top of page
    • Nov 5, 2014
    • 6 min read

Danny Trejo: Heart, Soul & Conscience of “Strike One,” Where Cruelty of Injustice Is Examined


StrikeOnePoster

Filmmaker David Llauger-Meiselman’s award-winning indie Strike One, starring Danny Trejo, will have its west coast premiere at the Red Nation Film (RNFF) Festival on November 10, 2014, 8:45 PM at the Laemmle Music Hall Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA. Strike One also stars Billy Gallo, Alma Martinez, Maria Isa Perez, Johnny Ortiz, French Stewart, James Russo, Lawrence Smilgys, Reginald VelJohnson, and Zahn McClarnon,

Strike One is a family, coming-of-age, crime drama set in Boyle Heights—a Los Angeles community backdrop that comes to life as its own character—while the main characters deal with one family’s “life chose me” circumstances. Strike One is not a movie about gang bangers but rather an anatomy of the dangers of living in low-income and at-risk communities. It is also about the injustice of California’s Three Strike Law and how they devastate the lives of 80% of the youth living in these communities.


Film Producer, Felipe Alejandro, a Boyle Heights native, jumped on board because the film’s storyline resonates with the heart and pulse of the people living here and how the scale of justice is lopsided where fairness is determined by which side of the street you live on.

The making of this film was a labor of love. “I welcomed the opportunity to be a part of a project that also made my city a character in the movie. I was excited about engaging the community by using local talent, artists, and even using local high school students to serve as interns and work side-by-side with professionals and gain first hand filmmaking experience,” he said. Alejandro also is an actor who portrays an LAPD officer in Strike One. “Our movie deals with issues that are just as relevant today as they were 40 years ago.”

Danny Trejo delivers one of his best performances ever, where as the film’s narrator navigates viewers through the structure of how one becomes a gangbanger, how easy it is to be seduced into a life of crime and about how difficult it is to walk away. Trejo’s voice guides us as multiple storylines are delivered against the cultural backdrop of Boyle Heights famous murals. A very different role for Trejo, who is considered one of the best character actors of his generation and there could be no one better to narrate this film. Trejo’s road to success has been hard earned. He grew up on the streets of Los Angeles and despite spending part of his youth and early adulthood incarcerated, Danny rose to great accomplishment.

Strike One examines California’s cruel, unusual and unfair Three Strikes law and does it brilliantly through Trejo’s character “Manny Garcia.” Manny is a former gangbanger who is trying to redeem his messed up life by working as an actor. He is hired to portray a gangbanger on films and TV programs. Unfortunately, his former gang affiliations are not thrilled about his new career and are unwilling to let him walk way.

In an effort to protect his nephew, Juan Garcia (portrayed by breakout actor Johnny Ortiz), Manny agrees to do one final job that goes horribly wrong and backfires. Juan is caught in the middle of a mess he had nothing to do with nor had any prior knowledge of.

Civil rights activist and Three Strike Law expert Kathy Jurado a member of LULAC when they contributed to the report Latino Voices: The Impact of Crimes Criminal Justice, argues that films like Strike One are important. “The highest bails and longest sentences are for Latino youth. And they rarely get parole across the board. These kinds of truths are not taught in schools. It is our responsibility to get the truth out about the Three Strike Law,” she stated.

In addition, “it is incumbent upon us to share this information and if the only way to get it to vibrate with our youth is through film, then we must support the filmmakers and actors because they are providing through their stories and acting, the power of knowledge,” Jurado pleaded. “And by doing so, we might help reduce the 80-90 percent of our at-risk youth from ending up in federal prison for crimes they did not commit or for minor petty non-violent crimes.”

In addition, “it is incumbent upon us to share this information and if the only way to get it to vibrate with our youth is through film, then we must support the filmmakers and actors because they are providing through their stories and acting, the power of knowledge,” Jurado pleaded. “And by doing so, we might help reduce the 80-90 percent of our at-risk youth from ending up in federal prison for crimes they did not commit or for minor petty non-violent crimes.”

Screenwriters Lawrence Smilgys (who also portrays a criminal attorney in the film) and Howard Cohen (a former attorney) synthesized several real-life cases to craft the Strike One story. “The one incident that stood out most was about a young Latino who was an unknowing accomplice to a crime. Rather than take a plea deal, he decided to fight the charge and found the judicial system was more than eager to declare him guilty and level punishment,” said Alejandro.

Director Llauger-Meiselman states that the most important thing to him about Strike One is being able to bring a more realistic voice to a group of people that are generally ignored and for the most part are truly an important piece of American culture.

“Being Puerto Rican myself,” said Llauger-Meiselman, “I was raised in the inner city of Chicago during a time of great change, poverty, drugs and violence. I can easily identify with the struggles and decisions of a working class Mexican American family living today in one of the most affluent and internationally recognized cities in the world, Los Angeles. The people of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights thrive. They live and prosper, like any other American community. This movie is an opportunity to express that and to show that making the right or wrong decisions will affect you and your family no matter what ‘barrio’ you live in.”

At RNFF, the film has been nominated in various categories including: Best Picture; Best Director, David Llauger-Meiselman; Best Actor, Danny Trejo; and Best Supporting Actor, Zahn McClarnon. Strike One won Best Feature and Best Director at the Orlando Urban Film Festival, heading next to Viva Latino Film Festival NYC International and the Miami Film Festival in March.

“Strike One is reverberating with Latino audiences because it is a story that is made by us, for us,” Alejandro proudly declared. “And, it’s about righting a very wrong law, and bringing justice to all the ‘Juan Garcia’s’ unfairly convicted and sentenced.”

Strike One Feature | USA | 100 mins. Toypurina Pictures | Boricua Films Cast: Danny Trejo, Billy Gallo, Alma Martinez, Maria Isa Perez, Johnny Ortiz, French Stewart, James Russo, Reginald VelJohnson, Zahn McClarnon Director: David Llauger-Meiselman Writer: Lawrence S. Smilgys, Howard Cohen Producers: Danny Trejo, Felipe Alejandro Ramirez, Roberto Longoria, Ric Aguirre, James Tumminia, David Llauger-Meiselman, Lawrence Smilgys Music Composer: Johnny Wilson For more info on film, visit: www.boricuafilms.com

Venue: Red National Film Festival | Laemmle Music Hall Theatre Address: 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Date: Monday, November 10th, 8:45 PM Red is Green Carpet Arrivals, 8PM | Q&A Session (following screening with filmmakers and cast) Admission: $10 per person To more information and/or purchase tickets for Strike One, visit: http://www.rednationff.com/trejo/

About Red Nation Film Festival Red National Film Festival & RNCI Red Nation Awards – The Authentic Voice of American Indian & Indigenous Cinema, is dedicated to breaking the barrier of racism by successfully replacing American Indian stereotype with recognition, new vision, arts, culture and economic prosperity by placing American Indian Filmmakers at the forefront of the entertainment industry. For more information on RNFF visit: http://www.rednationff.com/festival-info/

RNCI Red Nation Awards will BROADCAST LIVE – marking another HISTORIC EVENT on Nov 12, on Red Nation Television Channel-Native is Here, this will be the first time since its inception that RNCI Red Nation Awards will be aired LIVE. ANOTHER HISTORIC INITIATIVE THE FIRST AMERICAN INDIAN AWARDS SHOW “LIVE.” #leadforward.

On Nov 23rd, RNCI Red Nation Awards will also be a televised broadcast and aired across the country, marking yet another historic phenomenon in its second year of a televised broadcast, cementing native image at the forefront of the industry. Check you local listings.

Last year, RNCI Red Nation Awards was a televised broadcast on Comcast | NBC Universal and on Red Nation Television Channel – Native is Here, reaching 29 million viewers and in 37 countries, marking RNCI Red Nation Awards, the FIRST EVER American Indian Awards Show to broadcast on cable television and the internet.

Comments

bottom of page