By Bel Hernandez Castillo

Film festivals are an amazing place to discover films and filmmakers who you instinctively know you want to see more of. Recently at the Mexican American Film & Television Festival, there were several short films that fit the description. One that caught our attention, and an audience favorite, was The First Cowboy, written, executive produced, and co-directed by Dr. Jose-Luis Ruiz and produced by Johnny Murillo.

The First Cowboy recounts the powerful and engaging story of how Mexicans, the original inhabitants of the Southwest, and Americans co-existed before the human cost of the ultimate US conquest of Texas. The story is told through the eyes of two families, the gentile Southerner Palmers, and the educated, progressive land owners, la familia Velascos.

The film is both a love story and an epic human story that depicts the initial mistrust between the Protestant Palmers and the Catholic Velascos. The friendship begins with the slow and reluctant interaction which blossoms into affection and pacts made between them, and then the eventual betrayal, followed by dehumanizing domination.

In 2018 Dr. Ruiz formed a non-profit organization, the Mexican American Cultural Education Foundation (MACEF) with the goal to spotlight the endless contributions the Mexican-American people (Chicano, Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, or 1st generation immigrant) and their rich culture have given to America. To that end, in 2022 MACEF launched the first ever Mexican American Film & TV Festival. This year the film festival grew exponentially with over 100 projects submitted this year, and where trailblazers like pioneering writer/director Luis Valdez (La Bamba, Zoot Zuit, The Cisco Kid) are honored with the Illustrious Award for their contributions to the world of cinema.

But why a festival dedicated to Mexican American we asked Dr. Ruiz. Simply put, he reminds us that Mexicans-Americans are the largest percentage of the U.S.Latino population. There are 63 million Latinos in the U.S. Mexicans who can trace their ancestors to Mexico, make up 21% of the U.S. population, a group that contribute the largest portion of the $1.7 trillion annual GDP Latinos are noted for to the U.S. economy, yet Mexicans are the most vilified and not given the credit they deserve, according to Dr. Ruiz.

The mission of MACEF is “To change the narrative by educating the community about the endless positive contributions the Mexican-American people, (Chicano, Chicanx, Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, or 1^st generation immigrant), and their rich culture have given to America, which is often unrecognized. This is to be achieved by promoting unity, education, pride, and progress.”

The First Cowboy is based on a novel by the same name written by Dr. Ruiz. It delves into the tradition of the American cowboy, the subject matter of countless Hollywood movies. But those movies have never dealt with the true origin of the Mexican “vaquero” whose traditions were adapted to create the iconic American “Cowboy”, which was truly a Mexican tradition. 

Dr. Ruiz has long been studying the history of the Mexican Vaquero and now has produced and co-directed the film that tells the story, The First Cowboy. We sat down with Dr. Ruiz to delve into the story, his book the film is based on and the reason this story is important.

LATIN HEAT: Dr. Ruiz, congratulations on your film The First Cowboy, and the great response you had at the festival. I love the subject matter, and I had heard that the American cowboy learned from the Mexican Vaqueros but did not know all of the story. Why did you feel the need to write about it and then take the next step and make a short film?

DR. RUIZ: This is a crucial part of the history of Mexicans in American history that the history books have never told correctly. Before writing my fiction novel The First Cowboy, The Collision of Two Great Cultures, I did extensive research and hired a historian to dig out information about the lives of the people who lived at this time. This film is an adaptation of the novel.

LATIN HEAT: One thing we enjoyed and the audience seemed to enjoy as well as the references to the Mexican vaqueros teaching Americans the Mexican vaquero culture, why do you think this is so well received by the audience?

DR. RUIZ: If you read the news and see Hollywood films, you would have to assume Mexicans are newcomers to America, and who barely contribute to this country. Few Americans understand that Mexicans have been part of America for almost 200 years and have contributed in endless ways to make America what it is today, but have never been credited for it. What is more American than the cowboy?  Well, the fact is that the vaqueros are the original American Cowboys, almost a carbon copy of the Mexican vaquero and that is a thing of great pride for Mexicans and Latinos, and to see it on the screen makes all of us very proud.

LATIN HEAT: We know that while you are an award-winning novelist, this is in fact your first film. What made you confident that you could make such an impactful short?

DR. RUIZ:  I feel very fortunate to have found such a great producer in Johnny Murillo within his production company Chicano Hollywood. He and his production team are very talented and who worked tirelessly to make my story come true on the screen. I am a creative, and I have a vision and I guarded this vision throughout the casting, production, and post-production, to closely adhere to the novel. I feel so proud of the truly remarkable actors who turned in stellar performances like Fernanda Kelly, Mauricio Mendoza, Ryon Thomas, Bree Segars, and Glen Baggerly.

LATIN HEAT: The audience loved the film and expressed their desire to see the whole story in a feature film. What are your plans in that regard?

DR. RUIZ: I am excited to tell you that I am also working on the full feature, and I am currently shopping the film for major studios and using the short as a proof-of-concept. I am confident soon everyone will be able to see the full-feature film on the big screen.

LATIN HEAT: When can people see the film? 

DR. RUIZ: Currently, the full 20-minute short film can only be seen at film festivals. But in the meantime, everyone can see the trailer on my website www.RuizElevamosFilms.com.

The talented cast of The First Cowboy includes the leads Mauricio Mendoza as Don Ignacio Velasco and Fernanda Kelly as his wife Maria. Ryon Thomas and Bre Segars play the Palmers with Emma Elle Bird as the Young wife.

Music Composer Sid De La Cruz, Director of Photography Pablo G. Ledezma, Editor Sid Sotelo

The post ‘The First Cowboy’ The True Origin of the American Cowboy Is a Mexican Story first appeared on .

By Elia Esparza

Option C is coming to the big screen! Triumphant accomplishment for actress Lourdes Reynolds (Colon) and her producer husband, Chris LaVoy. It’s been a journey full of ups and downs. The new film is based on Reynolds life story and how she confronted a diagnosis of cancer and her determination to use her vast knowledge of how the body functions to fight the fight of her life.

Whereas Reynolds and LaVoy’s 2014 award-winning documentary, Create Option C: My Journey with Cancer chronicles her death-defying determination to beat her stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on her terms, the new movie, Option C is the story of her life before cancer, her diagnosis and then how she got to the point where she convinced her husband to the difficult task of filming her ordeal, every step of the way.

When first diagnosed, Reynolds was at the height of her career—her first big break in Hollywood—having secured a series regular role on CBS hit series, Without A Trace. She was cast as Anna Rodriguez after impressing Casting Director Fern Orenstein, who saw her audition for a CBS diversity showcase.  Her other credits include: The District, Mercer (TV Pilot), The Journeys, Encounters, and Sin Fronteras among others.

In 2010, Reynolds’ was diagnosed and learned her body was riddled with the deadly cancer and was given only two options to consider: (A) Do nothing and die or (B) Accept the traditional treatments of toxic chemotherapy, and probably still die. She declined both opting to create her own option (C) only accepting more natural, holistic treatments. This decision shook her family and friends to the core.  Reynolds firmly believed that her only chance of survival was to go with natural treatments to cure herself versus the toxic chemical-laced medical practices that not only kill cancer cells but also every other cell and organ in its path.

Option C, a Starangel Film Productions, is slated to open at the end of 2019 or early 2020. Reynolds’ shared some details of her new film adventure:

LatinHeat: Tell us about Option C?

Lourdes Reynolds: Our new film is based on the true story of my life, primarily focusing on my life before and after my diagnosis and how I dealt with my healing and survival.

LH: How does it differ from your heart-wrenching documentary Create Option C, My Journey with Cancer?

LR: It is not just a narrative telling of the documentary that we made about my cancer. Option C is far more comprehensive, and reveals the emotional journey in a way that we couldn’t in the documentary. So other than a couple of clips from the documentary, the movie is its own story.

LH: How did the movie version of your story come about? 

LR: It just made sense especially from the overwhelming number of people from around the world reaching out to me for assistance with their own cancer.

LH: They saw your documentary—

LR: Yes. My story gave them hope and with cancer and deadly decisions, sometimes the lack of hope diminishes the will to fight. Also, there are the friends and family members who were dealing with cancer. Chris [LaVoy] and I had plenty of motivation to expand and reach a wider number of people in a way that my one interaction (documentary) was not. At first we decided to write a book. But as time went on, we got clear through many conversations with people in the industry that we needed also to make this a movie.

LH: So you decided to start writing—

LR: Yes, and everything just seem to fall into place as we wrote the script. 

LH:  Can you talk about the budget?

LR: The budget at this moment looks to be around $70 million. We’ve secured a private investor.

LH: Have you cast it?

LR: We have several actors in mind that at this time we cannot mention their names until we have all contracts signed and in place.

LH: Will you play yourself?

LR: I am playing myself and have a couple of my actor friends will also play themselves as they were a part of my journey—actors/filmmakers Yeniffer Behrens and Mauricio Mendoza. 

“I’m honored to have been part of her team #createoptionc the award-winning documentary. Now I feel humbled and privileged to be invited to join a stellar cast for Option C! – Yeniffer Behrens, Actress/Filmmaker

LH: Who are the writers, director, producers, and executive producers?

LR: My husband Chris [LaVoy] and I wrote the script together. Directing the film is the amazing three-time EMMY winner, Mary Madeiras. Chris, myself and along with two other award-winning producers—Augustin (Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life) and Casper Martinez (Urban Latino TV, Mega Especialies: John Leguizamo), complete our principal team.

LH: We understand you have some news on your documentary— after an expansive and successful grassroots campaign, did your baby get distribution?

LR:   Create Option C: My Journey with Cancer got distribution! A dear friend of mine watched the documentary and he asked about distribution. I let him know that we hadn’t gotten that far with the documentary. He then proceeded to say, ‘Create Option C should be out for the world to see. Let me connect you with a friend who has that connection.’ Long story short, Indie Rights Movie, a  distribution company watched our documentary and immediately got back to me and said that they were interested in distributing it. We are so happy and it should be in theaters this Spring, maybe March.

LH: That’s great, Lourdes! Congratulations!

LR: It was a long process and it would never have happened without the incredible support we received from the community, our friends and family. Chris and I are very happy for everyone involved in helping us bring to fruition our documentary.

LH: Going through your cancer ordeal — and it was a battle not many are able to survive, how has it changed you as a woman? As an actress?

LR: Going through this big C difficult phase made things in life clearer for me. It made me see what was important, understand why I got sick and how I can/could turn this around and show others how to avoid the disease and even how to turn it around for themselves. And, what it takes to do that. No easy thing, but ultimately this experience showed me the beauty in all life. I became vegan. Though when I have traveled or have been out with friends I have cheated a little by having eggs. But I must admit I can never take more than a bite from the eggs before I want to puke [laughs].

As an actress I feel it has really put me in a space of emotions where I tend to see the life I am reading and can suddenly feel that character’s world much quicker then I used to.   

LH: Any other projects premiering soon or coming in 2019? Tell us about them.

LR: In 2019, I look forward to making the true story Option C, and I’m also looking forward to the release of our book “Our Journey to Option C.” We are in the middle of a few film projects that we plan on getting off the ground along with a TV series titled Fly. I also did a few shorts that will be touring the 2019 film festivals. One short, In Terms of Us, I had the honor of playing actor/director Roberto Sanchez’s cousin.  I loved the story and working with Roberto was honestly so great. Another film I also worked on is Broken Innocents, co-starring with Oscar Torre and Roberto Sanchez.

Also for 2019, it is my hope to work on films and play characters that are female-driven especially characters of women who have made a stance in life. I’d love to see more roles of women who stand in power and not just the wife or secretary unless she kicks butt at night while the world is sleeping!

LH: What is it that you hope people will get out of watching your film? OR what do you hope is the film’s core message?  

LR: I hope people get that there is a cure and cancer is not something to fear but instead understanding cancer and why it started in the first place is our first defense. I want them to know that we control in either turning on that gene or keeping it off. And that’s with any health issue. That fear only gets in our way of healing. 

Thank you, Lourdes Reynolds!

Follow Lourdes on Social Media:

Facebook CreateOptionC

Instagram lourdesreynold

Twitter @LourdesReynold

Hastags: #optionc #ichooseoptionc #vegan

The post Lourdes Reynold’s Death Defying Tale Gets Greenlight first appeared on .