Why is it American Mariachi? Because the play takes place in the U.S. and there is a difference between Americans of Mexican descent and Mexicans from Mexico where the Mariachi music tradition began. Therefore it is American Mariachi directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela and presented by the Latino Theater Company at The Los Angeles Theater Center. It is a story of many revelations. 

American Mariachi, written by Jose Cruz Gonzalez takes place in 1970’s, a little over 30 years ago, when a woman mariachi group was unheard of, here in the U.S., and certainly in Mexico.  It was an age where women were just beginning to ask why? They could not get a credit card on their own, why not? They could get fired for getting pregnant. Why? They were protesting wearing bras…why not? And a group of young Mexican-American girls were wondering why they couldn’t be in a Mariachi group.  At least they do in Gonzalez’s play American Mariachi.

“The play is about a group of women who adopt mariachi during a time when that wasn’t permitted,” explains González. “Mariachi was always male-dominated; for women to enter that world was a challenge on many fronts. The characters in the play come together because of their love of the music.”

Family looms large in American Mariachi, however, in this case the family is a bit fractured.  While the patriarch (Sal Lopez) is out earning money for the family as a mariachi musician, Lucha (Elia Saldaña), his daughter watches over her mother who has onset dementia.  When Lucha discovers her mother’s reaction to one particular song, she sets out to figure out why, and a way to play that song for her. She decides to form her own mariachi band and to learn how to play the song and sing it.  But she must do this stealthy as her father would not approve. 

Lucha enlists her cousin’s help, played by Esperanza América. Both go on a mission to find the right ladies for their all-girl Mariachi. They struggle to get them on board, but ultimately they find the repressed Isabel (Alicia Coca), who suffers under the thumb of her macho husband, the exceedingly shy Gabby played by Vaneza Mari Calderón (who is in fact is a real-life mariachi musician), and the much older sexpot, hairstylist Soyla played by Crissy Guerrero. Fidel Gómez, plays a total of four characters, all distinctly different and delightful.

Geoffrey Rivas plays the family friend who for some reason has been on the outs with Lucha’s father for years.  Lucha secretly enlisted him to teach the wanna-be Mariachi band how to play the instruments and sing in the mariachi style. 

American Mariachi had its world premiere in 2018 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and has been produced across the U.S., including at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago; Alley Theatre in Houston; The Herberger Theater in Phoenix, AZ, and the Old Globe, South Coast Repertory and PCPA in Southern California. 

An early staged reading at Denver Center’s Colorado New Play Summit featured América, Saldaña, Guerrero and López in the roles they now inhabit six years later in Latino Theater Company production.

Ruth Livier who powerfully and effectively plays Amalia Morales, the dementia afflicted mom, takes center stage in this production. She literally plays almost all her scenes as Amalia, center stage, becoming a focal point in this production of American Mariachi.  This is accentuated by a sort of “alter ego” played by mariachi, model, drag and theater performer Yalitza “Yaya” Vasquez-Lopez who plays Lucha’s Tia Carmen.  Vasquez-Lopez opens the play dressed in all black, singing a haunting rendition of  “La Llorona” (the weeping woman).  Livier also completely transforms into Doña Lola for a quick scene and before you realize it is the same actress, the scene is masterfully delivered. 

At the end of the play, Livier appears center stage as Amalia, all dressed in white, she elevated to the highest level shining above all on stage.  Both the end of the play and the opening bookend the production with the most beautiful tableaus in the play.  Another stand out moment also comes towards end, when Lopez belts out in song accompanied by the Mariachi, which pays tribute to his wife. 

The heartbeat of the mariachi music is provided by the on-stage mariachi band with original arrangements by music director Cynthia Reifler Flores.  “American Mariachi speaks loudly to Latino Theater Company’s core audience, but also to women everywhere,” says Valenzuela. “The live music and comedy guarantee that American Mariachi remains highly entertaining — but there’s a tough story underneath the surface.”

American Mariachi opened on May 11 at The Los Angeles Theatre Center in downtown Los Angeles and continues through June 9.  

The American Mariachi creative team includes scenic designer Maureen E. Weiss; lighting designer Pablo Santiago; sound designer John Zalewski; and costume designer Maria Catarina Copelli. The production stage manager is Alexa Wolfe, who is assisted by Martha Espinoza..

The Latino Theater Company runs The Los Angeles Theatre Center, a landmark building in Downtown’s Historic Core, since 2006. Earlier this month, the company was honored with six Stage Raw awards for four different plays produced in 2023.

American Mariachi runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. through June 9. Tickets range from $10–$48.

The Los Angeles Theatre Center is located at 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. Parking is available for $8 with box office validation at Los Angeles Garage Associate Parking structure, 545 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 (between 5th and 6th Streets, just behind the theater).

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (213) 489-0994 or go to www.latinotheaterco.org.

The post ‘American Mariachi’ Dares to Ask Why Not? first appeared on .

Chino, a young and ambitious Korean American who grew up in a foster family on Los Angeles’ Eastside, hopes to grow his successful taco stand, “Chino’s Underground Tacos,” into a brick-and-mortar restaurant. When Yesenia Tapia, a Mexican-American social media influencer, accuses Chino of cultural appropriation and pandering to a gentrifying neighborhood, he must convince the community of his cultural authenticity in a multi-faceted and complicated city.

With its vibrant ‘L.A. River Night Market’ setting and easy flow between three languages (English subtitles provided), Tacos La Brooklyn looks at cultural identity, interracial dynamics, gentrification, street vendors, social media and cancel culture — all through a distinctly Los Angeles lens.

”There’s a huge crossover between Latino and Asian cultures on L.A.’s East side,” Fidel Gomez, Director of Tacos La Brooklyn says, recalling a recent commemoration event for the 80th anniversary of the Zoot Suit Riots held in Little Tokyo. “It was attended not only by Chicanos but by Japanese “Cholos” and lowrider enthusiasts — a subculture touched on in the play. To be able to tell a story from multiple cultural viewpoints is really exciting.”

“I wanted to celebrate the different neighborhoods of L.A. through street vending, language, and the overlap between cultures that we often experience in our city,” explains Ulloa. “In the end, this is a story about exploring identity and how we find (or choose) our family.”

Tacos La Brooklyn stars Gavin Lee as Chino; Esperanza America as Yesenia Tapia; Xavi Moreno, Zilah Mendoza and Alejandra Flores as fellow LA River Night Market vendors Mike, Monse and Lencha; Sal Lopez as Chino’s abuelito; Paul Dateh, Ariel Kayoko Labasan and Sayaka Miyatani as Japanese Cholos Whisper, Benjiro and Mariko; and Jesus “Chuy” Perez as El Musico.

The creative team includes scenic designer Natalie Morales; lighting designer Pablo Santiago; sound designer John Zalewski; projection designer Hsuan-Kuang Hsieh; and costume designer Maria Catarina Rodrigues. The assistant director is Nicolas Ruano. The stage manager is Alexa Wolfe assisted by Valerie Vega.

Tacos La Brooklyn opens on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m., with performances thereafter on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. through October 29. Six preview performances take place from September 21 through September 29 on the same schedule. Tickets range from $22–$48, except opening night which is $58 and includes pre- and post-performance receptions, and previews, which are Pay-What-You-Will starting at $10.

Tacos La Brooklyn was developed by Latino Theater Company’s Circle of Imaginistas playwriting group and produced in association with East West Players. Fidel Gomez directs the world premiere of performances will continue through Oct. 29, with six low-priced previews taking place from September 21 through September 29.

The Los Angeles Theatre Center is located at 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. Parking is available for $8 with box office validation at Joe’s Parking structure, 530 S. Spring St. (immediately south of the theater).

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (213) 489-0994 or go to www.latinotheaterco.org.

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It has been seventeen years in the making, but the film Moe, directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela and adapted for the screen by Evelina Fernandez from her GLAAD Award-winning play, Dementia, will finally have its World Premiere on June 3 at The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival In Hollywood.

Moises (Sal Lopez) — his friends call him Moe — is throwing a going away party because he’s dying of AIDS. He’s a theater artist working on a one-man, or rather, one-woman… show. He invites his closest friends over for his “going away for good” party, but his plans go awry when his best friend, who has given himself to the Lord, and his ex, whom he hasn’t seen in 15 years, show up. All the while Moe’s alter ego, a torch-singing drag queen, wants to take him for “the ride of his life.”

Moe is the long-anticipated feature film by the team that brought you Luminarias (1999), the Latina Sex In the City feature also written by Fernandez and directed by Valenzuela.

When produced for the stage in 2002 it was entitled Dementia, and it went on to win the GLAAD Award for Outstanding Theater Production in Los Angeles, and garnered four Ovation Award nominations.

Lopez originated the role on stage, alongside fellow Latino Theater Company members Geoffrey Rivas, Lucy Rodriguez, and Fernández. Also appearing in the film version are Tonantzin Esparza, Pepe Serna (Life is Art, With Love), Richard Coca and Renée Victor (With Love).

“It took 17 years to bring Moe to the big screen,” says Valenzuela. “We shot the film in 2005 on 35mm, with a very limited budget. It was only the generous support of our friends, colleagues, and community, who remained passionate about reaching a wider audience with the story, that enabled us to finally bring it to the screen.”

Burro Squad Productions, the film division of L.A.’s Latino Theater Company produced the film. The premiere is set as part of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival to screen in the Chinese 6 Theatre on Saturday, June 3 at 5:30 p.m.

For more information, go to www.moefeaturefilm.com.

The post ‘Moe’ A Torch-Singing Drag Queen’s Lifestory Shot 17 Years Ago Finally Gets Premiere first appeared on .

Every year about this time, the cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is abuzz with the production of La Virgen de Guadalupe presented by the Los Angeles Theater Center’s Latino Theater Company. This year the tradition continues virtually and will continue to be free of charge starting on December 11 and streaming through to December 20th.

La Virgen de Guadalupe, written by Evelina Fernandez has become a Christmas family tradition in the City of Los Angeles. It is widely known for its majesty and magical story of Juan Diego, an indigenous peasant who in 1531 witnessed the apparition of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin chose Juan Diego to carry a message to the Bishop of Mexico about building a cathedral in her honor.

The presenting of this play during the holidays has become a cornerstone of the Latino Theater Company and is presented as a “gift” to the L.A. community, free of charge.

The cast is a blend of professional actors in the lead roles and commuity members including children who also make up some of the choir and the “pueblo”. This beautiful pageant play features Aztec dance and music with a universal message of faith, love and perseverance.

Featured photo of Sal Lopez who plays Juan Diego is courtesy of The Los Angeles Theater Center

The post ‘La Virgen de Guadalupe’ LATC’s Christmas Pagent Play first appeared on .

How do you write an action-packed-crime story about a Latino superhero, with a primarily all-Latino cast, set in an East L.A. barrio, combine it with Aztec folklore and still come out with a universal themed film that will absolutely appeal to everyone?

It takes a film director who knows the intricacies of every aspect of filmmaking and understands the script’s core message and a whole lot of respecting the integrity of the story. It takes someone who started his career working as a stuntman, stunt coordinator, actor and eventually transitioning onto directing episodic television and then film.

It takes someone like Ben Hernandez Bray, a film and television director who for the past 12-years has poured his heart and soul in bringing his story to the big screen—El Chicano, a WarParty, WarChest Productions.

To create a Latino superhero that is not from the traditional family of Marvel characters is a bold move. And, to smoothly tie-in cultural elements and ancient Aztec folklore, well that is one tall order.  But for Bray, it came natural. He happens to be of Mexican-American-Irish ancestry, which could explain being born with the instinctual storyteller DNA.

El Chicano is about a Latino Superhero who battles the evils invading an East L. A. community. He finds strength and power from within and inspires others to inherit the mask to continue to watch over the neighborhood.

For Bray, El Chicano is a film project inspired and written as a symbolic representation of his life, with family tragedies, the death of his younger brother to gang violence and the loss of his newborn daughter. At the core of El Chicano is pure love of family and believing in his ability and having the will to act.

El Chicano stars Raul Castillo, George Lopez, Amy Garcia, Emilio Rivera, Kate del Castillo, Mr. Criminal, Noel G. Marco Rodriguez, Marlene Forte, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Sal Lopez, David Castañeda and Armida Lopez.

What stands out in El Chicano is that it is not a formula film whose purpose is to glorify gangs and violence. It is more about family — those you are born into, those composed from street friendships and those from work camaraderie.

Some reviews have labeled it the “Latino version of Black Panther.” El Chicano incorporates the struggles many American Latinos are going through as a result of the current unstable political climate. The story weaves in the magic of Aztec lore, clearly defining right from wrong and how each character inherit their beliefs.  

Bray, who is known for his major stunt work on Star Trek, Iron Man, The Grey, Transformers: Revenue of the Fallen, generously gave of his time to speak with us about El Chicano:

Latin Heat: Congratulations! Truly impressed with El Chicano! Before we dive into your film, can you tell us who your childhood Superheroes were?

Benjamin Hernandez Bray: I’d have to say, Batman, Aquaman and Superman! As a result, I eventually became a big fan of ComicCon!

LH: So it was these Superheroes that have guided your career?

BHH: Yes, they really did. But I think it was more of a subconscious thing. I believe my loving these Superheroes, my working as a stunt professional, and my eventual writing and filming El Chicano came about as a result of the metaphor over not having a father. My mother and grandmother raised my four brothers and two sisters single-handedly.

LH: Was it this same love of Superheroes that led to your transition into episodic directing action superhero TV shows?

BHH: It was more of the love of being able to tell stories that finally gave me the opportunity, and the good fortune to be able to direct episodes on several of Greg Berlanti’s shows like Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl.

LH: You mentioned the motivation behind creating El Chicano was connected to not having a father/male role model growing up?

BHH: Creatively this movie came about because it was a very personal story that I felt could help others get beyond their difficulties. El Chicano is a superhero, he derives strength from within. His life is very symbolic of my own life. About twelve years ago I lost my younger brother to gang violence. It was a loss that hit my mother, siblings and me very hard and we struggled to get beyond our grief. To have to watch my mom bury her youngest was extremely painful. At the beginning, I started writing a memoir about our family dynamic and how we dealt with the death, the process was therapeutic.

The more I wrote, the more the memories came, the positive things of my childhood– how my mom made sure to put me in Boys Scouts… how she signed me up for my first job as a paperboy and how she’d help me in the mornings to deliver the paper– as the oldest I got the best of her attentions. Through this process, I saw my mom instilled positive characteristics in my life like working hard and making good choices. Working through this helped me move past the tragedy. Telling this story became important to me. I wanted people to know no matter what your socio economic background you come from, tragedy hits everyone, but you don’t have to stay trapped in your grief or your surroundings. You can make a better life for yourself. I hope others get inspired by it, especially if you’re from the barrio.

She did her best in trying to guide us in the right direction… and I’ve always wondered if we had had a dad to raise us, influence us, would our lives have turned out differently? Would having a father been enough to save my brother’s life?

These questions started to haunt me and kept stirring up a lot… thinking about my childhood. As I recalled my admiration of Batman, Aquaman and Superman, it hit me that we Latinos were never exposed to a brown person… a Mexican or Chicano portrayal of any powerful and positive role models. Then one day, it just clicked!

We had no one to look up to or someone to teach us right from wrong who looked like us or lived in similar surroundings like ours… And, this is how the El Chicano character was created.

El Chicano is a symbolic story of fighting for a better life and thinking outside the box as I did. It’s a Superhero that doesn’t have traditional powers but gathers his strength from his ancestral culture, his barrio, his love of family and believing in his ability and having the will to act.

LH: You share co-writer credits with the producer/writer Joe Carnahan. Share a little on the script writing process and challenges.

BHB: This is my first writing project, something I’ve been thinking about and working on for twelve years. As I worked as a stuntman and made the transition to stunt coordinator, I was developing my writing skills and script format. I met Joe Carnahan (A-Team, Narc, and The Grey), through writer/director/producer David O. Russell (American Hustle, Silver Linings, Kings, Joy). We very quickly became good friends, sharing my life story about where I grew up, my brother’s death… he kept encouraging me to keep writing, and every so often he’d give me notes.

LH: That is the power of networking and building relationships on the job.

BHH: Yes, and even if it took years to complete, I kept at it. I had a family to support and could only write in my spare time. The plan was that whenever I did finish it, I’d turn it over to Joe because he’s an incredible writing talent and I knew he could help me with the script’s narrative, structure, etcetera. And, it took longer for me because I was also moving up in the business, making my way to TV episodic directing. Then about three years ago, my wife and I lost a daughter at birth.

During this time, Joe came to visit and witnessed how much passion and love our family had for each other. He told me that when I was able to find some peace and get through the process of having to bury my child, to tap into this grief as I continued with finishing to write my script and that I should dedicate it to my brother and daughter. He encouraged me to go away and lock myself up and finish the script. Once I got the greenlight from my wife, I spent four weeks in New York staying at a stunt brother’s home while he was away in Europe working. This was four years ago and I returned to L.A. with 189 pages and gave it to Joe.

LH: Your angels guided you—

BHB: Yes… my brother Craig on one shoulder and my daughter Isabella on the other. Once Joe read it, he liked it and said it was enough to work with. The next step was me going to the Palm Springs area where he lives and spent two weeks there for the script polish. We drank Tequila, cried and ultimately rewrote the script that was 125 pages.

We finished the script on a Friday and that same night, Joe got the script to producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura (Four Brothers, Transformers, G.I. Joe) and producer Tom Ortenberg, CEO at Briarcliff, a theatrical distribution company (Snowden, Firefly, Girl With Pearl Earring). Both Lorenzo and Tom said they’d get back to us on Monday. The next day, Saturday, Lorenzo called and said ‘I’m in,’ and an hour later, Tom called, ‘I’m in.’

LH: The miracle of a well-written script. Let’s talk about your amazing cast. Tell us about the main characters.

BHB: The dual role of Diego/Pedro is a reflection of me and how I dealt with my brother’s death—the grief, anger, and sadness—I was mad over how it affected and almost destroyed my mother. It was very surreal. The George Lopez role resembles an Italian-Mexican cop from our childhood who would give us a hard time, me especially. Always lecturing me about right and wrong. Then there is Jesus, who is kind of the Shaman of the neighborhood, always preaching about the Aztecs… and then there is Aimee Garcia who portrays Vanessa Gomez, a character based on the woman who would become my wife. And then there is Susana, the mother role portrayed by the incredibly talented Marlene Forte. All of these characters all come from my childhood.

LH: What is your filmmaking training background?

BHB: It’s funny how things just all come together. Working on the job became my film school training. I had a veteran stunt coordinator named Ron Stein who took me under his wings and taught me the stunt business, from fire burns, high falls, stunt driving and fights to suggesting that I enroll in acting classes. Soon I was not only doubling for actors, I was also guest starring on The Shield, and other TV shows including being cast in Joe Carnahan’s The Grey and David O. Russell’s I Heart Huckabees. I also learned to be a filmmaker from pros like Joe and David. I learned by watching and doing– from lenses to blocking actors and understanding how the camera moves to help tell the story.  

LH: Was this the first time working with some of the Latino veteran actors in El Chicano?

BHB: I was doubling for several Latino actors and through these jobs I got to meet so many. Soon, I auditioned for the Actor’s Studio in Los Angeles and I belonged to a theater company called Rick Walters Theatre Group. I started booking roles as a young Latin guy and that’s how I met Emilio [Rivera] on the TV series, Robbery Homicide, which was created by Michael Mann. At the end of the night, we had become friends. I used to be his stunt double. I also stunt doubled for actors Esai Morales, Michael De Lorenzo, Lou Diamond Phillips, and others, so these relationships started while working in the business. I met George [Lopez] through various shows and events we were both in attendance. He was always cool.

LH: When casting the twins’ dual role (Diego/Pedro), what was it about Raul Castillo that nailed it for you?

BHB:  I remember being in that big white room at CAA and they were pushing a lot of other actors and currently, in our community there really aren’t many Latino leading actors, not like a few years ago when dazzling the headlines were Esai Morales, Jesse Borrego, Michael De Lorenzo, etcetera. What did it for me to choose Raul was something about his look. He reminded me of a homeboy I grew up with named Miguel, and as a filmmaker, I lean on instinct… his looks; emotionally… there was something about him that just clicked. The agency tried to push better-known names but I was like, ‘No there’s something about Raul, he’s the one.’ Joe looked at me and was 100% supportive of my choice.

A week later I had an interview with Raul via Skype. He was living in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, and we just clicked. He had read the script, knew every single character, not just his role.

I told him the story about the loss of my brother and baby girl, I could tell he was sincerely touched and really understood the story. Three weeks later, I flew to New York and we met in Tribeca. We hung out and I remember calling Joe afterwards and I confirmed my gut feelings. ‘That’s Diego. That’s Pedro,’ I told Joe. Raul was everything that I embraced as a writer, as a director and my vision for the dual role of Diego/Pedro.

LH: Can you discuss the budget for El Chicano? And how financing come about?

BHB: Oh my God! That’s a whole other thing. When dealing with studios, we started butting heads. They wanted to change the storyline, wanted to change some of the characters and I didn’t want to do any of that. And it was very frustrating because when it comes to Latino projects, studios want to own it all, story, vision, everything… they end up owning your property, your material and all this leads to more creative differences… so eventually, I told Joe, ‘You know what? Let’s go for indie financing.’ I just flat out refused to give up control on the way my story was going to be told.

LH: So you went the indie route?

BHB: Yes, There were some people who had reached out to Joe from War Party Productions—these are the white oil and gas guys from Calgary and since the industry was slowing down, they were now interested in the movie business. Joe initially met with Art Robinson, WarChest producer and Gianni Altobelli and shared the script; teaser and they fell in love with the story. So all of the sudden we got financing at the time for about $7 million, or a little over $9 million Canadian. That’s how we got the money. With 85% of the film being shot in Calgary and the other 20% exteriors in Los Angeles, downtown L.A. They totally embraced our vision.

LH: What is your favorite superhero moment in El Chicano?

BHB: I would have to say it is the part when the camera starts to push it on Diego in the storage unit, where we see “por vida”. As a Mexican-American, this scene is very close to my heart because for one, he’s saying where he comes from and who he is, because it speaks to his background and also because it identifies where he’s at in that exact moment. When I yelled, “CUT,” it had all happened in one take and that’s when Raul lost it.

This was the moment he had really understood the significance and importance of the film’s message. He was balling his eyes out—his character’s accumulation of pain and loss and internal elation of having triumphed against tremendous evil and odds. I walked over to him and we cried and hugged.

It was a release of grief and the start of healing. Not just for me but for everyone involved in making our movie. And it was especially emotional given all that is currently going on in politics, with Trump and all the negative attacks against Mexicans, Latinos. El Chicano is about being Chicano, Mexicano—pride, cultural, familia—our film brings it all together.

LH: From start to finish how long did it take to shoot El Chicano?

BHB:  Shooting days had about eight weeks of prep, and 25 days to shoot, and then we were in editing another 10 weeks. By the time we got to the end of the movie, there was no more money and it was like chewing gum and scotch taping whatever else was needed to finish the movie. It was crazy at the end like it always happens on a movie set.

LH: How did the distribution deal with Briarcliff come about?

BHB:  When Tom, who was at Open Road and Lorenzo got involved, they really believed in the project as much as Joe and I did, and for a while they stepped aside as we did our thing. But when it came to the financing, Tom was already in transition from Open Road to Briarcliff and once the film was complete, Tom saw a screening and took it to Briarcliff. They snatched it up. We had other offers but I was loyal to Tom and Lorenzo, as they had been to me from the very beginning. I have so much respect for these guys. From there, the exchange came in from foreign and they bought up foreign rights. And, that was it. It was Tom and Lorenzo, who took a back seat and let me do my work and stepped up to the plate when they were needed.

LH: You had to make some script changes towards the end of the shoot.  What happened?

BHB: The ending of the movie wasn’t exactly what was on the script because we had run out of money. I then tapped into the many business relationships I had built during the past 30 years. I called in favors. I called every Latino friend… every stunt man including my two sons, Damian Bray 29 year and Keenen Bray 27, and they all came.

LH: You had to think out of box to make it happen—

BHB: Yeah, and on our last day of shooting, we were at the warehouse location, and everyone who came to my aid brought their best creativity with them. As a stunt professional on movie sets, we eventually learn how to handle a camera. We learn things that come in handy while making a movie on the last day of shooting.

For El Chicano, I had 20 stuntmen and crew, and they were just old friends who came out to help me finish the movie. It was all a brotherhood. The very last shot of the movie, that’s my son Damian operating the camera. My son, God bless him was shooting that amazing shot of El Chicano on the motorcycle! My other son Keenan, was also Emilio Rivera’s stunt double. And, even my 10-year old son, Julian Bray auditioned for the young Pedro character, and he was cast. He’s the boy who at the end asks, ‘Where you from?’

Family and good friends – you can always count on them. I got all four of my family in the movie. Yeah, it was a familia affair.

LH: El Chicano has an open ending – are you already in the works for a sequel?

BHB: We’re working on it.

LH:  Any specifics on the film’s marketing rollout?

BHB: Tom and our wonderful publicist Liz Biber and Tracie Hovey have organized a 10-City tour/press junket with George Lopez and Raul Castillo. They’ll be hitting the border city of McAllen, Texas, where Raul was born and raised. We’ll be going to Austin, Arizona, New York, Miami, Northern California and Los Angeles.

We’re also looking at some marketing and promotion during the Canelo fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend. Our film opens on May 3^rd – it’s the perfect big push weekend! We’ll have lots of swag bags with El Chicano film gifts.

LH: How do you hope El Chicano will be received by movie audiences?

BHB: A sense of excitement and pride especially for Latino audiences. And, for non-Latinos, an understanding of our rich culture, our history in Los Angeles, our other Latino communities across the USA and that El Chicano’s overall universal message is that we all as human beings deal with loss and tragedies, which include choices you make.

We want everyone to know that they can be a Superhero too in anything they do. They can make a better life for themselves no matter their circumstances.

Thank you, Ben Hernandez Bray!

Briarcliff Entertainment acquired the U.S. rights to El Chicano, and is expected to open on May 3, 2019.

El Chicano
Director: Ben Hernandez Bray
Writers: Ben Hernandez Bray, Joe Carnahan
Cast: Raul Castillo, Aimee Garcia, Marlene Forte, George Lopez, Sal Lopez, Marco Rodriguez, Roberto Garcia, Emilio Rivera, Frankie Quinones, Logan Arevalo, Kate Del Castillo, Jose Pablo Cantillo, David Castaneda, Yadi Valerio Rivera, Christopher Rosamond, Geraldine Moreno, Armida Lopez

The post Ben Hernandez Bray’s “El Chicano”: Proof Exciting Superheroes Are Not All From Marvel first appeared on .