Chuy Now Available on LatinHeatCinema.com
A passionate movie buff, Jesus “Chuy” Santillan enrolled at Oxnard College in the 90’s and began his filmmaking career with TV production . “OCTV ignited my fire,” Santillan said. “Oxnard College Television is where my education as a filmmaker began. Understanding my approach to analog and digital, cameras, lighting, catwalks, sound, cables, and so on, but before anything, I learned it was always about the story,” he explained.
Since then Santillan has produced and directing several short stories and two documentaries. His latest short Chuy was recently acquired by Latin Heat Media for distribution on their online platform latinheatcinema.com.
Santillan later transferred to Long Beach State, where he studied theater and was an English major. “Acknowledging the classics, Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare, and Bertolt. However, I noticed nothing Mexican-Chicano,” he recounted. “After that I dedicated myself to interning.” He honed his storytelling by studying Luis Valdez‘s plays and screenplays. “His stories became important to me because I felt them,” the filmmaker said. “They spoke to me. I was young. La Bamba‘s Bob is the guy I rooted for. I could relate to his rebel ways — he was going places no matter what!” His other screenwriter hero was Steven Spielberg. “ET is a favorite because aside from Gregory Nava’s El Norte, ET was the first film that made me realize how Americans related to immigrants, or anyone who was non-white or different”.
Santillan later transferred to Long Beach State, where he studied theater and was an English major. “Acknowledging the classics, Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare, and Bertolt. However, I noticed nothing Mexican-Chicano,” he recounted. “After that, I dedicated myself to changing that.”
In between film school, he worked on ABC’s General Hospital under producer Jill Phelps, writer Elizabeth Korte, casting director Mark Teschner, and production coordinator Dale Pullam. He also worked on any production he could get on, working in all areas: grip, lights, and safety, until he finally graduated in 2005.
“But the best education I ever got were from talents like actor Maurice Bernard (General Hospital) who explained for me to always stay real and TV/Documentarian director Jesus Trevino who reminded me why it’s important to tell our stories,” Santillan proudly recalled.
Boxing Champ Mikey Garcia (C), dad Eduardo, boxer Brandon Rios and trainer Robert Garcia with Tanya and Jesus Santillan
Boxing is a theme Santillan likes to work with. A few years ago he shot the documentary Building Champions Los Garcias, which followed world boxing champion Mickey Garcia, ranked as the world’s fifth best active boxer by The Ring. It followed him to fights and through his training and interviewed his brother and trainer, a former boxing champ himself, Robert Garcia. It featured his original trainer, his dad Eduardo Garcia, who took his family from the fields to boxing champs.
It was no surprise that his short film Chuy, was also set in the world of boxing. Santillan says it came easy to focus again in this world, because of his previous projects and his my close relationship with boxers. “I am familiar with the challenges they go through, not just in the sport but while trying to excel inside the ring, they must also juggle personal lives and family who need them.”
Chuy, a budding boxer (played by Ricardo Quiroz), has a difficult choice to make. Does he dedicate himself to pursue his boxing career or help his mother Martha (Sandra Santiago) take care of his sister Carole (Andrea Sixtos) who is fighting a deadly kidney disease.
Chuy’s coach (Walter Ramirez) trains him hard and has to work at keeping him focused on being a better fighter. When Chuy is approached a boxing promoter (Al Marchesi) who offers Chuy his first professional fight, his first paid fight, he has to choose between helping pay Carole’s mounting medical bills, or take time off boxing to be with his family.
Shot on a shoestring budget Chuy took approximately five months from start to finish with only three days of shooting and the rest for pre and post production.
Laura Sixtos of Sixtos Talent Management is credited both as casting director and producer. “She did a fantastic job. She cast actors who absolutely could relate to their characters,” Santillan recalled. “For example, take Wilson (Coach Bobby), he has a son who is actually trying to enter the world of amateur fighting. And Quiroz is an amateur boxer and was at that time also looking into his first pro opportunity.”
Walter Ramirez (L) plays the trainer and Al Marchesi is the Promoter
Santillan is constantly reminded that in order for storytelling to work, it must represent your vision, and that’s not easy. “Storytelling is a responsibility for all creatives – filmmakers, writers, actors, painters. It can be daunting and frustrating,” he says.
“But I’ll tell you this much, I owe a lot of my storytelling to Tanya Chavez Santillan (his late wife). She was the one who would give me the feedback and critique, which allowed me to shape the story. I was fortunate to have that through Tanya.”
Asked if there is a message that can be taken from Chuy, Jesus tells us, “We live in a society that’s confused and emotionally disturbed right now. We’re fighting for health insurance coverage for those who can’t afford it. There’s depression, bullying, etc. But no matter what, there is always some light at the end of darkness.”
Shedding a light on stories he loves is what drives Santillan, “I’m doing what I love. The Chicano culture is so rich, therefore, I focus on everything related to my experience as a Chicano/Mexican-American.
Watch Chuy on LatinHeat Channel, CLICK HERE
LatinHeatCinema.com (LHC) is a Latin Heat Media Inc. online distribution, licensing and streaming platform for Latin content makers. LHC fills a void by providing streaming for Latino indie films and other content. It also widens the platform to allow millions of Latino access to films they otherwise would never see. LHC’s stream model is built so that filmmakers gain more control over the distribution of their projects and the opportunity to earn back on their investment.
Chuy is produced by Chuyvision in association with 805FilmWorks
Cast: Ricardo Quiroz, Wilson Ramirez, Sandra Santiago, Andrea Sixtos, Al Marchesis, Michael J. Gonzalez, Jayden Diaz. Extras: Luatani Flores, Samuel Temblor, Christopher Temblador
Crew: Director/Producer: Jesus “Chuy” Santillan; Co-Producer: Laura Sixtos; Director of Photography: Antonio Ogaz; Editor: Ross Denver; Composer: Federico Chavez; Sound Editor: Federico Chavez; Casting: Sixtos Talent Management; Hair & Makeup: Alicia Sixtos; Assistant Camera: Alvaro Marjolejo; Boom: Demir Dokovic, James Seaman; Grip: Adrian Romero, Manny Perez
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