Facing Challenges, Barriers and Lack of Opportunities, Gabriela Tagliavini, Has Managed to Remain True to Her Passion and Risen Above the Noise to Make Movies
By Elia Esparza
Gabriela Tagliavini
Ever since Gabriela Tagliavini took that bold step to direct her first short film in 1988, Coincidence, she has been consistent and non-stop– despite Hollywood’s infamous lack of diversity. And, that so-called glass ceiling to make it more difficult for women and Latinos to succeed, has never stopped her. In fact, the challenges seem to make her resolve to make movies stronger. She combats the negative by always tapping into a most powerful weapon– her cultural richness as a Latina.
Fast forward to 2018, Tagliavini is an award-winning writer/director and her recent and sixth feature film, How To Break Up With Your Douchebag (Como Cortar a tu patan) opened #1 in the box-office in Mexico. Her film beat Blade Runner at the boxoffice among Mexican Audiences. She also broke Mexican box-office in 2004, with Ladies’ Night, a film distributed by Disney/Buena Vista and which won three MTV Latin Movie Awards and its soundtrack (released by Sony) went platinum.
Currently, she’s nominated for two awards: Best Director and Best Picture for How To Break Up With Your Douchebag at the 33rd Imagen Awards, to be hosted on August 25th at L.A. Live, in Los Angeles.
Tagliavini’s pre-production comedy, The Devil May Care, recently secured financing from Andrea Lervolino and Monika Bacard’s Ambi Group (Trading Paint, Best Day of My Life, Lamborghini–The Legend, Finding Steve McQueen). This new film is written by Tagliavini and Octavio Marin.
Christian Slater, Gabriela Tagliavini on set of “Without Men”
In 2012, Tagliavini directed for Starz and Voltage Pictures, Border Run, starring Sharon Stone, Billy Zane, Manolo Cardona and Miguel Rodarte. Tagliavini’s forth feature in 2011, Without Men, starring Eva Longoria, Kate Del Castillo and Christian Slater, sold worldwide and premiered at the Latino Film Festival in Los Angeles. For this movie, Tagliavini earned a nomination for Best Director.
Tagliavini’s first feature as director, The Woman Every Man Wants, earned her three Best Director award in film festivals. She also worked on projects writing and directing for MTV, Vh1, CNN, ABC, Starz and HBO. She has a Master’s degree from the American Film Institute (AFI), and she recently sold a pitch to Amazon Studios to write and direct a TV series.
Latin Heat has always been impressed with this filmmaker– whose upbringing started out in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is now paving an incredible career in Hollywood. She’s a force to be reckon with. Recently Tagliavini shared her insight on the biz and her life.
LH: First off, tell us about you meeting the Pope! Your smile radiates!
Meeting Pope Frances, who also hails from Argentina
Gabriela Tagliavini: When the Pope shook my hand, I felt his amazing energy. Whether one is Catholic or not, I think most people agree that this Pope is changing history.
LH: Now, let’s talk shop: What do you think when you hear that less than 5% of studio movies last year were directed by women?
GT: Numbers don’t lie. There is a lot of talk about female directors, and we still need to see more female directors actually being hired. The DGA recently published a study that shows that more female directors have been hired on TV, but not so many more in movies. This DGA study also shows that minority director hires are actually going backwards. We are 50% of the populations, should we be the same percentage when it comes down to working? That just seems fair, doesn’t it? All we want is to work in what we love.
Gabriela Tagliavini
LH: What’s the stupidest reason you’ve ever heard for why women can’t direct?
GT: Strength. [But how can that be, since] we can carry a baby for nine months inside our own bodies. That requires a lot of strength!
LH: Although there are a lot of women directing independent films like yours, women are far rarer in big-budget studio films. What would you do with $200 million?
GT: I would hire actors that are more expensive because they usually bring bigger audiences and distribution so my message could reach more people. I’d love to direct Will Smith! His salary is probably more than 10M. Also, I actually love visual effects, but they are generally expensive. I’d love to have a bigger budget to be able to use more visual effects to tell my stories. And I’d use some of that money to buy me time and be able to use that time to spend with the actors to get better performances.
LH: We can’t wait for your next film, The Devil May Care. Congrats on securing financing. What’s the movie about?
GT: It’s a comedic love story between the devil (morph in the body of a man) and a kindhearted woman. The story finds a listless Lucifer, bored with ease at which humans can be tempted in these modern times, until he discovers a woman who could be the last remaining pure soul on screen.
LH: Sounds deliciously funny! I mean, what could go wrong?
GT: Well, he sets off to tempt, corrupt, and capture her soul by borrowing the body of a man for one week. The devil is one of the most complex and fascinating of characters in history. I’ve always been curious about how this angel of light, Lucifer, became the most evil being in the universe. What would happen if the devil decided to quit his job in Hell? What if there was no evil in the world, no black and white, no yin and yang? This is a humorous story about forgiveness and transcendence.
LH: How old were you when you decided you would become a filmmaker?
GT: I was 11 years-old when I decided to make movies. I was a very curious and hyper child, so after school, I studied painting, photography, acting, music, dancing. When I discovered that filmmaking had everything, I realized that was my calling.
LH: As a young girl, what inspired you to go into making movies?
GT: My parents took me to see a lot of movies and we visited a lot of museums. I have to thank my family for my education and support. They taught me to love culture and art from the get go.
Gabriela Tagliavini, Eva Longoria on set of “Without Men”
LH: What is the movie you’ve yet to make but dream of making one day? Can you give us a hint?
GT: I wrote an ambitious screenplay about Leonardo Da Vinci and the Mona Lisa in a comedic way. It took me years and it’s in the vein of the Oscar winning Shakespeare in Love. It’d be my dream to make it one day. I’d also love to make a Marvel or DC comics movie or my own sci-fi about a Latina superhero. I just have to be patient, but patience is not one of my virtues.
LH: Who are directors you admire? Current and past?
GT: I’m a big fan of Guillermo del Toro, Nancy Myers, Tim Burton, the Wachowsky sisters, the Cohen brothers, Martin Scorsese, Pedro Almodovar, Tom Tykwer, Nora Ephron, Jean Pierre Jeunet, Patty Jenkins and many others… I love watching movies as much as making them.
LH: What advice do you give young girls wanting to follow in your footsteps?
GT: Confidence is everything. Find your calling, your passion and your voice. It’s one of the most rewarding things in life. And be yourself. Everyone else is taken.
If you’d like to meet this amazing filmmaker in person, she’ll be a guest at the summer event of the year, LATINAFest, Saturday, August 25, 2018, 11 am to 5 pm, at La Plaza Cultura y Artes in Downtown L.A.
Gabriela Tagliavini is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA)/Talent Agent, Ensemble Entertainment/Manager, and Supersonic Media/Publicist.
Follow Gabriela Tagliavini on Social Media: Twitter: @gabbotagliavini
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