambulante is a non-profit organization that focuses on supporting and promoting documentary film as a tool for social and cultural transformation. Founded in Mexico in 2005 by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz, Ambulante brings documentary films and training programs to places where they are rarely available in order to create a participative, informed and critical public, cultivate new forms of expression, and encourage debate in Mexico and abroad.
Each year, Ambulante organizes an international film festival that tours Mexico for three months. Ambulante presents over 100 documentaries, invites more than 100 guests from Mexico and abroad, and holds screenings in over 150 venues. Ambulante’s objective is to promote documentary film within Mexico and reach a broader audience by screening films in a wide array of venues.
Ambulante is currently the largest documentary film festival in Mexico. It includes film screenings, workshops, talks, seminars, symposiums, networking panels, documentary theater, drive-in cinema, and a showcase of documentaries at the Ibero-American Music Festival Vive Latino held in Mexico City. Ambulante opens up different ways of experiencing and understanding documentary film. It is a non-competitive film festival, and over 60% of its program is free.
Additionally, Ambulante Beyond aims to train new filmmakers from Latin America who have limited access to the resources that would allow them to share their stories with a wider audience. Through modular workshops designed to meet the specific needs of its participants, Ambulante Beyond fosters independent production and alternative forms of aesthetic expression so that stories can be told from a unique cultural perspective without being constrained by conventional storytelling models.
To learn more about Ambulante and their different traveling programs visit Here...
Both Luna and Bernal have had several films played at Sundance in diverse roles as actors, producers, and even directors. Their titles include Who Is Dayani Cristal?, Abel, Sin Nombre, and the breakthrough hit directed by Alfonso Cuaron Y Tu Mama Tambien. "Ambulante was born out of a need to create spaces for cinema in Mexico like those we encountered while traveling to other countries presenting our films" said Diego Lune about the Ambulante initiative. "Throughout the years Sundance has undoubtedly been one of the most significant platforms for me as a filmmaker, and a vital meeting point to connect with the public and artist community. It is a source of inspiration for what we have conceived up until now with Ambulante, and it is very exciting to finally realize our dream of introducing Ambulante California at Park City" concluded the multifaceted Mexican filmmaker.
Executive Director, Elena Fortes said, “We are thrilled to be here representing Ambulante for the first time at the festival. Sundance Institute is the leading champion of supporting urgent non-fiction stories and developing the independent and courageous filmmakers of our time. Through our traveling platform, Ambulante strengthens that shared mission of broadening documentary culture by bringing these films directly to the general public to develop a diverse audience for the non-fiction narrative."
Newly appointed Director of Ambulante California, Christine Davila confirmed the documentary Cesar's Last Fast will be the very first film to be presented at the Ambulante California Film Festival at a special free community screening in Los Angeles in May. "It really could not be more fitting and representative of the programming vision and local context we have in mind for Ambulante California than to inaugurate our California launch with this insightful look at one of our iconic bi-cultural American political leaders.Cesar's Last Fast epitomizes the type of film we deem is crucial to support by bringing it directly to the communities to carve out a space for engagement and the dialogue it sparks. We are looking forward to co-representing the film and creating and inspiring social cinema intervention with the public at large"
Ambulante California is made possible in part through the Ford Foundation. The organization is currently seeking the rest of their funding through their fiscal sponsorship with the International Documentary Association (Ida). Fortes adds, "We are extremely grateful to the Ford Foundation and the Ida for their support in this critical development phase." We also want to thank the Consulate of Mexico in Utah for their support.
The Ambulante California Film Festival tour will run from September 21 to October 4 across the Greater Los Angeles area and each day it will offer a free screening at a different venue, from universities, high schools, and museums, to community centers, parks, and makeshift outdoor spaces. Expanding on Ambulante's global mission, Ambulante California is the first official attempt to establish a long-term presence of Ambulante outside of Latin America. A crowd-funding campaign will be launched in the spring, along with an open submissions call for California-produced documentary short films, a selection of which will be presented as a highlight of the festival. The overall strategy is to make the development of the festival highly interactive by inviting the public to take part in the shaping of the festival. One of the ways to get involved is to vote on which places the Ambulante tour should consider stopping at to put on a screening event.
Ambulante
Ambulante is a non-profit organization that focuses on supporting and promoting documentary film as a tool for social and cultural transformation. Founded in Mexico in 2005 by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz, Ambulante brings documentary films and training programs to places where they are rarely available in order to create a participative, informed and critical public, cultivate new forms of expression, and encourage debate in Mexico and abroad.
Each year, Ambulante organizes an international film festival that tours Mexico for three months. Ambulante presents over 100 documentaries, invites more than 100 guests from Mexico and abroad, and holds screenings in over 150 venues. Ambulante’s objective is to promote documentary film within Mexico and reach a broader audience by screening films in a wide array of venues.
Ambulante is currently the largest documentary film festival in Mexico. It includes film screenings, workshops, talks, seminars, symposiums, networking panels, documentary theater, drive-in cinema, and a showcase of documentaries at the Ibero-American Music Festival Vive Latino held in Mexico City. Ambulante opens up different ways of experiencing and understanding documentary film. It is a non-competitive film festival, and over 60% of its program is free.
Additionally, Ambulante Beyond aims to train new filmmakers from Latin America who have limited access to the resources that would allow them to share their stories with a wider audience. Through modular workshops designed to meet the specific needs of its participants, Ambulante Beyond fosters independent production and alternative forms of aesthetic expression so that stories can be told from a unique cultural perspective without being constrained by conventional storytelling models.
To learn more about Ambulante and their different traveling programs visit Here...
- 2/3/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
There's plenty of advice out there for aspiring filmmakers and cinematographers, some great, some garbage. With that in mind, Indiewire asked the cinematographers of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival what was the best and worst advice they ever received, as part of our How I Shot That series. Here is a selection of their responses: Best Advice: "Don't feel pressure to run to the frontline and film. Follow your gut instincts and get in and get out and only if it there are essential moments for you to tell your story." -- Cinematographer Rachel Beth Anderson ("E-Team") "Vilmos Zsigmond told me, 'Jim, nice guys finish first and when you are successful promise me that you will help the next person.'" -- Cinematographer James Chressanthis ("Cesar's Last Fast") "First and foremost: It's not a race. Enjoy the whole journey and be proud of yourself even when things aren't going your way.
- 1/23/2014
- by Max O'Connell
- Indiewire
James Chressanthis has worked on numerous projects over the last several years as a cinematographer, including "The Watsons Go To Birmingham," "The Makeover," "The Music Man," "Life With Judy Garland," "Ghost Whisperer," and "Hide." His latest, "Cesar's Last Fast," directed by Richard Ray Perez & Lorena Parlee, is a documentary chronicling Cesar Chavez's 36-day water-only fast in 1988. It is screening at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Which cameras and lens did you use? Betacam, Panavision Genesis, Canon C300 & 5D, Arri Alexa and Canon C300 with Super 8mm, Arri 416 and Panavision Genesis, Arri Super16 SR3, 35mm Panavision. What was the most difficult shot in your movie and how did you pull it off? It was being unobtrusive and capturing the private moments, and the tremendous sacrifice of Cesar Chavez. His breaking of his fast with Ethel Kennedy was the most difficult moment: feeling the tremendous outpouring of emotions while clearly rendering the.
- 1/21/2014
- by Taylor Lindsay
- Indiewire
Participant Media's cable network Pivot has joined with Univision News to buy the U.S. TV rights to "Cesar's Last Fast," a documentary from directors Richard Ray Perez and Lorena Parlee set to makes its world premiere at Sundance tomorrow on January 19th. The buy marks the first of 10 planned docs to be acquired or co-produced by the two channels as part of a deal announced earlier. "Cesar's Last Fast" will premiere simultaneously in English on Pivot and in Spanish on the Univision Network. The film looks at the final act of protest by Cesar Chavez, a 36-day water-only fast to draw attention the horrific effects of pesticide use on farm workers, their families and communities. The doc, which also tells a larger story about Chavez's life and legacy, includes never-before-seen footage of the great activist during his fast and testimony from those closest to him. "We are extremely happy...
- 1/18/2014
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
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