Elia Esparza

LatinHeat recently caught up with award-winning actor/filmmaker/director, Kevin Alejandro (Lucifer, Arrow) and his filmmaker/photographer/activist wife Leslie de Jesus Alejandro on capturing the plight of a young couple with a newborn baby trying to escape for a fun night out. 

Alejandro’s film tells the story of a young couple yearning for a date night just like the ones they used to have pre-baby. The comedy Adult Night stars Kevin Alejandro and actress Leslie-Ann Brandt (Lucifer,  Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena), where a married couple with a newborn experiment at an adult play date. As the evening takes an unexpected turn, the couple finally opens up about their relationship and the needs they are missing while comically trying to escape the situation they’ve gotten themselves into. 

Adult Night screened as part of  the 2020 NALIP Latino Media Fest this past October to rave reviews, an audience pleaser, especially with young parents. The film won Mammoth Film Festival’s Audience Award and three prizes at the Rincon International Film Festival—winner of best comedy, best comedy actor and best comedy actress.

Adult Night has also played at the HollyShorts Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian-Pacific Film Festival, Soho International Festival, and LA Brazil International Film Festival.

Latin Heat interviewed Los Alejandros recently to talk about their adventures in making their short film.

LatinHeat: When was it filmed—pre, during or after the pandemic? 

Kevin Alejandro: It was definitely pre-pandemic, but the film concept lived within us for probably two years or a year and a half before we actually had this time to shoot. All the elements had to be right and it was originally written for Leslie Ann Brandt and me to shoot in Vancouver, a couple of years ago when our show Lucifer was there but we didn’t have time to do it. And then they moved the show to L.A. and that’s when Leslie and I were sitting around one night really trying to find out about a project that we could co-direct when we remembered that this idea still existed. So together we worked out the script with one of our producers to what you guys see now… we put together a schedule and made it happen. 

Leslie Alejandro: This actually happened last year a little bit towards the end of summer when we filmed it. Of course, it was during a break that Leslie-Ann Brandt and Kevin had because the show was wrapped for that season and, to be honest, this is also filmed under the pretense that season five was supposed to be the last season for Lucifer. But they picked it up for another season, so what they wanted to explore as actors was the potential to go outside of what they have been portraying for the last five seasons on Lucifer. So when we workshopped the script with our co-producer Todd Sandler, we were able to really pull not only from our own experience but our experience as parents and Leslie Ann’s experience as parents as well. But to give it a more cinematic feel, the writer originally had written it for a writing class that he was taking and wrote it more like a 30-minute, half-hour comedy kind of style.  But he wanted to give it a little bit more air and make it feel a little bit more cinematic… give it a more heightened circumstance and situation and that’s what Adult Night turned into.

KA: It was a pretty cool process because it was the first of many… it was the first time that Leslie, Alejandro, and I directed as Los Alejandros, it was the first time that Leslie-Ann Brandt and I were able to do something outside of Lucifer together. It was the first time that Derrick Ray, our writer had something actually produced, got it done, in the can, and won festival awards. It was the first time for us to collaborate with another production company which was Paul Sandler’s Wompus Print and, you know, it was just a really great perfect alignment of elements that created a first time for a lot of us, that made it seem like we had been working together forever.

LH: Describe the film’s plot. I understand it is based on your own experiences as first-time parents? 

LA: The plot is about a couple that is trying to bring sparks in their life and, in the process, ended up getting stuck at a swinger party and are trying to figure out how to get out. The writer had written it, inspired by a situation he’d gotten himself into with an ex-girlfriend. It wasn’t an exact story but definitely inspired by it. And for us, we were really able to lean into that concept because Kevin and I before we had our kid, were a bit of a party couple and trying to figure out how to still figure out how to live young and youthful, but also be responsible adults because now we were responsible for another human life—those kinds of human qualities that a lot of people can relate to regardless if they’ve never been stuck in a swinger’s party. 

KA: Leslie and I have been together for 17 years and within those years, we’ve experienced a lot of things in our relationship and most important is our communication that she and I come first… our relationship first. And, when you put that sort of emphasis on the way things will be… we always put our love for our child, (it) will always be inevitable. The work and the focus will always have to be on us. With the emphasis on this, we’re constantly always trying to find ways to communicate better to accommodate the many changes we go through in our lives, with the center point always being on our child and to keep ourselves first. 

LA: And, this is the theme we hung on to throughout the whole film. 

LH: Is this the first time that you both co-direct a film under your production company banner? 

LA: Yes, we co-directed under the Alejandro Films banner. 

KA: Alejandro Films has produced other short films and other music videos, but this is the first time both Alexandros had directed under that title for our production company. And, it won’t be the last.

LH: What else are you working on?

KA: We’re actually developing several projects, in all different types of genres and various formats right now. 

LA: We’re jumping into more features, series, documentaries. We have limited docuseries, limited series scripted, and a couple of features in the works. Alejandro Films is pretty new, launching in July 2019, when my sister Dani De Jesus, who was living in Maui [Hawaii] for 12 years, came back.

KA: That’s when we started Alejandro Films but, in the past, as a family, the Alexandros have always done stuff together prior to that. 

LA: When my sister Dani moved back, we asked her if she wanted to start this company with us and that’s pretty much when we started. My sister has a lot experience having been the head of development for a TV producer prior to moving to Maui. She was with him for 10 years and brought her wealth of experience to the company. We put our nose to the grind and heads together to get things up and running. Of course, there was a little low as there was with everybody when we were hit with the quarantine and Covid-19. But in the last couple of months, we’ve been kind of pushing forward again. 

LH: Adult Night is your sixth film under Alejandro Films. Is this your first comedy? How does Adult Night figure in within all the films that you have made? 

LA:  This is not our first comedy. Kevin and I had directed another film called Bedtime Stories, that was out a couple of years ago.

KA: It did really well at film festivals.

LA: It was a slow pace comedy, but Adult Night is the first one of that heighten situational comedy, a little bit more raunchy humor. There’s always been a little bit of comedy but that’s so strange because the type of films that we love are a little bit more dramatic, psychological thrillers, and horrors, and that kind of works in the direction that we’re heading to with the stuff that we’re doing on the bigger projects. But looking back at the stuff we’ve done so far, we have a lot of the comedy elements, even if some are more dark comedy, comedy horrors, always with a little bit of twist.

KA: We’re also open to all kinds of genres and as a production company, as a family, to grow together and figure out our strengths as we go. We believe our strong suit is in the horror, psychological style, but it’s important for us to jump into everything if the story speaks to us. It doesn’t matter the genre so long as the story is there and it’s something we can relate to; we won’t shy away from it… We’re heading with our bigger projects right now. 

LA: And to be honest, all transparency in all the short films that we’ve done, including Adult Night, were definitely not necessarily experimental, but were made to get more experience and in challenging ourselves where we want to go and what we want to do. Although we’re proud of what we have done and accomplished with our films, I don’t think they are necessarily a representation of what we are going to do especially since I think everybody’s goal in life, especially when it comes to creating, is to do bigger and better. We’re proud of what we’ve done but we’re excited to see where we’re going. 

LH: Anything else you’d like to add for Adult Night?

KA: We’re also working on an Adult Night series, separate from (the) short film… this sort of serendipitously came about as we were shooting. 

LH: Any other feature prospects for Los Alejandro’s?

LA: We’re in development, lots in the pot brewing, stay tuned. 

Sounds like a lot of good things are coming to Los Alejandros. And, by the way, Alejandro Films shared that they are interested in making films that circle around their heritage—multi-cultural universal stories that will resonate with all audiences—brought to you by Kevin Alejandro who is Mexican-American and Leslie Alejandro along with her sister Dani, who are Pilipino. 

They also mentioned how the Covid-19 pandemic really hurt after it brought Hollywood to a complete halt, suspending all productions. But they recently started again at Warner Bros. continuing with Lucifer, following the strict Covid production requirements. 

Adult Night has earned prizes in the festival circuit: at the Mammoth Film Festival, winner of Audience Award; and at the Rincon International Film Festival, winner of best comedy, best comedy actor and best comedy actress.

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Due to overwhelming demand, Hola Mexico Virtual Theatre will continue with online screenings, providing cinephiles the opportunity to watch the best in Mexican cinema while staying safe at home.

Los Angeles –The Hola Mexico Virtual Theatre presented by the Hola Mexico Film Festival series has been extended due to the online series’ popularity. The festival wants to continue giving viewers the chance to see some of the best films that have come out of Mexico in recent years and serve as a reminder of how much Mexican cinema has grown in the past two decades. The films have been specially curated for this online theater event experience. 

As a result of the COVID-19 health crisis, organizers of the Hola Mexico Film Festival are practicing safe social-distancing by offering this virtual theater experience before the 12^th edition of Hola Mexico Film Festival, which has been postponed until September 2020. 

The traditional Hola Mexico Film Festival 2020 has not been canceled, and the festival’s organizers hope to help keep piers safe at home during this time of required social distancing. In the meantime, enjoy the Hola Mexico Virtual Theatre!

In support of the African American Community, Hola Mexico Virtual Theatre will offer the film of La Negrada (Black Mexicans) from Thursday to Sunday. Tickets are $2.99 and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Shot entirely in small towns throughout Oaxaca’s gorgeous Costa Chica, La Negrada is the first Mexican fiction film to portray the country’s long-neglected black population.

“We’re very pleased with the results of the past few weeks, so we are continuing with our virtual theatre! We have four new acclaimed films for this week, and we hope to continue in the weeks to come. Continue checking our social media accounts for updates,” says Samuel Douek, Founder & Director of the Hola Mexico Film Festival.s, Founder & Director of the Hola Mexico Film Festival.

Upcoming virtual screenings include:
June 4 – 7, La Negrada
June 11, Vuelve a la vida — Dir. Carlos Hagerman
June 12, Heli — Dir. Amat Escalante
June 13, Paraíso – Dir. Mariana Chenillo
June 14, Abel – Dir. Diego Luna

Each one of the curated films will play for only twenty-four hours and will include a pre-recorded Q&A session.

The price of “tickets,” aka the cost to screen each film, is only $4.99 and the proceeds of each “ticket” will be shared with the filmmaker. Support the festival, support the filmmaker!

Tickets for screenings of the Hola Mexico Virtual Theatre are available: CLICK HERE

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In 2018, award-winning artist, activist and educator Dan Guerrero announced that his critically-acclaimed stage show ¡Gaytino! Made in America would be brought to the big screen through the use of a multi-camera shoot planned for the end of the same year. Fast forward one year and Guerrero is busy traveling through the United States with the long-awaited film version of the story-telling piece of documentary shot before a live audience. 

Dan Guerrero wrote ¡Gaytino! Made in America in honor of his father’s life and legacy of his boyhood friend the late visual artist Carlos Almaraz. These two men played an influential role in shaping Dan’s unique life and helped him create an extraordinary single man show. But it wasn’t until Guerrero decided to share his experience about living with dual identities as a gay man and a Latino, that ¡Gaytino! Made in America was born. 

“I have long wanted to bring ¡Gaytino! Made in America to a wider audience through film festival screenings, broadcast, and online platforms,” says Guerrero.  “And, time is of the essence! I’m not getting any younger! So many Gaymigos wanted to support my dream, they talked me into the world of crowdfunding. It kicked off big time just last week and I’m very appreciative of the response.”

¡Gaytino! Made in America is directed by Linda Mendoza whose directing credits for TV are impressive (Blackish, Grownish, Brooklyn 99). Linda Morel is Executive Producer along with Guerrero.

This year, ¡Gaytino! Made in America has been featured at film festivals around the country including the Long Beach QFilm Festival, Fresno Reel Pride LGBTQ Film Festival, and the Cinema Diverse Palm Springs LGBTQ+ Film Festival receiving rave reviews from film critics.

The OC Film Fiesta 2019 has dubbed Guerrero’s film as a “comedic tour de force” that chronicles his life from Mariachi to Merman, and from Sondheim to Cesar Chavez. “Guerrero deftly brings two worlds together in story and song. Touching, provocative and hilarious, the film of Guerrero’s acclaimed autobiographical play travels through decades of Mexican-American history and the gay experience from a unique and personal POV that jets from East LA in the 1950s to the cosmopolitan theatre world of N.Y.’s Manhattan in the 1970s and ‘80s.”

In a recent interview, Guerrero noted the causes he champions, “I focus on the Latino/Chicano and the LGBTQ struggle especially in the current political climate where too many are chipping away at our hard-won victories. Forces that feel threatened as we have become stronger and more vocal. Forces that want to return to a time when people of color were kept in their place and the LGBTQ community kept in the shadows.”

“A lovable wit. A delightful emcee of his own journey. Infectious lunacy”

— L.A. Times

The film is accompanied by a study guide that explores both Mexican-American/Chicano and gay culture and history from Guerrero’s adolescence in 1950s East L.A., to the New York theatre scene of the 60s and 70s and back to his California roots where he became involved in the struggle for social justice in both the Latino and LGBTQ communities. The film and study guides will also be available to university and college libraries for study and archival purposes.

Upcoming Screenings:

Sept. 27, 2019 at 3:30 PM – Cinema Diverse Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival at The Pickford in Cathedral City that sits on Avenida Lalo Guerrero.

Oct. 5, 2019 – Seattle Latino Film Festival – at the new Chicano Museum

Oct. 12, 2019 at 8:00 PM – Film Fest Tucson screening at the Scottish Rite Blue Room

Also, the film will become part of The Dan Guerrero Collection on Latino Entertainment and the Arts which has been established in the California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) and in The Dan Guerrero Research Collection housed at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center that includes his oral history recorded for their LGBT and Mujeres Initiative project.  Guerrero has twice taught the course Gaytino: Performance and the Power of One at UCLA and was nominated and served as UC Regents’ Lecturer jointly at its Chicano and LGBTQ departments.

Guerrero began his career in New York as a twenty-year-old musical theatre performer. He left Broadway as a performer and moved on to a successful career as a Broadway theatrical agent representing Tony Award winners and future Hollywood stars in the years from A Chorus Line to Cats.

The eclectic artist also produced an award-winning documentary about his late father, Chicano music legend Lalo Guerrero that aired nationally on PBS stations and included a DVD/CD release. Lalo Guerrero: The Original Chicano continues to screen at Film Festivals in the U.S., Mexico and Latin America.

For more information about Dan Guerrero, visit www.gaytino.com.

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