Tenacity and calculating measures are paying off for seven, hard-working New York Latino filmmakers and actors whose careers are reaching higher ground by virtue of their work in a short films at the internationally acclaimed Cannes Film Festival. Acceptance into the Festival de Cannes will benefit from a prime viewing position within the Short Film Corner from May 13-24th. The talent traveling to France do so with the intent on networking with industry players, institutions, financiers and the most important international reps in the film business to develop their next project – possibly a feature film. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the journey that got them there.
The Seven
Plinio Villablanca Pablo Andrade Francisco Lupini Basagoiti Adel Morales Monica Palmieri Brandon Polanco Sebastian Rea
PLINIO VILLABLANCA Short: Sunnyside Actor
Director: YoungKi Jin (Korean) Synopsis: a quintessential immigrant story that peers into the life of a day laborer and illustrates how difficult it is to live and survive in NYC.
Let’s play Jeopardy. I’ll give you the answer first, “Only in New York.” Here’s what begged the question, “So how did a seasoned Chilean-Nicaraguan actor born and raised in the South Bronx get cast by a Korean Director in a film about Mexicans?” The rest is history when a year after the film is shot the director calls and says, “Remember that short film I shot? It’s going to Cannes.” YoungKi Jin (known as “B,” in Seoul, South Korea) is studying for his MFA in Film Directing at The City College of New York and was producing his short film when he first contacted Plinio through HOLA’s (Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors) directory (see it does pay to be part of a network and be listed in diverse directories). This is the story of Plinio Villablanca’s odyssey with the short film Sunnyside, the quintessential immigrant story that peers into the life of a day laborer and illustrates how difficult it is to live and survive in NYC.
Tio Louie: How did the story hit you as the son of immigrants?
Plinio Villablanca: I remember my parents and aunts would say how the streets were paved with gold in the U.S. Then you come here thinking that you’re going to have it better and easier. My father used to paint fire-escapes on the exterior of apartment buildings. My mother worked in a sweatshop. Once here they realized it wasn’t so easy, but that it would be better for their kids. When I read the story I felt, “Wow, when this immigrant comes to the States he’s going to see how difficult it really is going to be.”
TL: How did you feel playing the role of a guy perceived to be exploiting 20 Mexicans in a small garage behind a residential private home for pay?
PV: I didn’t want to think of the guy that I was playing with a negative vibe. I felt that he would depict a guy who had space in the back and welcomed people to stay there, but they had to pay. I’m letting him and 19 other people stay in the garage rather than sleeping in the street. I didn’t want to think that this guy was exploiting them, rather the commodity exchange being, ‘I got space, but you have to pay for it.’
TL: How did you feel about a Korean guy telling a Latino immigrant story?
PV: I thought it was interesting because they have a similar experience and expect the universal myth of the pot of gold in the good ‘ole USA. Koreans go through the same, too and I was interested to see how he would tell this story. You could easily substitute a Korean for Mexican.
TL: How do you feel about your short film going to Cannes
PV: It’s exciting. I think it’s crazy that a film that I did for a student project, when most don’t go anywhere, is actually going somewhere. So honestly, I forgot about it. Then I get this call out of the blue that it’s going to Cannes. What it shows is that this guy really told an authentic story about immigrants in New York City. I am glad that I made a contribution to something that is going to Cannes.
TIO LOUIE/Louis E. Perego Moreno
President of Skyline Features, he is an interactive content producer and educator who for the past 33 years has owned a bilingual (English and Spanish-language) multimedia and educational production company developing documentaries, television programming and advertising commercials featuring Latinos, Blacks, Women, Urban Youth and LGBT. He is also the Executive Producer of PRIME LATINO MEDIA, the largest network of Latino multimedia-makers and actors in the metro-New York area that gather once a month to interview proven leaders in the community.
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACT FACEBOOK Group: Prime Latino Media Twitter: @PLMSalon Instagram: PRIME_LATINO_MEDIA LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/in/louisperegomoreno
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