Criollo✩wood
I moved back to Puerto Rico this year. The decision was simple. Before I explain why it was simple, let me share my journey. In December 2008, I moved to Los Angeles to live the Hollywood dream. I was going to do movies. Those first couple of years, I produced (in different capacities) three feature films; Fast Lane (which is now known as Jackers), Lean Like a Cholo and Pendejo. After the first two films, I decided to start my own production company and Kachi Films was born in Puerto Rico.
The Hollywood scene is rough. It is different for producers than actors, still difficult to crack none-the-less. It is tough to break in as an outsider. Making matters harder, Latinos are underrepresented. When Latinos are hired, Puerto Ricans take a back seat. Thus, making it nearly impossible for Boricuas to work in front of the camera. USC conducted a recent study released in November 2015, by the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism where they examined 500 top-grossing films released in the US from 2007-2012. They found that 10.8 percent of speaking characters were black, 4.2 percent Latino, 5 percent Asian, 3.6 percent other ethnicities, and 76.3 percent of all speaking characters are white.
What is interesting is that those numbers are inconsistent with the box office ticket sales. A total of 44 percent of the ticket sales for watching films was purchased by non-whites, which means whites purchased 56 percent. According to the study, that breakdown goes as follows; 26 percent of tickets were sold to Latinos, 11 percent to blacks, and 7 percent to other ethnicities. Two facts can be deduced from these numbers: 1. Whites are overrepresented when it comes to being cast in speaking character roles, and 2. Latinos are grossly under-represented when it comes to being cast for speaking character roles.
It is appalling and unacceptable that whites get 76.3 percent of all speaking character roles in films, while only contributing to 56 percent of the box office. I do not have to exaggerate which types of roles whites get either. It is usually the meatier, juicier roles. For Latinos to get a measly 4.2 percent of all speaking character roles, while purchasing 26 percent of ticket sales is pathetic! And I definitely do not have to exaggerate which types of roles Latinos get when cast. They will serve as the thieves, rapists, drug dealers, addicts, womanizers, prostitutes, maids, etc. Latinos are never good enough to be doctors, lawyers, bankers, accountants, surgeons, supervisors, or any leading role for that matter. Latinos are not good enough to be heroes either.
That is how Ben Affleck gets to be cast as a Mexican CIA agent who goes on a mission to rescue Americans held hostage in the Middle East in the film, Argo. Forget about the little detail that Argo is a real-life story about a Mexican agent named Mendez! You see, Latinos are not good enough to even be cast in films about real-life Latinos. That lunacy is disrespectful.
I would like to add that even with Latino roles being so scarce in Hollywood, Puerto Ricans are an even smaller minority within the Latino bracket. So most roles go to Mexican actors because they are the biggest Latino group. So I decided to come back home to write, direct and produce my own films. First stop, Chicago. I was born and raised in the Windy City. However, I spent part of my early childhood and teen years in Puerto Rico.
The first film I did with Kachi is Scalene, which was filmed on location in Richmond, Indiana. I filmed Motel 666, What Was I Thinking, Ashley's Omen and DŌW in Chicago. In Puerto Rico, I filmed Mi Princesa, Demon in the Creek and Deceived.
My purpose in moving to Puerto Rico is to create our own Hollywood on the island. A Criollowood, if you will. Our best talent is leaving Puerto Rico for Los Angeles in hopes of making it. Most of them are crushed by the wicked and sad realities of Hollywood. I want to create an atmosphere where our best talent chooses to stay and develop their talent. It starts with collaboration from top to bottom. Filmmakers, storytellers, writers, directors, producers, actors and crew - in conjunction with government bodies, must all be on the same page.
There won't be a need for our best talent to leave the island. The quality of work goes up. We can impact, not only the big screen, but also television. Puerto Rico needs an adrenaline shot in the arm! The future is now. We are the future. However, we cannot do it alone. Without the support from the community, our efforts will fail. We will do our part and provide the public with quality work. The community must respond by supporting our art. Thus, we can finally get away from the type of product that has dominated for almost a century.
This is a call to everyone with a Hollywood dream. I came back home. Those who have left can come back too. Let's give them a reason to come back and those here a reason to stay. Join me in creating our own Criollo Hollywood so that our best talent stays home and together we can create great work!
