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“Tijuana The Movie” Glamour, Intrigue, and Romance In The Prohibition Era

“Tijuana The Movie will make a perfect Netflix series” concur actor/creator David ‘Blak’ Plascencia and writer/director/producer Mary-Lyn Chambers.  It certainly has all the elements of a hit series, the glamour, intrigue, and romance, with a different twist than the usual Hollywood take of this border town which is usually portrayed as a cesspool of spring-break antics, prostitution, gambling, and narcotics.

(L-R) Enrique Castillo as the Mayor of Tijuana and David “Blak” Placencia as the Chief of Police.  Photo:  Ashly Covington


Currently, in post-production, the short film takes a close look at the 1920s glory days of Tijuana, Mexico.  During those days this thriving town was a magnet for movie stars, mobsters, dignitaries and misfits seeking a place to escape the doldrums of US Prohibition. Tijuana follows French-born Carmen (Ilana Guralnik), a wildly intelligent and ambitious woman who aids her Mexican-born husband in becoming Tijuana’s Chief of Police (David ‘Blak’ Plascencia). Leveraging her new-found power in Mexico’s high society, she launches her own enterprise smuggling tequila to the north.

Executive producer/actor Plascencia and writer/director/producer Mary-Lyn Chambers teamed up to create Tijuana in association with Producer Cynthia Bravo and Glix Entertainment. Instead of telling the story through the expected Hollywood lens, the filmmakers tell the story in Spanish, through the eyes of the residents of Tijuana. It remains a central goal of the creators to explore the rich and diverse culture during this period and to present a positive and glamorous depiction of Tijuana and its people.

Carmen played by Ilana Guralnik Photo Credit: Elana Rojas


The cast also includes Enrique Castillo (Weeds, Blood In Blood Out) as the Mayor of Tijuana, Art Bonilla (Gentified, Contrapelo), Daniel Edward Mora (The Bridge, Sin Verguenza), Matt Medrano (S.W.A.T., Scandal), Martin Morales (Fresh Off The Boat), Jaime Alvarez (Black ish (Switched at Birth, Days of Our Lives ), Elana Rojas (Dreamsville), Emily Brooks (Silicon Valley), Ruby Pedroza (Cumpleanera)Hayden James Farrel (Chelsea) and Colombian actress Maria-Laura Quinetero (Los Morales).

Behind the camera is award-winning Fiji-born, New Zealand writer/director/producer Chambers and her long-time Italian cinematographer Ludovica Isidori, and Mexican Producer Cynthia Bravo in a dynamic, female-led trio. In the true tradition of a Mary-Lyn Chambers film, women and minorities hold the majority of leadership roles. Executive producers include the award-winning Panamanian filmmaker Eric Iglesias and David ‘Blak’ Plascencia.

Tijuana the movie formed a partnership with the all-girls high school, Alverno High, in which interested students shadowed woman filmmakers during the production, teaching the girls that “if you can see it, you can be it”.

#TijuanaTheMovie Writer/director: Mary-Lyn Chambers Executive Producer/Lead Actor: David Plascencia Producer: Cynthia Bravo Director of Photography: Ludovica Isidori Production Design: Nick Sheehan Costume Design: Nicole Leitner and Lisa McDaris Makeup and Hair: Michelle Miguel (key), Diahan McCrary and Crystal Lozada Sound Mixer: Jennifer Zang Casting Director: Elaine Nunez Assistant Director: Simone Lourde and Zack Walker #DavidBlak #MarylynChambers

For information on “Tijuana” and the creators’ visit:

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