INDIE FILMMAKER SERIES
By Ana Perez
The 2016 presidential election shook the nation — if not the world. Former New York Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and real estate mogul and former reality TV star Donald Trump were the nominees for the two major political parties. Donald Trump went on to become the 45th president of the US, amid claims of voter fraud. What would have happened if an assassin had been added to the mix?
Filmmaker Felix Igori Ramos explores just this scenario (minus the 2016 candidates) in his new and first feature film In the Defense Against Tyranny.
A political drama that deals with the fictitious presidential election of Edward Ashe (Rick Ravanello) and Meredith Grace. The plot centers around Frank Suarez played by Randy Vasquez (Will & Grace, SWAT, Bosch, Shameless), the TV host of the political talk show The Patriot, who secures an interview with Edward Ashe just days before the election.
Frank’s personal life is in shambles with the loss of his wife, and the estrangement of his daughter. His daughter’s support for Ashe’s opponent puts Frank in a tough spot, believing that he could earn back her trust if he denounces his journalistic integrity and attack’s Ashe in their upcoming interview. Knowing that the interview could potentially influence the election, Frank now has to choose between balancing his own personal vindication, while maintaining professional integrity.
In the midst of all this, Suarez’s patriotism is tested when he is approached to poison the polarizing candidate for the sake of democracy.
“It’s a political film that begs the question ‘if one of the presidential candidates was seen as a threat to democracy, which is a way of life here in America, would an assassin possibly rise and stop him before he even becomes the most powerful man on the planet?’” Ramos explained.
Although Ramos has made over a half dozen short films, In the Defense Against Tyranny is his first feature film, making his childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker come true.
After sneaking into Spike Lee’s 1989 critically acclaimed film Do the Right Thing at 11 years old, Ramos knew that he wanted to make films.
“I sat in the theater, I watched Do the Right Thing and I don’t remember breathing. I was so blown away by it,” Ramos recounted. “On my way home I just knew, I wanted to do what he did. I wanted to blow someone’s mind away the way he just did to me.”
Ramos didn’t go into the film industry right away. He eventually met Lee during a lecture at the University of Southern California and enrolled into film school after speaking with him. Ramos has been betting on himself since then.
He and his wife financed the film themselves to get the project off the ground. The film took just under two weeks two produce and has a predominantly Latino cast.
“That’s one of the things I truly respect about Spike Lee is that he always talked about having black faces in front of the camera and black faces behind the camera,” Ramos said. “So I felt the same way. I want brown faces in front of the camera and brown faces behind the camera, because if we just sit and wait for white folks to give us that opportunity we’ll be waiting a long time, if ever.”
“This movie is about the people, we the people, and how much of a responsibility we have to preserve our protection, our way of life,” Ramos said. “It can be taken by either side or both sides.”
In the Defense Against Tyranny released on October 19 and is available on Amazon. The film will also be shown at the Orange County Latino Film Festival, Studio City International Film Festival and the Silicon Beach Film Festival.
“I hope people walk away feeling empowered and motivated to take back their country,” Ramos said.