Watch it now on OnTheHiway

Bel Hernandez Castillo

After five years in the making, the award-winning documentary Ugly Little Monkeys is entering its next chapter—on its own terms.

Directed by David E. Valdez and Enrique Castillo, the documentary has enjoyed a successful film festival run, earning multiple honors including Best Directors and Best Documentary. Now, rather than following a traditional distribution path, the filmmakers have chosen a strategy that reflects a growing movement among independent creators: owning their distribution and maintaining direct control over their audience.

Ugly Little Monkeys, the documentary that chronicles the birth of the youth mariachi movement in the United States, begins its distribution journey today.

Maintaining control of their documentary’s distribution was important to Valdez and Castillo, so they chose OnTheHiway, a global streaming platform that allows filmmakers to manage their own releases while retaining ownership of audience data and revenue streams.

OnTheHiway does indeed provide the tools for filmmakers to control their distribution, audience data, pricing, and revenue streams –  however it does not automatically provide the audience, marketing, or discoverability that traditional distributors sometimes bring.

Unless you are a big studio film, the marketing and distribution usually falls on the filmmakers. No streaming platform, distributor, or VOD service can provide the one thing every film needs most: audience awareness. Distribution makes a film available. Marketing makes it discoverable.  

According to Jon Reiss, distribution strategist and author of Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era, “50% of your time and resources should go into connecting that film to an audience. In today’s crowded content landscape, discoverability has become one of the greatest challenges facing independent filmmakers. A film cannot succeed if audiences don’t know it exists.”

He argues that filmmakers must stop viewing distribution as a post-production task and instead build audience engagement into the filmmaking process from the beginning.

Castillo and Valdez understood early in the production process that audience-building begins long before a film reaches distribution. One of their most strategic decisions was inviting Academy Award-nominated actor, director, and producer Edward James Olmos to join the project as Executive Producer. Having worked together with Olmos on several film and television projects, Castillo knew that Olmos not only shared a passion for preserving Latino cultural heritage but also brought immediate credibility and visibility to the documentary.

Olmos’ involvement became a valuable marketing asset throughout the film’s journey. His name help attract attention to the project from its earliest stages, while his continued support has helped raise the documentary’s profile among both industry professionals and general audiences. Today, Olmos introduces the film on its streaming platform release, lending his voice and endorsement to the project. He has also participated in key screenings, including a high-profile presentation at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, helping generate awareness and audience engagement.

For independent filmmakers, the lesson is clear: marketing is not something that begins when a film is finished. By intentionally building relationships, securing influential advocates, and creating promotional opportunities throughout production, filmmakers can lay the foundation for a successful release long before distribution begins.

Highlighting other choices that added to the storytelling of the documentary included reaching out to artists and talents who could speak to the context of the documentary or in some cases, first hand to the storyline of an Irish Catholic priest who gathers a handful of small town kids and forms the first youth mariachi group in the United States. Those interviews are some of the key elements that now serve to market the film among not just in the U.S. but worldwide.  

• Within the first five minutes of the documentary, mariachi music is established as a worldwide phenomenon through a montage of mariachi ensembles performing the classic “La Negra” in Japan, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Portugal, China, and New Zealand. Their participation later helped generate screenings of the documentary through Mexico’s Consulates in their respective countries.

• The interview with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Linda Ronstadt provides one of the documentary’s most insightful perspectives, having grown up in Tucson and knowing about the Changuitos Feos/The Ugly Little Monkeys. Ronstadt helped introduce mariachi music to mainstream American audiences through her landmark album Canciones de Mi Padre, which became one of the best-selling non-English-language albums in U.S. history.

• The interview of Grammy Award winning Ruben Fuentes, a legend in Mariachi music and musical director of the world famous Mariachi Vargas the Tecalitlán.  He also was a producer of Ronstadt ‘s Canciones de Mi Padre.  He was interviewed at his home in Mexico City before his passing.  He credited Los Changuitos Feos—The Ugly Little Monkeys—with helping popularize and elevate mariachi music throughout the United States while introducing generations of audiences to the artistry of Mariachi Vargas.

• Adding to all this, Co-director Enrique Castillo who is also an actor, narrated the documentary. Castillo’s recognizable voice and decades-long acting career, most notable as Montana in Taylor Hackford’s Blood in Blood Out, have also become valuable promotional assets, drawing audiences to screenings where he regularly participates in post-film discussions and Q&A sessions.

• A special screening in Tlalpan, Mexico, hosted by the Mexican Consulate, demonstrated the film’s international appeal. Audiences enthusiastically embraced the story of a youth organization that helped preserve and expand Mexican culture in the United States and beyond. The reception has already opened doors for additional screenings throughout Mexico.

At every the screenings what resonates with audiences is the storytelling.  Ugly Little Monkey tells the story of a group of young boys from Tucson, Arizona, some who didn’t even know Spanish or how to play an instrument, who then went on and became world class musicians and singers in spite of the obstacles.

Several of the members of the group grew up to lead world class Mariachi groups of their own, one of those groups is the renown Mariachi Cobre that has been playing at Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida for over 30 years.  Several other members went on to teach Mariachi music at schools and universities.

We experience the story through the eyes of the one-time innocent kids, now grown men, who share their unforgettable journey about an Irish Catholic priest who gathers a handful of small town kids, some as young as nine years old and forms the first youth mariachi group in the United States. A priest who brought much joy and pain to their journey.  Through all the music, the magic, the pain and the triumph, it is the music that triumphs. 

More than simply documenting a musical ensemble, Ugly Little Monkeys explores how mariachi became a bridge between cultures, communities, and countries. Through performances and interviews, the film demonstrates how youth mariachi programs have flourished across the United States and beyond, inspiring young musicians while preserving an important cultural tradition.

For Valdez and Castillo, the journey of Ugly Little Monkeys is far from over. Through a combination of direct-to-consumer streaming, community screenings, and international cultural partnerships, the filmmakers are demonstrating that independent documentaries can find audiences while retaining ownership of their story.

The marketing of the film continues, even after its streaming premiere, through screenings.  One of the most significant upcoming public screenings will take place at LéaLA, the largest Spanish-language book fair and literary festival in the United States. Open to the public, this special community screening will take place on September 24 at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Downtown Los Angeles as part of the festival’s programming. Adding to the celebration will be a performance by the members of the current Changuitos Feos/Ugly Little Monkeys mariachi group. The group will be flown in from Tucson to perform live for attendees.  

This screening represents precisely the kind of strategic audience development that independent filmmakers increasingly rely upon—bringing the film directly to communities already invested in its subject matter. 

In many ways, the path chosen by Ugly Little Monkeys mirrors the message at the heart of the film itself: preserving cultural traditions while creating new opportunities for future generations. By embracing innovative distribution models and continuing to engage audiences in person, the filmmakers are ensuring that the legacy of the Original Changuitos Feos/Ugly Little Monkeys—and the enduring power of mariachi music—will continue to resonate for years to come.

While many filmmakers wait until a film is completed to think about distribution, Ugly Little Monkeys demonstrates the value of building audiences throughout the production process. Every interview, festival appearance, community partnership, and cultural connections became part of a long-term marketing strategy that is now helping the film reach audiences around the world.

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By Cesar Arredondo

Artists Linda Ronstadt, Bad Bunny, Fito Paez, Natalia Lafourcade, Grupo Niche, and Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra won Grammys at the 63rd annual awards ceremony that recognizes musical achievements.

Ronstadt took home the gilded gramophone to Best Music Film for Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, an award shared with video directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and video producers Michele Farinola and James Keach. The prize recognizes concert and performance films or music documentaries.

The documentary about the legendary singer chronicles Ronstadt’s life and career from her childhood in Tucson, Arizona, through her successful decades-long career in many music genres, film, television and theatre, to her retirement a decade ago due to Parkinson’s disease. An independently-minded artist, she recorded any style of music she wanted including Mexican music in honor of her heritage. In 1987 Ronstadt released the acclaimed mariachi album Canciones de Mi Padre that went on to win the Grammy for best Mexican/Mexican-American album.

Also in the running for Best Music Film were Beastie Boys’s Story, Beyoncé’s Black Is King,  Freestyle Love Supreme’s We Are Freestyle Love Supreme, and ZZ Top’s That Little Ol’ Band From Texas.

Bad Bunny received the award for best Latin pop or urban album, a category that for the first time included the urban genre. The Puerto Rican singer won the honor with YHLQMDLG, an acronym that stands for Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana, or I do whatever I want. YHLQMDLG was the first of three albums released by the rapper and reggaeton singer during the pandemic, reaching number 2 on Billboard–the highest-ranked Spanish-language album at the time. Released singles from the album included Vete, Ignorantes, La Difícil, and Yo Perreo Sola.

Bad Bunny was nominated along two fellow Puerto Ricans, Kany Garcia with Mesa Para Dos and Ricky Martin with Pausa, as well as Spanish singer Camilo with Por Primera Vez and L.A.-based Costa Rican performer Debi Nova’s with 3:33.

Fito Paez won the best Latin rock or alternative album with La Conquista del Espacio. The Argentinian rocker defeated Argentinian-Uruguayan band Bajofondo’s Aura, Chilean singer Cami’s Monstruo, Puerto Rican reggae band Cultura Profética’s Sobrevolando, and Colombian-Canadian Lido Pimienta’s Miss Colombia. Again, this was the first time this category did not include the urban genre, which instead joined pop music in another category.

In the best regional mexican music album category, which includes Tejano, the prize went to Lafourcade for Un Canto por México, Vol. 1. The Mexican singer prevailed over the work of some compatriots that included Alejandro Fernandez’s Hecho en México, Lupita Infante’s La Serenata, Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez’s Bailando Sones y Huapangos con Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez, and Christian Nodal’s Ayayay!

For their part, Colombian salsa band Grupo Niche won the Grammy for best tropical Latin album with 40. Vying for the honor in this category were: Cuban singer José Alberto El Ruiseñor’s Mi Tumbao, Puerto Rican Edwin Bonilla’s Infinito, Colombian Jorge Celedon’s Sigo Cantando al Amor, and Puerto Rican Víctor Manuelle’s Memorias de Navidad.

The Grammy for best Latin jazz album went to Mexico’s Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra for Four Questions. This category recognizes recordings that blend jazz with Latin, Iberian-American, Brazilian, and Argentinian tango music. Competing this year were Afro-Peruvian Jazz Orchestra’s Tradiciones, Brazilian composer Chico Pinheiro’s City of Dreams, Cubans Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Aymée Nuviola’s Viento y Tiempo-Live at Blue Note Tokyo, and Mexican-American Poncho Sanchez’s Trane’s Delight.

In other awards with Latino connections, Panamanian musician Danilo Pérez won a gramophone for best jazz vocal album for his collaboration with Kurt Elling in Secrets Are the Best Stories.

Hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, the 63rd Grammy Awards took place Sunday in and around the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Featured Photo: Bad Bunny receiving award Photo Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS ©2021 CBS

The post Latinos Who Took Home Grammys in 2021 first appeared on .

John Leguizamo’s new film Critical Thinking will play at the OC Film Fiesta that is now being held online through Oct. 25.

Slated to screen this Saturday, the Leguizamo’s drama tells the true story of the remarkable feat accomplished by a Cuban-American teacher who in 1998 took a group of disparate kids from Miami Jackson High School to become the first inner city school to win the U.S. National Chess Championship.

Critical Thinking is one of about 50 films being featured this year at the fest based in Santa Ana, a Southern California city in Orange County. There are movies starring Linda Ronstadt, Culture Clash, Jesse Borrego, Kristina Wong, Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things), Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar‘s ‘muse’ Rossy De Palma, Pepe Serna, the late Mexican crooner José José, and Patrick Harder, an acclaimed director of music videos by artists such as Prince, Foo Fighters, Hillary Duff and The Afghan Whigs. 

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

The post Leguizamo’s Latest Movie to Screen at OC Film Fest first appeared on .

Also Catch the CNN Documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice Currently on Demand And Available on DVD and Blue Ray

Written By Justina Bonilla

Among last month’s honorees at the 42nd Kennedy Center Honors were Sesame Street the TV show, Sally Field, Michael Tilson Thomas, Earth, Wind & Fire, and music icon Linda Ronstadt this past December. Ronstadt joins the other talented Latinx performing arts titans such as Rita Moreno, Sammy Davis Jr., Gloria Estefan, Carlos Santana, Martina Arroyo and Lin-Manuel Miranda to be so honored.

The Kennedy Center Honors were established in 1977 to “chart the international standard of excellence set by America’s artists, (some of which include Actor/Director Clint Eastwood, Singer/Performer Tina Turner and Opera Singer Jessye Norman), as well as the aesthetic inspiration provided by artists of other nations who have achieved prominence on these shores”, like Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney and The Who.  It’s the concluding and main event of an invitation-only weekend-long event, which includes in order, the Chairman’s luncheon, the State Department dinner, White House reception, and finally the Honors event and supper.

Honorees are recommended by both the Special Advisory Committee of the Kennedy Center and the general public. Then, based on their contributions to the arts (music, theater, motion picture, television, dance and opera), the five honorees of the year are selected by the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees.

Rondstadt often referred to as “The First Lady of Rock” is one of the most remarkable female icons in American music history.  She emerged professionally out of the 1960’s California rock scene, singing with the trio The Stone Poneys, then as a solo artist.

Seamlessly Ronstadt combined folk, county, pop and rock music, creating a unique sound, which fit her beautifully bold and distinct voice. She created a slew of hit songs, i.e., Different Drum, You’re No Good, Blue Bayou and I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You) among many. She released over 30 studio albums and 15 compilation or greatest hits albums. She then Ronstadt would also go on to experiment with opera and jazz in her music. In 1981 she auditioned and landed the lead of Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance for which she received a Tony nomination

After twenty years of establishing herself musically Ronstadt, honoring her Mexican heritage released her first Mariachi record, Canciones de Mi Padre (Songs of my Father). The highest selling non-English album in American history. For this record, Ronstadt would go on to win the 1988 Grammy for Best Mexican-American Performance and eventually the 2011 Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ronstadt retired from singing in 2011. Later in 2013, she revealed while promoting her book Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir, is unable to sing due to Parkinson’s Disease. Since then, she has been recognized with a diversity of honors:

2014: Inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame

2014: Awarded the National Medal of Arts and Humanities by President Barack Obama.

2016: Awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.  

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