By Elia Esparza
Hóllyweird is a low-budget film with biting satire that boldly makes the statement about Hollywood’s lack of inclusion. In spite of its allegory that they are doing everything possible to be more inclusive, Hollywood still falls short and Hóllyweird calls foul in this slow burn comedy.
When West Virginia native Edwin Porres Jr. came to Los Angeles, it was with the intent to study screenwriting, acting and producing and he did just that by honing his craft at both USC and LACC. Born in Guatemala, and raised in the United States, there was never a doubt that he would be a filmmaker writing, producing and directing his own films. Like most Latinos, he was tired of the stereotypical Latino roles being depicted on television or film and his aim was to do something about it.
He had a script he was writing when he met his wife, Jaime Marie Porres, a native Californian who grew up in Glendale surrounded by many friends from all different cultures and backgrounds. They both shared a love of storytelling and art but were baffled as to why these cultures were not reflected in the movies they watched. With that in mind, the husband-and-wife team polished the script for Hóllyweird.
Edwin had read all the reports about Latinos being 24% of frequent movie-goers seeing at least one movie a month (MPAA, 2018), that in spite of their consumerism Latinos actors only represent 3% of all the leads or co-leads in Hollywood and 5.2% in films. He decided that he would bring attention to this lack of Latino involvement and at the same time poke fun at Hollywood’s “inclusive” casting practices.
In Hóllyweird Steven Fernandez (Douglas Spain) is a struggling actor who dreams of landing the lead role as the undercover cop Basco in an upcoming indie film. He is sure he is perfect for the role and goes to his agent to ask her to land him an audition. But when his agent says no because he just does not look “Latino” enough, Fernandez is more adamant to somehow get an audition and land the role of his dreams, at any cost.
Alejandro Costello (Michael J. Knowles), on the other hand is a good looking, slick, Rico-suave type, who has never had to work a day to attain whatever he wants. He lands in Hollywood and is “discovered” as the perfect Latino to play the role of Basco in his movie. He’s got the right flashy shirt, the swagger and the Latino accent.
When Steven and Alejandro’s paths finally cross and realize they are both involved in wanting to do, or are doing the role, they each will learn the true meaning of “reality is a bitch.”
LH: Tell us about filmmaking experience and education?
Edwin Porres: I started college at Xavier University in Cincinnati. I caught the film bug and moved to California, where I graduated from USC as a psychology major. I then went to Los Angeles City College and Santa Monica College where I studied film and post-production. I previously made seven shorts, and Hóllyweird is my first feature.
Latin Heat: How were you able to secure the funding needed?
EP: My wife and I financed most of the movie by taking out a loan against our condo and using our savings, investments, and credit cards. We got a little money from our family but the majority is self-financed.
LH: How long were you in production (pre, shoot, post)?
EP: Pre-production was the summer of 2016. My wife is a teacher so we took advantage of her summer vacation to do casting, location scouting, etc. Production was 21 days and one day for re-shooting in October and November of 2016. The post-production was 2.5 years. Due to our limited budget, most of the people we hired for post had other jobs and projects, so ours usually took a back seat and everything took longer than expected. Plus there were many challenges and snags along the way. Oh, and we had two babies during post-production.
LH: What was the hardest part of making the film?
EP: Doing whatever was necessary to make the film the best it could possibly be with extremely limited resources. I had to be a jack-of-all-trades, had to teach myself all kinds of new skills and technical things just to get everything done. With post-production, I was watching our daughter during the day while my wife worked. When she came home and whenever she had a day off, when I wasn’t working on my own part-time job, I was working on Hóllyweird.
LH: From the genesis of the idea for the film to the actual release, how long was it?
EP: The first iteration of the idea was a short I made called, Robbing De Role, but it has changed significantly from that initial idea. Over the years, I worked on it here and there, adding ideas, changing it around. I finally started seriously writing the script seven years ago, and when I met my wife, we reworked it and finalized it.
LH: How hard was it to get the streaming distribution deals?
EP: It was a matter of our distributor, Patrick DiCesare from Artist Rights Distribution, pitching the film to various platforms and waiting to see if we were accepted or not. And we got accepted to some really great platforms, like Ubiquity, InDemand, DirecTV, Roku, Vudu, and we will be coming to others in the near future.
LH: What do you want audiences to take away from Hollyweird In your opinion, what is the situation for Latino talent and creatives in Hollywood?
EP: I want the film to be seen and enjoyed by as many people as possible to get them to think about Latino inequality in Hollywood and beyond. I would like to inform people who aren’t aware of the lack of Latino inclusivity in the diversity movements that have been going on and do it with satire.
It’s ridiculous how little opportunities Latinos are given to be behind the camera, how little we are seen on screen in roles that aren’t stereotypes. Latinos make up over 18% of the population of the U.S. I think now there is a movement where more talent and creatives are demanding changes as we have often in the past been left out of the push for more diversity.
LH: Do you have other projects in the pipeline?
EP: My wife and I are currently shooting an experimental feature about a family in Covid lockdown. We also have a horror movie script we are writing that is set in Guatemala and has immigration issues as a backdrop.
LH: Advice to upcoming filmmakers?
EP: Be prepared for your film to become your life. To do it right, it will be all-consuming and will take over your days and nights, take all of your time, your sleep, your money. Choose your film wisely. Make sure you really believe in the project you are working on; it’s easier if it’s a project that you enjoy being with.
The cast and crew of Hóllyweird are:
Writers: Edwin Porres, Jaime Marie Porres
Director: Edwin Porres
Producers: Edwin Porres, Jaime Marie Porres, Mauricio Arrioja
Cinematographer: Eduardo Barraza
Cast: Douglas Spain, Michael J. Knowles, Alex Vaughan, Bill Posley, Kris Campa, Numa Perrier, Roger Rignack, Bo Youngblood, Seth Daniel, Daniel Lujan,
Hóllyweird is available on: Amazon Instant Video, DirecTV, iTunes, Comcast xfinity, Chapter Spectrum, u-Verse, redbox. Verizon Fios, Fandango Now, ExTeam, Youtube, Tubi,