Hispanic Gangster Art

Interview: Chris Weitz Discusses How Filmmaking Isn't As Fun As It Used To Be

Knowing that we were going to make this movie without a big American star meant that I was supposed to be a star, and that’s pretty sad. At least it means that I have enough of a body of work that people would be curious as to why I would go ahead and make this next.

Do you think you need a hit to get a studio drama like this off the ground?

No, I don’t think so. I think that people make good movies like this all the time. To make a film like this knowing you don’t have distribution is the tough thing. I can’t really accomplish an independent film. To me, by definition an independent film is made without the presumption that there will be a distribution outlet at the end of it, and that takes real guts. However, people are doing it. Look at last year, for instance. These things do happen. Our industry is big enough to allow it. I do wish there were more of these kinds of films being made, but as long as blockbusters are taking up the oxygen and screens, we just have squirrel our way into the marketplace.

When making a film like this, is there a lot of questioning about commercial possibilities or whether or not there is a big audience out there for films like this?

Well, there’s no point in questioning it. If you’re going to make it, one has to do it; that’s all. I’ll tell you what I do question, which is important, that studios think Hispanics… Well, they know Hispanics go to see more movies than any other demographic category, but they don’t believe they will go to see a movie about themselves. It’s kind of weird. African-American audiences do it. We need to prove the studios wrong in that regard.

We also need to throw down a challenge to Hispanic leaders to rally people to our cause. If this movie does well, there will be more films made on Hispanic subjects with Hispanic stars and Hispanic directors. It’s not for someone Hispanic to make this movie instead of me. It’s an open question now.

When approaching the subject matter, did you see yourself as an outsider? Or did you just consider this to be a universal story with the father-son relationship?

To me, the father-son part is quite understandable, although I haven’t gone through the experience of having an ungrateful teenage son quite yet [Laughs]. I also have a little Latino cred because my grandmother is Mexican and my wife is half-Cuban and half-Mexican-American. I do feel a strong sense of connection. With that said, there was a lot that I had to learn to even get the right to make this movie; I had to start studying Spanish, I had to learn more about the immigration issue and immigration laws, and gang culture in East L.A.. To do that was to surrender the usual director’s attitude of, “I know everything that needs to be done for this movie. I am right and everybody has to do as I say. Nobody can contradict me.

natupare: hispanic gang tattoos

As a side note, you try pursuading people to join up here that don't fit into the demographic most vocal on this forum (i.e. anyone that is not Indian)... Which, incidently, is the group that I know and interact with (i.e. greencard applicants that are not Indian), and try and pursuade them that this group represents them too, when half of the posts say (paraphrasing) "well, its only the indian and chinese group that faces problems". I can guarantee you that this is extremely tricky when you ask people to see beyond the bias on a forum and pony up their cash. It is this very reason, that when I see a thread that could be read negatively by this demographic, I do my best to remind people to be sensitive of this fact. How would you feel if you were being begged to contribute money, and then told that this issue doesn't affect you (which has happened to me)? Every single person on this forum needs to realize that, and I'm NOT talking about the core team, they do a fantastic job and acknowledge every single person's issues regardless of nationality, but does every single poster here?

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