Thirty years ago, Hollywood Pictures quietly released the film Blood In Blood Out, directed by Academy Award-winning director Taylor Hackford, as an ode to the Chicano barrio in 1993. The making of this cult film, loved by fans worldwide, is the topic of a new book by the same name, Blood In Blood Out, commemorating the film’s 30th anniversary with a book launch at Cal State LA University in Los Angeles. The all-day event will culminate with a screening of the film, and Enrique Castillo’s character, Montana, often described as the conscience of the film, will live to see another day on screen.
 

 
Carlos Aguilar wrote in an LA Times article earlier this year, “Akin to ‘The Godfather’ in its scope and themes, Blood In Blood Out, which turned 30 this year, stumbled at the box office but was saved from obscurity by fervent Latino audiences, who reclaimed it as a cornerstone of their representation in cinema.”
 
In the ensuing thirty years since its release, the film has only grown in popularity, amassing millions of fans nationally and internationally. The fans, who have grown up watching it on DVD or online, and passing on the tradition to their kids, have kept the film very much alive for thirty years. Blood In Blood Out has become a cult film akin to The Rocky Horror Show in that fans memorize the words to the film and recite their favorite character’s lines.
 
“The enduring legacy of Blood In Blood Out is a tribute to everyone involved in making it happen,” said Castillo.  “I consider myself fortunate to have been a part of it.”
 
Members of the all-star cast will be in attendance to celebrate the book launch and attend the screening, which will be the first time since the film’s release it has been shown on a big screen. Over 15 original cast members, including Benjamin Bratt, Jesse Borrego, Danny Trejo, and Castillo, will be in attendance at the festivities.  Tickets for the screening sold out within 24 hours.
 
Castillo’s role in Blood In Blood Out has not only etched a permanent mark in the realm of classic L.A. cinema but also garnered him a devoted following both in the US and as far as Holland and Nigeria. His portrayal of Montana is often likened to iconic characters in cinematic history, showcasing the depths and nuances of the Chicano experience. In Vincent Canby’s review of the film in The New York Times, he exalts some of the characters in the film, particularly Castillo’s performance of Montana.
 
The release of this book will now serve as a testament to the film’s lasting legacy. The screening will serve as the film’s premiere which it never had due to Hollywood Pictures scaling back on the release in 1993 due the climate of civic unrest at the time. 
 
The limited-edition book is published by Hat & Beard Press and co-authored by Academy Award-winning director Taylor Hackford (Ray, The Devil’s Advocate), screenwriter Jimmy Santiago Baca, on-set photographer Merrick Morton, and the late Chicano artist Adan Hernandez.  It chronicles their deeply personal journey to bring Blood In Blood Out to the screen. It features a foreword by groundbreaking Chicano writer/director Luis Valdez (La Bamba, Zoot Suit) and includes insights from Hackford, Baca’s powerful new poems inspired by the film, and a wealth of behind-the-scenes content. The presence of Castillo at the event adds a layer of authenticity and connection to the film’s legacy, especially for those inspired by his portrayal of Montana.
 
This anniversary event, alongside the book release, serves not only as a celebration of a film that resonated strongly with Latino audiences but also as a homage to actors like Enrique Castillo, whose performances have left an indelible impact on viewers and the cinematic landscape. The overwhelming response to the event, with 2,000 tickets claimed within 24 hours, reflects the enduring influence of Blood In Blood Out and the actors who brought its story to life.
 

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It’s not just a movie. Blood In, Blood Out is a way of being. I should know. I’ve seen the 1993 movie, and it’s changed my being forever. And I’m not alone.

As the proud member, and a “top contributor,” of Facebook fan groups solely devoted to the 30-year-old film, I know first-hand how BIBO (that’s short for Blood In, Blood Out) is top of mind for over 90,000 of us on the social media platform (and beyond, of course).

Throwing around a “porkchop” reference or a “vatos locos forever” salutation is a way of life. It’s the essence of who we are. And so many of us loco strangers from around the world wouldn’t have this bond if it wasn’t for a movie about Chicano gang life in America’s prison system. Seriously.

Blood In, Blood Out is a way of being

“This movie made me want to move to East LA right now,” Comedian Josh Pray announced in a social media post with over 8.5M views. Like many of us, he admitted to never being the same after watching the “cult” classic in his over 3-minute viral clip. “Blood In, Blood Out should be in the National Movie History Hall of Fame, yo.”

“It has become so much larger, obviously, than the original concept.” Enrique Castillo, the actor who played Onda gang leader, Montana, told me in a recent interview. Castillo’s a really big deal for us BIBO fans, who see him as the heart and soul of the gritty film.

Where are my manners? Allow me to formally introduce the epic film to those not familiar with this masterpiece. Blood In, Blood Out is a crime drama directed by Taylor Hackford, and written by Poet (and former convict) Jimmy Santiago Baca and Jeremy Iacone. The movie follows the lives of three Mexican-American cousins — Miklo, Paco, and Cruz — as they navigate the world of gangs in East Los Angeles. There’s more. So much more.

The film spans several decades, exploring the struggles and choices faced by the three cousins. To prove how accurate and authentic it is, Blood In, Blood Out primarily takes place and is filmed in East Los Angeles and at San Quentin State Prison, with real prisoners on the set. When one of the cousins, Miklo, joins a powerful prison gang called La Onda, his life (and ours) are never the same.

“I knew that the Mexican American community was really going to embrace this film,” Castillo told me. (And, yes, as a Blood In, Blood Out fan, interviewing gang leader Montana about the film was amazing, and intimidating since Castillo’s voice is Montana’s. The two are eerily similar in other ways, I discovered, in real life.)

Filming at the prison “was grueling, disturbing, and draining” Montana, I mean, Castillo, told me. But I can attest that watching the prison scenes was equally as nerve-wracking for the viewers as well.

But there’s so much more to Blood In, Blood Out than witnessing gang life in prison. Yeah, it provides a gritty portrayal of gang culture and the impact it has on individuals and their communities. But it also carefully delves into themes of loyalty, family, identity, and the consequences of one’s choices.

So, what causes so many of us to bond over a 30-year-old film about “Chicanoism” in East Los Angeles? Quite simply: it’s relatable. Yeah, La Onda and life in San Quentin State Prison and the streets of East Los Angeles is oddly something a lot of us can identify with. Or maybe it’s the family part we’re attracted to.

“If you break it down, it’s all about familia,” Proud BIBO Film Historian (and Castillo’s wife of 42 years) Bel Hernandez explains, “This is a story about us.”

The test of time has proven that the story is a family classic, being passed down from parents to their children – no matter how non-PG the film may be – giving it a three-decade lifespan. “The fans do not know it as a cult classic. They consider it a classic,” Hernandez told me. “And children watch it with their parents….it’s almost become a right of passage.”

As for the actors, many will always be associated with the film, which became a launching pad for many of them. “It’s the project that I’m most identified with,” Castillo explained.

Some see the film as the Latino equivalent of the classic The Outsiders for its contribution to so many acting careers. Blood In, Blood Out served as a launch pad to further the careers of many actors, including Damian Chapa, Jesse Borrego, Danny Trejo, Benjamin Bratt, Billy Bob Thornton, Lupe Ontiveros, Raymond Cruz – who all starred in the classic.

Today, Castillo said he and the other actors are still spotted by the loyal fans. Luckily, to the delight of all of us, they still sign autographs and attend events celebrating the film. One recent event was held at East Los Tacos, a restaurant named and decorated by its owners, Erika and Joaquin Armenta, as an homage to the 1993 film. “BIBO is a staple to East Los Angeles. They go hand in hand.” Erika Armenta explained. “When you think of East Los Angeles, Blood In, Blood Out comes to mind.”

But the movie, like its protagonists, wasn’t given a fair shot from the get-go, the film’s historian explained. Executives at Hollywood Pictures, a division of The Walt Disney Studios were afraid that the film Blood In, Blood Out – named after the code meaning a gang member must kill to get in a gang and die to leave the gang – would cause more violence upon its release. “They were afraid there was going to be trouble,” Hernandez said. “Because the LA riots had just happened.”

After the debut of the 1992 film American Me, a drama also about East Los Angeles gangs and starring James Edward Olmos – in addition to the devastating 1992 Los Angeles riots (stemming from the beating of Rodney King), Blood In, Blood Out received what some believe was unfair scrutiny at the time.

To fix any potential problems, the film was renamed Bound by Honor and given a limited distribution. Then it was quietly pushed aside by the film’s parent company Disney, some believe. Then, with word of mouth and eventually social media, a surge of fans over a 30-year span has spread the BIBO word.

And now it can be found everywhere: TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, restaurants, film festivals, fan events, online t-shirt storefronts, and beyond. Not just an LA thing, thousands worldwide have been boasting its significance from Los Angeles to Tokyo to Amsterdam, helping the film gather up awards along the way.

What does the future hold for Blood In, Blood Out? Castillo seems to know, explaining: “It will be discovered and rediscovered….it has stood the test of time and will only grow in popularity.”

And a bright future for the film can only mean one thing for fans everywhere: Vatos locos forever!

Cathy’s writing has appeared in The Washington Post Magazine, USA Weekend, People, Romper.com, The Miami New Times, and dozens of other media publications and online sites. Her opinion pieces have appeared on Today.com, El Tiempo Latino, and more.

(Vatos locos forever!)

This article was originally published on Nuestrostories.com.

The post ‘Blood In, Blood Out’ Fan: Thousands Worldwide Celebrate the Classic Film’s 30-year Anniversary first appeared on .

Movie-making dreams took San Antonio-born Danny Ramos to Hollywood. After working in popular television series and films for many years, the Texan actor, producer and screenwriter returned to his hometown to make his feature film directorial debut. That movie, The Margarita Man, is a coming-of-age comedy starring Anthony Guajardo, Jesse Borrego and Danny Trejo, is now streaming on Amazon Prime and other streamers.

The story is inspired by Ramos’s brother, Miguel, who had a side hustle as the guy who rented margarita machines for parties and events in the late 1990s. “Many times, after he delivered the machine and mix, the guests would invite him to stay for the party! He always had funny stories and strange experiences,” recalls the filmmaker. Ramos added that he once jokingly promised his brother that one day he would make a movie about him. It took him quite a few years due to his busy Hollywood career but that jest ultimately and seriously turned into a film.

The script was written by Aaron Lee Lopez and David Reyes, with Ramos supplying the story. Set on a college campus, the story is about a young man who goes to college where his love for a good party gets him cut off financially from his family, forcing him to sell frozen margaritas at parties in order to pay for his schooling. 

BIG NAMES & UP-AND-COMERS
With a long career in the World’s Movie Mecca, Ramos secured top Latino talent for his film.  

Award-winning actor Trejo (Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn) plays the college president. Ramos’s fellow Texan stars Anthony Guajardo (The Walking Dead) and Jesse Borrego (Fame, Con-Air) play brothers Jimmy and Miguel Martinez. The cast also features the seasoned and prolific Pepe Serna, who has appeared in more than 100 films that include Scarface, Silverado and American Me, starring Al Pacino, Kevin Costner and Edward James Olmos, respectively. Also appearing in the film are Valeria Jauregui (Colossal Youth), Arlene Cavazos (It Came Upon a Midnight Clear) and Shira Lazar (Celeste & Jesse Forever).

Ramos had worked with Borrego on another project and Serna joined as both an actor and one of the film’s producers. Coming full circle, Ramos returned to his alma mater, San Antonio College, to film The Margarita Man. “Stepping back on campus, this time with a camera crew, that was a proud moment, one I won’t forget,” he said with pride in his voice.

The acting and production bug bit him in his teen years when he also discovered he could wear many creative hats. 

In high school, he joined the school’s Drama Club with the goal of becoming an actor. “All the students were actors on stage and at the same time had to work on the production crew,” he recalls. “I would jump from saying my lines on stage to backstage to operate the lighting board. It was crazy but a lot of fun and you learned a lot quickly.” He became fascinated with the behind-the-scenes production. 

Ramos was also a big fan of Entertainment Tonight, the entertainment news TV program. “Sometimes they would visit a movie set and show what was happening behind the camera,” recalls of the popular series. “I would see the lights and camera crew, and now and then, a guy with a clapboard shouting, ‘Quiet on the set! We’re rolling!’ And I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

A FILMMAKER IS BORN
Serious about a career in Hollywood, Ramos enrolled at San Antonio College and majored in radio, television and film. When Dick Clark Productions came to Texas for ABC Celebrity All-Stars at SeaWorld, Danny joined the production as an intern and was soon hired on in the all-important Cue Card Department. That was his first professional job as a freelance production crew member. Soon after that, Lifetime Network set up shop in San Antonio for the show Attitudes, a soap opera talk show and Ramos then joined the Directors Guild of America as a 2nd assistant director/unit production manager.

When word got out that the Selena movie, starring Jennifer Lopez and Edward James Olmos, was going to be filmed in San Antonio, Ramos mailed his resume to the production office. Weeks later, he got a call from the film’s producer, Moctezuma Esparza. “I had just finished working on a film called The Big Green as a key set production assistant and as a second AD on (the) second unit, and Mr. Esparza was looking for local hires and Latinos with production experience,” says Ramos. “I had some great experience, but had not been a second-second assistant director, which is what they needed at the time.” 

FILM ADMINISTRATIVE WORK
The San Antonio native got the Selena job, handling all the paperwork associated with actors on the set–schedules, production reports, accounting and time cards, often feeling lost in a whirlwind of paperwork. But he preserved and survived. “I just got through it,” he says. “It’s the kind of job where the job description just happens to you.”

Ramos’s advice to newbies coming onto a production, “Take it all in. Ask questions. Learn as quickly as you can and hold on! Then take what you’ve learned from that experience and build on it for the next gig.”

That’s exactly what the filmmaker did, building a solid filmmaking foundation one job at a time and knowing almost every production position on a film set. All that proved helpful when directing The Margarita Man. 

Celebrating his movie’s release, Ramos is promoting the “Margarita Man Weekend” September 15 through 19, offering audiences the opportunity to send in their favorite margarita recipe to win a bottle of premium tequila–the prime ingredient in any margarita. Just send your favorite margarita recipe to MargaritaManMovie@yahoo.com

The Margarita Man is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, TubiTV and IMDB-TV. The DVD is available to purchase on Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy as well as Turner Classic Movies’ website, www.shop.TCM.com.

The post Danny Ramos Makes Feature Directorial Debut With ‘The Margarita Man’  first appeared on .

The Academy’s Board of Governors voted on branch-specific guidelines to be applied in determining this year’s new membership invitees. Twenty-four Latino talent and creatives are among the invitees in the various branches of membership.

ACTORS

Jesse Borrego – Colombiana, Con Air
Eiza González – I Care a Lot, Baby Driver
Kimberly Norris Guerrero – The Glorias, Hidalgo
Luis Gerardo Méndez – Charlie’s Angels, Murder Mystery

CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Manuel Alberto Claro – Hope, Melancholia
Nicolás Wong – La Llorona, Muñecas Rusas
Pablo Valdés – The Mole Agent, Los Reyes

COSTUME DESIGNERS

Muriel Parra – A Fantastic Woman, Neruda
Catherine Rodríguez – Birds of Passage, Embrace of the Serpent

DIRECTORS

Janicza Bravo – Zola, Lemon

DOCUMENTARY

Lucila Moctezuma – Living Los Sures, The New Americans

EXECUTIVES

Darlene Caamaño Loquet
Lorenza Muñoz

MAKE-UP ARTISTS

Nacho Díaz – The Endless Trench, While at War
Pepe Quetglas – Musarañas , Pan’s Labyrinth

MARKETING & PR

Venessa Fraguio
Johanna Fuentes

PRODUCERS

Andrea Barata Ribeiro – Xingu, City of God

SHORT FILM/FILM ANIMATIONS

Rita del Rosario Basulto – Eclosión, Rain in the Eyes
Carlos Zaragoza – The Emoji Movie , Gnomeo & Juliet

SOUND

Carlos Cortés – Sound of Metal, Our Time (Nuestro Tiempo)
Isabel Muñoz – Miss Bala, Backyard (El Traspatio)

VISUAL EFFECTS

Santiago Colomo Martinez – “The One and Only Ivan,” “The Jungle Book”

MEMBERS AT LARGE

Eugene Hernandez

The post 395 invitations for AMPAS membership include 24 Latinos creatives first appeared on .

WATCH Film Here for FREE: www.followmehomethemovie.com Until Nov. 4

Latin Heat News Services

The message of the film Follow Me Home (1996) directed by Peter Bratt, captured the struggle of people in the face of oppression; today its message is more relevant and urgent than ever.

The collective The BIG We partnered with the Follow Me Home Coalition and the nonprofit IllumiNative to present a nationwide online event that will feature dynamic conversations about race and our current political climate over three days Oct. 28 through 30.

Follow Me Home filmmakers partnered with the Follow Me Home Coalition to digitize the 1996 film and re-release it online nationally for free for one week beginning Oct. 22. through Nov. 4 at www.followmehomethemovie.com. Then audiences are invited to participate in a three-night curated live event of frank conversations around the themes of race, class and gender the film explores.

Confirmed event participants include director Peter Bratt and cast members Alfred Woodard, Benjamin Bratt, Jesse Borrego, and special guests Alice Walker, Dolores Huerta and Bakari Sellers.

After George Floyd’s tragic murder and the protests that followed, director Bratt received “impassioned calls from concerned citizens of every creed and color who thought that the film was still relevant today,” according to event organizers. As calls turned into action, Peter and Benjamin Bratt joined a small, passionate group of allies known as the Follow Me Home Coalition to re-share this tale. The Coalition’s hope is to help foster one of the “most pivotal conversations of our collective lives and to provoke change in the way we live in America,” read a press statement

“Stories have the power to change perception, and even policy,” said film director Bratt, who also wrote the screenplay. “They also have the ability to unite us as a people–an interdependent and interrelated community.” 

Drawing upon Native, African and Latino culture, Follow Me Home is a rebellious fable of four Los Angeles street artists who hatch a plan to cover the White House with vibrantly painted murals. Joined by a woman with a haunting secret, they set off on an impetuous joyride across a desert landscape steeped in magic, mystery and danger. A powerful celebration of art, history, music and community, Follow Me Home challenges long-held beliefs about race and identity in America, adding an important voice to today’s racial reckoning. 

Written and directed by Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Peter Bratt, Follow Me Home  stars Academy Award-nominee Alfred Woodard, Benjamin Bratt, Jesse Borrego, Calvin Levels, Steve Reevis, and features a then-unknown Salma Hayek; Executive Produced by Alpita Patel, Adam Zbar and John China. 

The Sundance film has been praised by prominent cultural critics of color including Angela Davis, Alice Walker, June Jordan, and Toni Morrison and is revered for bringing voices and stories from the background to the forefront. The film has sparked lively, impassioned, and often emotional reactions, spotlighting the unsettled issues that yet cripple America as we rapidly approach a crucial election.

“It is an incredible gift for The BIG We to serve the vision of the film and curate talk backs and story circles for folks who are ready to talk about racial equity and justice,” says Anasa Troutman, The BIG We’s CEO. “Our goal is to start an enduring conversation that will magnify these stories and voices to boldly shape narratives that will transform how we think, speak, and move through this very critical time.”

Follow Me Home ‘s crew includes director of photography Garett Griffin, editor Robert Grahamjones, music composers Cyril Neville Speech and Roy Finch, production designer Katerina Keith, executive producers Alpita Patel, Adam Zbar and John China and producers Alan Renshaw, Irene Romero, Peter Bratt and Benjamin Bratt. 

For schedule and additional details on the event and film, please visit www.FollowMeHomeTheMovie.com. 

The post Peter Bratt’s Film ‘Follow Me Home’ Re-Releases With 3 Day Online Event first appeared on .

Feature titles include: Going Rogue, Hometown Proud, Illegal, In the Defense Against Tyranny, La Llorona, Linda and the Mockingbirds, Sound Of Justice, The Horror Crowd, Tu Me Manques, Tuscaloosa, and Phoenix, Oregon. 

This year’s festival also presents several Orange County filmmakers, programming partnerships with the cities of Denver, Colorado and San Antonio, Texas. It also offers a special focus on democracy. The program showcases movies from Mexico, Bolivia, United Kingdom, Italy, Taiwan, Macedonia, The Republic Of Moldova, Ghana, Tunisia, India, Iran and Iraq.

Conversations with filmmakers, workshops and special programs are also part of the festival’s 11th annual edition.

The OC Film Fiesta is a program of Media Arts Santa Ana, MASA, a project of the nonprofit Community Partners.

For tickets and more information, visit www.masamedia.org

—CESAR ARREDONDO

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