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Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Borrego studied theatre and dance at The University of the Incarnate Word; he studied acting at The California Institute of the Arts. In the 1980s he attended an open audition for the TV Series “Fame” where he won the role of “Jesse Velasquez,” a role he would have for three years. Borrego, however, would return to the stage appearing in productions at the noted Joseph Papp Theatre in New York City and The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. In addition to standout performances on stage and in films such as “Blood In, Blood Out” and “Follow Me Home,” he began Lupita Productions in 1990. Lupita has produced theatrical productions and concerts; additionally, Lupita has produced two 16mm short films: “El Sueño de Simon” (1993) by James Borrego and “Flattime” (1995) by Jimmy Santiago Baca. At home in front of the camera, on stage, or in the producer’s seat, Borrego continues to be one of the most versatile and resilient talents of our time. (Courtesy IMDB.com)
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Borrego studied theatre and dance at The University of the Incarnate Word; he studied acting at The California Institute of the Arts. In the 1980s he attended an open audition for the TV Series “Fame” where he won the role of “Jesse Velasquez,” a role he would have for three years. Borrego, however, would return to the stage appearing in productions at the noted Joseph Papp Theatre in New York City and The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. In addition to standout performances on stage and in films such as “Blood In, Blood Out” and “Follow Me Home,” he began Lupita Productions in 1990. Lupita has produced theatrical productions and concerts; additionally, Lupita has produced two 16mm short films: “El Sueño de Simon” (1993) by James Borrego and “Flattime” (1995) by Jimmy Santiago Baca. At home in front of the camera, on stage, or in the producer’s seat, Borrego continues to be one of the most versatile and resilient talents of our time. (Courtesy IMDB.com)
Patty Ortiz (PO): You have been a long time supporter of CineFestival, how do you think Cine could grow and inspire new Latino filmmakers?
Patty Ortiz (PO): You have been a long time supporter of CineFestival, how do you think Cine could grow and inspire new Latino filmmakers?
Jesse Borrego (JB): I would like to see CineFestival grow into an actual bona fide film market, where buyers would actually come to the Festival to acquire films for distribution, and ideas, treatments, and actual scripts could be developed, and deals made so some of these local ideas for films could actually be produced.
Jesse Borrego (JB): I would like to see CineFestival grow into an actual bona fide film market, where buyers would actually come to the Festival to acquire films for distribution, and ideas, treatments, and actual scripts could be developed, and deals made so some of these local ideas for films could actually be produced.
So many great stories are told by our people, and cinema is our modern version of the oral cuento, and it would be great to make it easier for our film artists to not only tell these stories in film form, but to be allowed to show them directly to the people that they have made them for.
So many great stories are told by our people, and cinema is our modern version of the oral cuento, and it would be great to make it easier for our film artists to not only tell these stories in film form, but to be allowed to show them directly to the people that they have made them for.
I also think the Latino business community needs to be involved to create the infrastructure necessary for growth, such as investment in a film fund, sponsoring and funding CineFestival to expand in this direction, and collaborating with Latino filmmakers as to their specific needs.
I also think the Latino business community needs to be involved to create the infrastructure necessary for growth, such as investment in a film fund, sponsoring and funding CineFestival to expand in this direction, and collaborating with Latino filmmakers as to their specific needs.
PO: I like your analogy of cinema being like the oral cuento, and filmmakers sharing their stories directly with the people for which they were made. This year, you are in two of the movies being shown at CineFestival, “La Mission” and “Dream Healing.” Tell us what you’d like for the audience to take away from these two heart-wrenching stories.
PO: I like your analogy of cinema being like the oral cuento, and filmmakers sharing their stories directly with the people for which they were made. This year, you are in two of the movies being shown at CineFestival, “La Mission” and “Dream Healing.” Tell us what you’d like for the audience to take away from these two heart-wrenching stories.
JB: More than anything I hope the gente see how both these films… these particular modern cuentos were made especially for them. The filmmakers knew whom they were speaking to. The codes and symbols of our raza’s struggle is etched in a lot of the films being shown at the Festival, and now the true dialogue can begin between artiste and audience, and the catharsis inherent in cinema I hope will create an evolution of sorts, a movement toward changing who we are in film… what our image is in world cinema. You know, help us look beyond the stereotypes.
JB: More than anything I hope the gente see how both these films… these particular modern cuentos were made especially for them. The filmmakers knew whom they were speaking to. The codes and symbols of our raza’s struggle is etched in a lot of the films being shown at the Festival, and now the true dialogue can begin between artiste and audience, and the catharsis inherent in cinema I hope will create an evolution of sorts, a movement toward changing who we are in film… what our image is in world cinema. You know, help us look beyond the stereotypes.
At least that’s what I hope will happen. In reality, if people enjoy the story and are entertained then we’ve done our job. Que coman pa’con (popcorn)!
At least that’s what I hope will happen. In reality, if people enjoy the story and are entertained then we’ve done our job. Que coman pa’con (popcorn)!
PO: I don’t know if being entertained by the story is enough. We can’t let ourselves off the hook. You have alluded to how art historically has led change and how it is a shared responsibility between artist and audience to push the understanding of the ever-increasing Latino presence in America. Can you expand on this?
PO: I don’t know if being entertained by the story is enough. We can’t let ourselves off the hook. You have alluded to how art historically has led change and how it is a shared responsibility between artist and audience to push the understanding of the ever-increasing Latino presence in America. Can you expand on this?
JB: Yeah, film has been perceived as a commercial industry but it’s the powerful visual medium of its time because of how the audience is affected by it. Really, it’s the bridge between the popular culture, and the artistic expression of a culture in the throes of ultimate evolution, and both artists and audience are responsible for the trends and boundaries of the other.
JB: Yeah, film has been perceived as a commercial industry but it’s the powerful visual medium of its time because of how the audience is affected by it. Really, it’s the bridge between the popular culture, and the artistic expression of a culture in the throes of ultimate evolution, and both artists and audience are responsible for the trends and boundaries of the other.
But it has to be allowed to flourish as an art, and so the challenge of a trillion-dollar industry that sees Latinos only as consumers, on an art form like film, takes on an enormous toll on the perception of the audience as a whole. But the beauty of it is that Latinos are already underserved and underrepresented in the mainstream media, so it makes sense to connect directly with them now through this popular art form.
But it has to be allowed to flourish as an art, and so the challenge of a trillion-dollar industry that sees Latinos only as consumers, on an art form like film, takes on an enormous toll on the perception of the audience as a whole. But the beauty of it is that Latinos are already underserved and underrepresented in the mainstream media, so it makes sense to connect directly with them now through this popular art form.
PO: With new technology and media-making so accessible now to Latinos, youth, and do-it-yourselfers, how do you see this shift affecting both this “Trillion-Dollar Industry” and this growing art form?
PO: With new technology and media-making so accessible now to Latinos, youth, and do-it-yourselfers, how do you see this shift affecting both this “Trillion-Dollar Industry” and this growing art form?
JB: Well, the trillion-dollar industry will lose money and respond in a reactionary fashion, lobbying for more control of distribution channels, deregulating consolidation laws and monopolizing more media companies, but the cat is out of the bag so to speak, and more and more media, art, and films, will be shared by all freely.
JB: Well, the trillion-dollar industry will lose money and respond in a reactionary fashion, lobbying for more control of distribution channels, deregulating consolidation laws and monopolizing more media companies, but the cat is out of the bag so to speak, and more and more media, art, and films, will be shared by all freely.
This bodes well for our stories to be shared more directly with our raza, circumventing the traditional ways of absorbing info via the TV or the popular media machine. So the focus again is to validate the information and energy that’s being shared. That’s why film is so powerful, because it happens in an instant…
This bodes well for our stories to be shared more directly with our raza, circumventing the traditional ways of absorbing info via the TV or the popular media machine. So the focus again is to validate the information and energy that’s being shared. That’s why film is so powerful, because it happens in an instant…
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