The life of legendary Hollywood actor and internationally renowned artist Pepe Serna is revealed in Pepe Serna: Life Is Art, a one-hour documentary film directed by Luis Reyes will be available for streaming on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu on February 21, 2024. Told by Serna himself, the documentary follows his lengthy acting career and artistic life and provides viewers with a rare opportunity to discover previously unseen and unknown sides of the actor’s journey. 

With over 100 film and television credits, Serna is most recognized for his iconic role opposite Al Pacino in the classic film Scarface as Ángel Fernández, whose grisly demise is one of the most memorable in cinema history. Born in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1944, Serna built a career from the ground up and appeared in films such as Car Wash with Richard Pryor, Postcards from the Edge with Meryl Streep, The Jerk with Steve Martin, and Academy Award-winning director Alexander Payne’s Downsizing with Matt Damon. 

Eva Longoria and Edward James Olmos, both longtime friends of Serna, provide personal insight and perspective on his versatility and longevity as an actor and artist alongside Cheech Marin, Gloria Calderón Kellett, Luis Valdez and many others.

Throughout his journey, he has inspired countless Latino artists to follow in his footsteps by delivering powerful performances for filmmakers such as Brian De Palma, Clint Eastwood, John Schlesinger, Dalton Trumbo, Roger Corman, Henry Hathaway, William Friedkin and Dick Donner. 

Serna’s career is a testament to how far Latinos have come in Hollywood. He has indisputably claimed a reputable place in one of the world’s most competitive industries for his story-telling abilities and unique drive to empower not just Latinos but also other underserved communities. 

His recent memoir “Life is Art” recounts his motivational story from humble beginnings and offers life-changing lessons to overcoming adversity. “Life is Art” is available now for purchase here.

In addition to Hollywood success, Pepe is a visual artist whose paintings have been exhibited in galleries around the world. He also conducts motivational and improvisational workshops in high schools nationwide.

The documentary received awards in 2022 including Best Documentary at the Official Latino Film and Arts Festival, and the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, Audience Award at the San Diego Latino Film Festival, and Festival Prize at the South Texas International Film Festival.

Most recently, Serna can be seen in Eva Longoria’s feature directorial debut Flamin’ Hot and on Amazon’s TV series With Love.

For additional information on Pepe Serna: Life Is Art, please visit: 

Website: https://www.pepeserna.net

Facebook: @https://www.facebook.com/pepesernanews/

Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/pepefied11/

Purchase the book today Here

Cast: Luis Valdez (Playwright, director Zoot Suit, La Bamba), Edward James Olmos (Oscar-nominated actor & director), Eva Longoria (actor, producer & director), Gloria Calderón Kellet (showrunner on “One Day at a Time,” “With Love”), David Ansen (former Newsweek film critic), Cheech Marin (of the comedy duo Cheech and Chong, actor & art collector) and Robert Beltran (actor, Cmdr. Chakotay in Star Trek: Voyager TV series)

Produced By: Kayvon Derak Shanian, David Méndez and Isaac Artenstein 

Executive Produced by: David Damian Figueroa 

Directed By: Luis Reyes

Run Time: 1 hour and 2 minutes

Rating: Not rated

The post ‘Pepe Serna: Life is Art’ Chronicling Actor’s Career in Hollywood To Stream on Digital Platforms first appeared on .

Written by Roberto Leal

The Netflix animated mini-Series Maya and the Three is a colorful, action-packed adventure tale that reminds us of the little-known and rarely shown great mythology of Mesoamerica and the ancient civilizations from which they came. Thanks to Maya and the Three the mythology of Mesoamerica will take its place alongside those of Greece, Rome, Asia and England.

THE QUEST

All great myth stories involve the hero embarking on a journey in a quest for something that will bring change or resolution to a problem. It can be a Golden Fleece, a Holy Grail or a sword embrued with magical powers. It often means the hero has to cross a threshold into a different world or realm.

Maya, the Princess of Teca, balks at becoming a mere royal diplomat. She wants to become a warrior and seek out and destroy the evil god of the underworld who threatens the existence of all humanity.  Zoe Saldana (Avatar) is the perfect voice-over actor to portray Maya. Beginning with her role in Avatar and other action-adventure films, the actress is the live-action embodiment of a warrior princess. But in Maya and the Three, Saldana uses only her voice acting skills to project a sense of physicality and urgency to Maya. The temptation is to go over the top and turn Maya into a one-dimensional, strident character. But Saldana controls and modulates her vocal performance and gives Maya nuanced emotional notes especially when she makes mistakes and wrestles with regrets and doubts. Saldana makes Maya a hero the audience can emphasize and cheer on to victory.

However, in order to achieve that victory over the evil god of the underworld, Maya recruits three legendary fighters to help her in her cause. Rico (Allen Maldonado, Heels), Pichu (Gabriel Iglesias, Fieldhand) and Chimi (Stephanie Beatriz, Brooklyn Nine Nine) join Maya on her quest. All three are fearless fighters. All three are flawed and bring their own personal baggage to the journey. Not only do they fight the evil god of the underworld but also battle their personal demons.

A TRIUMPH OF ANIMATION

Jorge R. Gutiérrez is the artistic and creative genius behind the visual landscape of the fantasy world of Maya and the Three. Gutiérrez’s deft drawing hand is responsible for the animation in The Book of Life, El Tigre, The Adventures of Manny Rivera, Space Punch plus many other Latino-themed animated shorts and TV series.

But Maya and the Three is by far his most ambitious undertaking to date. “I love those great Hong Kong martial arts movies,” says Gutérrez. “I was inspired by the choreography of those martial arts fight sequences.” Gutierrez points out all the time, effort and detail that went into choreographing the fight senses in Maya and the Three. “Every episode ends with a totally different fight sequence,” declares Guitérrez with a hint of pride. He goes on to effusively discuss what inspires his approach to animation.

“The animation style in Maya and the Three is very much a love letter to everything I love,” says Guitérrez. “I love Japanese animation. I love the classic American rubber hose animation of the ’30s.” Gutiérrez continues, “I also love super-flat, super-stylized European animation from the ‘50s.” And finally, Gutiérrez concludes with, “I love stop motion. I also love imperfect folk art because it reflects the humanity of the artist.”

That’s a whole lot of loving for one animator. Regardless, Gutiérrez uses colors from all those influential palettes and creates an animated fantasy world that reflects not only his humanity but that of his characters as well.

MEXICO IN THE MIST

The classic Mesoamerican civilizations of the Olmecs, Toltecs, Mayans and Aztecs are the inspiration and backdrop for the fantasy landscape of Maya and the Three. In every episode, we see the temples and pyramids that were found in Teotihuacán, Chichen Itza and Cholula that equaled anything built in Egypt. The names are slightly changed. For example, Maya is the Princess of Teca. Teca? Could that be shorthand for Toltec? One of Maya’s legendary fighters is named Pichu, which is a nod to the city of Machu Pichu of the majestic Inca Empire. And of course, there’s our hero, Maya, her name refers to the Mayans who built enormous cities in the jumble, developed a lunar calendar and invented the mathematical concept of “zero.”

The characters can often be heard speaking words or phrases in Spanish. But wait! ¡Uno memento, por favor! This fantasy story is set in an epoch long before the Spanish Conquest. So where did these folks learn Spanish? Was thee some ancient Berlitz course we are not aware of?

No, Gutiérrez is just taking a little historical poetic license to impress on us Maya and the Three is about the past cultural glories and legacy of Mexico that, as proud Latinos, is our treasured heritage.

AN ALL-STAR CAST OF VOICES

The list of actors who lent their voices to Maya and the Three reads like a Who’s Who of Latino Hollywood: Kate del Castillo, Cheech Marin, Rita Moreno, Rosie Perez, Sandra Equihua, Jorge R. Gutiérrez, Alfred Molina. Even Queen Latifah gets in on the fun. But it’s the strength, power and humanity of Saldana’s voiceover as Maya, Warrior Princess, that draws us through episode after episode on this action-packed adventure fantasy ride to its thrilling conclusion.

Maya and the Three is currently streaming on Netflix.

MAYA AND THE THREE

Cast: Zoe Saldana, Allen Maldonnado, Stephanie Beatriz,Gabriel Iglesias, Jorge R. Gutiérrez, Diego Luna, Dee Bradley Baker, Sandra Equihua, Grey Griffin, Alfred Molina, Carlos Alazraqui, Eric Bauza, Stephanie Beatriz, Kate del Castillo, Rita Moreno, Queen Latifah, Jeff Ranjo, Cheech Marin, Gabriel Iglesias, Joaquín Cosío, Hailey Hermida, John DiMaggio, Isabela Merced, Carolina Ravassa, Gael García Bernal, Chelsea Rendon, Wyclef Jean, Danny Trejo, Rosie Perez and Raphael Alejandro. Additional voices: Alanna Ubach and Andy Santana.

The post Zoe Saldana Rules as a Warrior Princess in ‘Maya and the Three’ first appeared on .

Co-hosted by the iconic Cheech Marin and Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernandez of La Santa Cecilia, OndaLive! will feature over seven hours of free exclusive programming including primetime musical tributes to renowned Chicano artists and groups including Tierra (48 years); Los Lobos (47 years); Ozomatli (25 years) and Little Joe with his 80^th birthday celebration hosted by comedy pioneer Paul Rodriguez.

The event will also feature uniquely produced themed segments of Chicano lifestyle and cultural time capsules, musical mash-ups, TV/movie cast reunions and screenings, fan sessions, community advocacy panels and live concerts with artist revealing vignettes, all amplifying the Hispanic narrative.

“Sharing ‘La Onda’ or the ‘Chicano vibe’ with nearly 37 million Mexican-Americans in the U.S. is at the heart of our programming,” said David Chavez, INGENUITY CEO and OndaLive! Creator. “We are going to celebrate and spotlight trailblazing Chicano talent with inspiring content and showcasing their historic contributions and milestones for audiences of all ages.”

Music, Culture and Festival Highlights Include:

Loud Mouth Comedy Roadshow – a mix of comedy performances with lowrider car stories and hip taco & fajita joints.

Dia De Los Muertos Night Parade –  the Mexican holiday comes alive with a procession of papier-mâché Catrinas (elegantly dressed skeletons), by Artist Ricardo Soltero, fused with the ultimate rock mariachi experience of Charros de Rock.

Song for Cesar, the Movement and the Music Fan Session – Session and screening of the 2021 documentary that chronicles the great historical movement initiated and led by Mexican-American Cesar Chavez, humanitarian, civil rights activist, and labor leader.

50^thAnniversary of Chicano Park – video tribute to San Diego, California’s Chicano Park, designated in 2017 as a National Historic Landmark, and home to the largest concentration of Chicano murals in the world.

“OndaLive! was born in the spirit of uplifting our Latino community nationwide during these unprecedented times,” said Yvette Peña, AARP Vice President, Multicultural Leadership. “AARP is committed to continuing to be a source of support and empowerment for Latinos 50+ and their loved ones. We are excited to see this virtual music and culture fest come to life and bring some levity and enjoyment to people’s lives.”

OndaLive! Chicano Music + Culture Festis sponsored by AARP, the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older. 

For Fest updates stay connected by following official OndaLive! social media channels (@laOndaLive on twitter and Instagram, LaOnda Live on Facebook and YouTube).

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