Los Angeles is a giant when it comes to making movies.
Here in San Diego and Tijuana, we’re stuck under the huge shadow of LA. It’s hard to compete with Hollywood. But think about it: the border has good bones for eventually becoming a film mecca. It’s one big, diverse region that offers access to two really different backdrops. Plus, shooting a film in Mexico is a lot cheaper. And there’s not as much red tape when it comes to permits.
Unfortunately, though, a lot of large-scale production companies only think about the border when they’re thinking about movies or TV shows about drugs and violence.
Lots of filmmakers have been criticized for primarily using the Mexico-U.S. border as a backdrop for stories about the drug war. It’s become such a trope that “narco-fatigue” is now a term.
Locally, though, some filmmakers like Omar Lopex are using the border to their advantage, making movies that have nothing to do with narcos.
And that trend is starting to pick up some steam thanks to efforts by local film groups that are working hard to boost filmmaking in our binational region.
On a new episode of "Only Here," KPBS' podcast that tells stories that could only come from a border town, a story about filmmakers in San Diego and Tijuana using the border as a valuable resource instead of a lurid prop.
