10 · 14 · 06

“Quinceañera was made for Latinos” Richard Glatzer.

Doris Morales

“Quinceañera was made for Latinos” Richard Glatzer.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, ¨Quinceañera¨ (United States, 2006) opened the Morelia Film Festival’s fourth edition last night at the Teatro Morelos. The showing was attended by part of the cast of the film, which was written and directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer.
In a press conference held before the premiere, actress Emily Ríos, who plays the part of Magdalena, expressed satisfaction with her involvement in the film, which portrays the culture and traditions of Mexicans living in the United States. Ríos said she felt honored to attend the Morelia Film Festival, and warned that the film is unconventional, as it deals with the theme of teenage pregnancy and homosexuality in a Mexican community in California. The themes addressed in the film, she added, are internationally broad and not exclusive to the US.
Richard Glatzer, co-director of the film, said that the idea originated when he moved to Echo Park, a neighborhood in Los Angeles made up almost entirely of Latinos. He and Westmoreland struck up a friendship with their neighbor, who asked them to serve as official photographers for his daughter´s “quince años” (a 15th birthday celebration for Latina girls). They realized that this festivity are more elaborate than their own Jewish celebrations, and thought somebody should make a movie out of this, though they never imagined that it would be them.
They where fascinated by Echo Park and the neighborhood’s mix of races, languages and cultures, so they decided to make this film with the help of their neighbors.
Wash Westmoreland mentioned that they wanted to cast actors that would portray the essence of Echo Park’s inhabitants. They wanted to find local artists, so they placed ads on the internet and searched for Latino actors. Several people answered their add, among them actresses that wanted to play the role of Magdalena and did not look 15, or actresses that were from Beverly Hills didn’t look as if they were from Echo Park. “We got a great cast in the end, we liked working with new talent and being helped by Echo Park’s neighbors. They gave a very interesting texture to the film,¨ he added.
The result is a film combines experienced actors (Carlos González, Jesús Castaño and Jesse García) with first-time actors Emily Ríos and Araceli Guzmán Rico, who was born in Fresno, California and raised in Morelia, Michoacán.
The filmmakers also said that the film is not only aimed at Latin American audiences, but also at the people of Los Angeles and those who are unfamiliar with the quinceañera tradition.
Quinceañera was made with 400 thousand dollars, and has been screened in Italy, France, Turky, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and South Africa, among other countries. Its American premiere was in New York and is now in its tenth week at theaters in Los Angeles. One hundred copies are circulating in L.A. and bringing in a revenue of 1.7 million dollars. The film’s Mexico City premier will be the 3rd of November (with 10 copies); it will also be presented in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Morelia.
Behind the scenes
Emily Ríos (Magdalena) spoke about her experience working in Quinceañera, and how this film has opened the way for other projects: Ríos recently starred in Vicious Circle (directed by Paul Boyd and currently in post –production) and is working on Eric Nazarian’s L.A. River. Carlos González (uncle Tomás), who has been working behind the cameras for a long time and has played several small roles in films, stated that, thanks to Quinceañera, he has gained greater recognition. Jesús Castaño Chima (Magdalena’s dad) said that he was delighted to form part of Quinceañera. Chima worked in theater at the UNAM, prior to immigrating to the US 15 years ago.
Aracely Guzmán Rico stated the following: ¨I’m really happy to be back in Morelia, the city where I grew up. Playing Magdalena’s mom was