Fronterizas behind the camera - Part 1: Ladies of Cannes!

S1: The views and opinions expressed in today's episode do not necessarily reflect those of the Port of Entry team and those of KPBS. Listener discretion is advised. Ask on the Friends Know Island today. It's just gonna be me and you. I want to take you back to a time in my life when a series of small but significant moments shaped the way I see movies and magic. This story has dinosaurs , a sinking ship , and a serial killer. Yes. Believe me , you want to stick around for this one. You see , during the formative years of my life , I had a series of epiphanies that would profoundly shape my future. And they all came from watching movies. Oh.

S2: Oh. Movie magic.

S3: John Watts. Movie magic.

S2: Let me show you.

S1: All right , I want you to close your eyes. Hey , unless you're driving. Of course. In that case , eyes on the road , please. I want to take you back to your very first memory at the movies. What can you remember ? Maybe holding your parent's hand. The thickness of the floor under your shoes. The overwhelming smell of popcorn. Or in my case , jalapenos and nachos. Now the theater goes dark. The curtain pulls back , the screen lights up , and then that signature surround sound system vibrates not just in your ears , but right through your seat. And in that moment , you know something magical is about to happen. Can you feel it ? Do you remember the first movie you ever watched ? Well , I do. It was 1997 , I was three years old , walking into the theatre with my family. I looked down and saw tiny glowing lights along the stairs , and then a loud , beast like growl that I will never forget. Jurassic Park two had premiered at a movie theater in Tijuana that was a few miles from my house. I fell asleep through most of the movie , but every now and then I would wake up to the sound of dinosaur roars and John Williams's booming soundtrack. I remember feeling shocked and amazed. It all looks so real. It's movie magic. My dad told me. And with that , I knew I wanted to be that sort of magician. I was hooked. Hollywood movies became a huge part of my life. Action flicks from the 80s and 90s , horror films , early 2000 chick flicks and oh my God , I love them all so much so that I eventually became a working actress myself. A magician if you will. Just not on the big screen. Not yet , at least. Growing up , if I wasn't at the movies , I was renting VHS tapes with my siblings , and if those were all checked out at the video rental store , we would just watch whatever was playing on the two Free Tijuana channels that aired movies every weekend. I would lose myself in cheesy Spanish dubbed Hollywood blockbusters , slouching on the couch and glued to the TV. Those moments were pure magic to me. My brother told me that movie magic was made just a couple of hours away in Hollywood , but the reality of a multi-hour border crossing and a special I-94 permits my parents needed as Mexican nationals made that short 160 mile drive feel like a world away. Like moviemaking was something that only happened over there. Del otro lado. Until one day everything changed.

S4: This is estimated population 200. A small fishing village located on the Baja coast , less than ten miles south of Rosarito Beach. In 1996 , something big happened here that changed the face of this town. 20th Century Fox built a multimillion dollar , state of the art production studio.

S1: I was about eight years old on a school field trip to Rosarito , just 30 minutes south of Tijuana. From the bus , I saw what looked like a sinking ship behind a massive gated lot and a banner that Red Fox Exploration. We were about to tour Baja Studios , previously known as Fox Studios Baja , which was an extension of 20th Century Fox at the time. This was one of the satellite studios where Hollywood productions were filmed to help reduce costs.

S5: You know , seeing this location , you might think , did we just shift gears and are now bringing you a show about New York or not ? So folks , this really looks like New York , but it's not Hollywood either. So where are we at ? We're still in Baja. This is Rosarito. These are the Baja studios in Rosarito Beach.

S1: Oh , Natalie , which films were shot there , you may ask ? Ah , just the little one called Titanic. As a matter of fact , that was the whole reason why Baja Studios was created to meet the needs of that legendary James Cameron film. Other blockbusters like Pearl Harbor and James Bond's Tomorrow Never Dies were also filmed there , just to name a few. After its peak , the studio opened to the public. Locals like me could explore movie sets and props from iconic films that were also filmed by Fox in other parts of the world. I remember walking on the deck of the Titanic. Oh yes , that deck where Rose told Jack.

S6: I'm flying Jack.

S1: It was magical. Standing there surrounded by sets and costumes. It hit me. Movies weren't just made in Hollywood. They were made here , too. Just 30 minutes from home. That was my first epiphany. A second one came. Years later , whenever I watched a new movie , I loved checking out their behind the scenes and interviews.

S7: Speed 70. Apple. Take three. Mark. Set.

S6: Set. Set.

S8: Set. Add. Background and action.

S9: Hey , we're talking a minute. Thanks for coming by.

S1: The directors , the producers , the ones calling the shots. They were all men. It created this invisible wall in my mind , a feeling that the world of filmmaking I dreamed of wasn't built to include women like me until a serial killer showed me otherwise.

S10: Hello , Halberstam. Nice tie.

S11: It seems logical because Marcus also works at PMP and in fact , does the same exact thing I do. He also has a penchant for Valentino suits and Oliver people's glasses.

S1: That's right , Mr. Patrick Bateman , the one and only American Psycho. Okay , I might have been a little too young for the film. I was 14 years old. And don't judge me. You did it too. Come on. But watching behind the scenes interviews of the film with director Mary Harron confidently talking about her craft made everything click.

S12: Well , I think I think there's a tonal thing which I want. One of the things I liked in the book , I thought was very interesting. The book was that it shifted totally abruptly from a social , social satire comic scene to something , you know , horrifying and upsetting.

S1: And films are not just made by men in Hollywood. They are made by women , too. Those two epiphanies shaped my path forward , giving me the courage to believe that a girl from the border could belong in that world. I chose to pursue that dream as an actor and have since become an experienced theater actress. No , I haven't made my movie debut yet , so you know I'm available. Wink , wink. And this is where my personal journey connects to a much larger one. The story of the trailblazing women will meet in the next two episodes.

S13: I am viola.

S14: I am Nicholas Harris.

S15: Hi , my name is Marisha Gutierrez.

S1: In today's episode of Port of Entry , we chat with Marla Arreola , Nicolas Ruiz and Marin Gutierrez , three young women filmmakers that reached the heights of none other than the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. And on the next episode , we sit with Paulina Castro , a 17 time Emmy winning TV producer from Tijuana who has paved the way for other creatives in TV.

S16: Yeah , I remember trying to be a rebel and fighting the border patrols all the time , not wanting to put my , you know , my school bag in the machines they had. And if they were mean to someone , I would be like defending them because I was like , yeah , I'm a U.S. citizen. What are you going to do with me ? Like.

S1: These remarkable women are not just making their mark as artists , but also breaking through gender barriers and redefining expectations as border lenders. Join us in these two episodes special to hear their stories , the challenges they have faced , and how they are paving new paths in the TV and film industry and beyond. If this is your first time tuning in , we are speaking with shapers and visionaries of the Borderlands. This is part one of Fran Teresa's Behind the Camera. Stay tuned from KPBS. This is Port of Entry , where we tell cross-border stories that connect us. I'm Natalia Gonzalez. Hola. Nicolas Ruiz and Maria Gutierrez all grew up between the US and Mexico border. And now they are telling stories that are set in this space. Stories that have catapulted the three of them all the way to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France. Last summer , I visited Marla Arreola at her home in Tijuana. I know , Mira mala is a film producer and a film production professor. She studied at Mexico City's Centro de Capacity Cinematografica , or Za , one of the most prestigious film schools in Latin America.

S13: Yo creo afin de cuentas si somos esos Como otros nativos indispensable para la realization de la pelea.

S1: Mala is her role as a sort of a dreamweaver , helping bring a director's dreams , ideas and imagination into something real.

S13: Quiero hacer. Qué esta persona , Mr. compartir.

S1: One of those visions was Angel.

S17: La primera vez.

S1:

S13: Y la verdad es ahi tanto con el gusto tanto o algo me Nomura llamo me venganza mucho. La historia es un automatica. Entonces yo la verdad ahi. Si es la primera vez mi vida Q sia. Producer Cee Lo.

S1: Mala felt instantly drawn to the story and agreed to produce it before reviewing the budget , and it was the right call. The film was screened in the short film corner of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. That same level of connection , of letting yourself be completely moved by a story , is something Maria Gutierrez also shares. But in her case , it isn't about producing someone else's dream. It's about crafting her own from start to finish. You can sense her intensity even as she speaks about her connection to film. She could hardly contain her emotions from her childhood when when you realize that you had a connection with film.

S14: Oh my God. Oh my God. It hit me right in the spot because I'm a few blocks away from my grandma's house. But just watching movies as a kid , um , you know , way back when I was growing up , um , we had VHS.

S15: And it was like watching.

S14: Whatever you would have in your library.

S1: In October of last year , I sat down with Marin at a coffee shop in Taiwan. She currently lives in LA , but she was scheduled to fly out from here for a screening of her short film together. Or she stays in English at the Festival Internacional de Morelia in the state of Michoacan. That same short was selected for the Cannes Film Festival. The story is about Laura , a dancer from Tijuana. Torn between a grad school opportunity and unresolved feelings for her ex. A night out takes a dark choice when she meets a mysterious group of vampire dancers. This film debut took her deep into storytelling , both emotionally and technically , from writing parts of her life into the character all the way down to editing each frame by hand. Not using editing software , but the old school way using analog film.

S14: Yeah , so I learned how to edit on a flatbed in college , and it was like , uh , an experience that I really liked. Of course , it's tedious.

S1: I remember this in both physically cutting the film and taping the strips together , scene by scene. It was a painstaking and deeply tactile process.

S14: That's also why I want to keep continuing editing , and luckily so I can properly learn and and keep learning and evolving. How do we preserve film ? Because I think this practice is , you know , um , not letting it die and also preserving it with what we have from the past.

S1: That same level of care and emotional depth in storytelling also lives in the work of Nicolas Ruiz. Nicolas is a filmmaker from Mexicali but now works out of Mexico City. Her short film extinction , or Extension of the Species in English , was co-directed with Matthew Porterfield , an American filmmaker who collaborated closely with her in multiple projects. This short film is about a young woman named Esther who wanders through Mexico City searching for connection and sense of self. The gritty realism and the quest for identity are consistently woven throughout her work.

S18: I , I talk. To Nakata.

S1: Each piece provides an honest portrayal of the complexities of finding oneself in the middle of challenging circumstances. Even though Nicholas's path has taken her deeper south into Mexico City , Nicholas storytelling still carries the spirit of the border region where she's from. We brought Mala , Maria , and Nicholas together on zoom for a conversation about making films outside of Hollywood , with navigating the industry as young women is like , and to share their recent experience presenting their work at the Cannes Film Festival.

S13: I am Malala , um , a film producer from Tijuana. I also like , teach , uh , like film production at , like the film school here in Tijuana. And I have a non-profit organization as well.

S19: Hi , I'm Nicolas Ruiz. I'm a filmmaker from Mexicali. And right now I'm living in Mexico , where I am living here since 2020.

S14: Hi , my name is Maria Gutierrez. I'm a filmmaker , um , from Tijuana , Baja California. Currently living in Los Angeles.

S1: Hello , girls. Thank you. Uh , thank you for being here with me today. And thank you for accepting to do this interview for Port of Entry. Um , can you talk to me ? Whoever wants to go first.

S13: Like , yeah , since I was little , I grew up like watching a lot of films and going to the cinema a lot. So I always thought about , like the behind the scenes and how we're like the scenes like , um , film and how many people were needed , like to work on each scene and like the production logistics , like , like I didn't know how like it was like like neither. Like how many people was needed. It was just like me wondering about that. And yeah , I love to watch a lot of films , and I did go a lot to the local cinema by my house. So I guess , um , yeah , since I was like , I don't know , like 10 to 11 around that time.

S14: I can go next. Um , so I think my love for cinema started when I was very young. Um , I think my first memories as a kid were watching movies at home in RVs. Um , and , uh , yes , I , uh. Very basic , but I really loved Disney movies when I was a kid. I love , um , animation. I thought it were it was like very , you know , visual imagery. And I remember so well , like , the first time that I could , um , it was like , the first time that I could , like , recognize how music could complement another thing so beautifully. Um , and I remember watching Fantasia a lot. Um , so I think that was like a very big influence on me and how , you know , because in animation , it's it's obvious that it's like an artifice , because it's not like real people , you know , like on screen that , um , the , the that there was like a way of , you know , making images move. It was like the , the , the very principle of , you know , how things could move on , on , on screen and , and create very interesting visuals was something that I think , um , I was very curious about when I was , you know , growing up. And , um , as I grew older , I think just the ability to make images was very striking to me. Um , and I got into photography and , you know , it was all about the still image. Um , that made me realize that , you know , in filmmaking , you could make so many images and you can accompany that with so many other elements that , uh , yes , made me love the the medium so much.

S1: Did growing up next so close to Hollywood influence.

S19: Um , because , um , I think I was saying earlier that , um , I , I remember , like , not having cable in my house for , like , I don't know , it was very rare when , when we have , uh , when we had cable. So we had just like the , you know , like regular free television. But I remember we had like three channels , uh , from the US. And I remember watching , like , after , uh , I think it's elementary school secundaria , um , Judge Judy or Saturday Night Live or Late Night or Conan O'Brien. I was a huge fan , and , Uh , and also I remember watching Canal Cinco and of course the , the , the like the , the main. So there was like only like anime and , uh , movies from Hollywood. So I think it influenced in my case , I had a lot of influence , uh , um , by , uh , a lot of Hollywood influence in my , in my life and in my earlier early years , like , as growing as a kid , you know , like watching these , these channels , uh , free channels. Uh , and also , of course , like , uh , as I mentioned earlier , I was born in LA and I have family there. So I remember going there a lot , but I , I never thought of it as I never thought of a holy word , Hollywood or L.A. like as this are all like. They make this , uh , they make movies here. I started as something else because. And I never imagined as a kid that I could be a filmmaker. Uh , because I thought it was like something from another world. Like , I thought it was like science. For me , cinema was not something that I could like. I yeah , I didn't imagine the possibility of being a filmmaker as a kid. And I remember because my dad is is a painter , but I felt really alienated by paintings like by he's like , uh , by his paintings and painting in general or art in general. So I felt like I was more connected to cinema because I could speak to me in a way that paintings or other art forms didn't , didn't do for me. So , uh , yeah , I think I had a little bit of a lot of influence from Hollywood. Like growing up as a kid.

S1:

S13: Uh , so it's like a big thing , even if you're , um , in any part of Mexico that you are in , if you're in Baja , it's even harder that if you were in Mexico City , to be honest , but because there's more like fonts and there's more like even private funding available , like like in the main , um , Mexico City area , uh , of our of , like our country. But , um , yeah , I think I would say that in regards like being a woman or being like young , I mean , it does have like its main issues , like I guess as anything in the world , like being a woman would , would be. So I mean , you do have to fight against like , the same standards , like getting against like older men and , you know , like , uh , patriarchy and , you know , like machismo. But , um , I mean , yes , like being in the position of , for example , in my case of being a producer. I mean , it does kind of help sometimes. You still find yourself like going against this type of like cases and people ? But , um , you do have like more opportunities to get like , um , like advantage , you know , then like to get ahead of , of that type of , of situations sometimes , like not always. Nicholas.

S1: Nicholas. So you were saying in Spanish that some of the challenges that you find are that , um , that you live in Mexico City and that you are creating , uh , scripts in cinema thinking about , um , characters from , from Baja California and not specifically from Mexico City. Can you talk about that ? What you remember about that ? Can you mention because that was very important ? Yes.

S19: Well , uh , that I , the , the cinema that I envisioned for me , like the cinema that I am more motivated to do is the cinema that I , I mean , the ideas that I have are ideas that I , I. I had when I was leaving in Mexicali , like a lot of I started my first short film is about my dad and and the desert that a lot of like the landscape of the desert is very important for us , for my dad and me , it's something that I don't know in the desert , the landscape is something that is very influential in in our work. And , uh , my second short film is of action , and it's about , uh , the grandmother of , uh , one of my best friends , and she was from Japan. She , uh , she arrived in Mexicali when she was 21. Uh , and the my , my first feature film is about this , uh , teenagers that are growing up in Mexicali , And I remember , um , well , this is a very personal story for me. All the ideas that I have as a filmmaker are ideas that have to do with Mexicali , that have to do with growing up in Mexicali. And they have , uh , they're influenced by the weather. By. By the , by the summers in Mexicali. They are influenced by the , the sun. That is almost like , um , you go outside and you go blind because of the light of the sun. Like just the sun in your face , in your eyes , in your skin. Um , it it had. Yeah. I think I don't envision myself and I don't want to I don't envision myself making movies about here in Mexico or about any other anywhere else but in Mexicali. And I don't know what why that happens , but it's something. It's it's like that. It's it's it's , um. Yeah. For me , Mexicali is like , uh , infinite , like possible. They're like the possibilities of doing something there are like , infinite , like , uh , and it has to do with my emotional connection to the territory and to the city , to the people , to the accents , to to the sun , to the weather , to everything , to the desert.

S1: The the three of you were , were , were at Cannes at the same time. I just learned that , uh , a couple of minutes ago. Can you share with me you were saying something extremely powerful in Spanish. And if we can bring some of that , some things that you remember in Spanish that you mentioned about can if we can bring it to English as well.

S14: It was very daunting for me because it was the first time that I was showing a short film to the public in general. This was my first short film , and it was just , you know , sort of like a shock to the system to know that I was showing my work in such a big festival , one of the biggest of the world. You know , it was just very , um , disorienting , too , because , you know , I , I've never been there. Um , I didn't know what to expect. And at the same time , you know , um , I unfortunately , was projecting a lot of things that , you know , not that people were expecting of me or anything , but I think people were excited that , uh , shorts of Bajan , of and of Tijuana was in competition at this very prestigious festival or whatever. And , um , I felt sort of like an internalized pressure because of that , because I know personally that I have a responsibility as a filmmaker to show things , the things that I want to say , even though they're very personal emotions , because as we were saying in Spanish , at least for me and Nicolas , it seems that , you know , our filmmaking comes from very internal places for us. But of course , they come in a very external way , right ? Because in the end , the film is something that people see. It's a thing that's visual. It's the thing that you film in spaces that exists. Cyst. So of course , it comes also with a political lens and a and a political stance , whatever you show. Right. So , you know , I think I had a very I felt a very immense responsibility of , you know , showing Tijuana in a way not that I was represented. I'm not saying that I was representing Baja or Tijuana. No , I of course not. But , you know , I was representing me in a way. So I think that's what I wanted to get to and spend is that I was representing myself and my background. And , you know , it's like stripping yourself naked to the audience in a way. Right. So it was very , very , very daunting for me because , again , it was my first time doing that. Um , and of course , you know , coming from and it was funny that three , you know , projects of Baja California were there at the same time that's , you know , in a way , um , you know , it's it's a very it's one of the biggest borders of , of the world. And you know , we were saying how. I mean , I think we were talking about the percentages of , um , a filmmakers that are women that identify as women or feminine Mexico , that it's like so low. But imagine the percentage of that being lower in Baja , of course , because it's like it's it's it's it's very rare that , you know , filmmaking is done there. So , um , you know , with our context and then , you know , the , the more social political context at large with the , um , the ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine was very much felt there because it was like the first festival , um , that was happening with the with the conflict , um , you know , like we felt the streets , like sort of militarized. So it like , felt weird , you know , that we also come from like a very , You know , violent border and this , this , this thing was like , you know , in our faces all the time. So , you know , like , I felt the responsibility , you know , augmented because , you know , it's it's not only political for me , you know , in my own , you know , bubble of Mexico , but it's , you know , it's , it's , it's an issue that's at large. So I think that , you know , that tenderize me even more.

S1:

S14: We were like , going , I don't think , Nicolas , you were at the house all I think you all had already left. But I had like a total , like breakdown. I just couldn't believe it. Like like I had to , like , scream into a pillow because it was just , like , unbelievable. Nicolas.

S1: Nicolas. Samuel , did you get what ? How did I get here ? Moment.

S13: Well , yeah. For example , in my case , I produced a short film that was , um , there. And in our case , we actually won , uh , Guanajuato , uh , film festival and Mexican short films. So we were invited , like all of the winners of that year. Well , of , of the prior year , we went were invited and to be like at the Short Film Corner , which is like on the march to film , um , part of the festival. So in this case , we did not have like a public screening , like , um , Nico and Maria , but , uh , we were like , in this , you know , it's like a corner , like specifically. And it has , like , different like , um , like , you know , like areas where you have , like a computer access and you can watch the short film. So , I mean , uh , even though , uh , we like , didn't apply. So it was even more like , wow. Like like me. It was that moment , like , okay , like , this is real and this exists and it is happening and I'm here. So , like , how did I get here ? Know that that was kind of the , the , the moment for me because , uh , in our case , we were only allowed like to we were we could only go like one person per project in our case. So I wasn't supposed to be there either way. So it was even more exciting because it was like a an unexpected trip. So yeah , it was really like , mind blowing and like , like surreal and like , like a dream because I never dream of that festival. So it was like kind of. Yeah , like a unique experience.

S19: Well , in my case , uh , the short film that was invited. Uh , well , it. Is a short film that I co-directed with Matt Porterfield And , uh , we were invited. We we were in the official selection of Morelia in 2023. So they have , like , this main , uh , like the main short film competition in Morelia. And they are invited to the La Semana critique to have like a special screening. And of course , when I , when , uh , we were notified about like we were invited with our short with our short film , it was , it was , uh , it was great. Like , honestly , it was , um , such a , um , I don't know , you know , like to , to have a , a work of years like , screening and it's really , it's really something not , it's really powerful. But I was , uh , but I think it was more special because , uh , there was like , there was like Marina , there was Melissa Castaneda , who's a very good friend of mine. Uh , there was Mala. There was , uh , uh , a Jose Melendez. Um , he's from he's also from Mexicali. Uh , from from where ? I'm from his the director of the short film that , uh , Mala posed. And it was really like. I think it was really crazy. Like , it was really crazy to to to be there , like the the four of us in the five of us , like the all of us over there , like. And we're from Baja. Right. Like to share that , to have the the to have I mean , I think it was the first time for all of us in Cannes and to have like the possibility to share that moment with people , you know , it's it makes it extra special. You know , like I remember really sharing.

S13: Like , all of us together. Like how funny now , like , all of us were going was like , wow , it's even more specific and special.

S19: Yes , I remember , um , we were sharing an Airbnb , right ? Like , we were like , uh , partying together , and we were watching films together. I remember going to see , like , Leos Carax for film with Marina , and we were like , running to the screening because we were late and all those moments were very , very like special in , in , at least in , in my life and in my experience as a filmmaker. It's such a , it's such a treat , right , to , to to have the possibility to share those moments with people that are very , um , important in your life and in your , in your career. And I think that was like , extra special. And , um , yeah , I had like three short films over there. So yeah , it was it was huge. It was magical , to say the least.

S1: We're gonna close the interview with this thing that I'm gonna ask.

S19: Um , but , uh , I think , uh , that a lot of , uh , I find myself like , questioning the , the whole filmmaking craft , uh , in this , like , in this , like , Climate , like , uh , political climate. Right ? Um , but at the same time , I try to remember myself that , uh , the , the reason that I'm making films is , uh , something that has to do with , um , me growing up as a kid , like , this was , uh , there was this was a , as I mentioned earlier , like , I thought it was this was like , really , um , that that there was this was not human , you know , like , this was not something that normal people could do. Like , for me , uh , as a kid , I thought , like , only , like , scientists could do cinema. So when I realized that I could , like , I had a shot , you know , like , actually , I can make films. I thought , like , okay , that's what I'm going to do with with my life. And that's what I want to dedicate myself to , you know , to , make films. Um , making films are like a I don't know if for me , it's like a possibility to. They give me the possibility to understand the world that I , that I live in. You know , like , it's , um , because I didn't , I , I don't know , like , growing up , I , I was not very good at school. So cinema and television in general was the medium that I , I could like , I can understand the world through movies. I can understand the world through like soap operas , through TV shows , through everything. I can understand the the human condition through this , um , through this , uh , um , yeah , through the moving image , whatever you want to call it. Um , so I think for me , like , of course , in this , uh , Political climate. I question myself all of the all the time , like what am I doing and why I'm. Why even bother ? You know , like if there's all this happening , uh , the genocide in Palestine and the. The the Trump in power right now , the I's like deporting people and traumatizing people and. But I think it's really important for us to not forget that , um , this is our medium , right ? Like , this is , this is the the medium that I , I find myself more close to , like , I can I. Can really understand the world through through cinema and I can. And it's something as I said , to make films is a responsibility. So we better use that that. Like privilege and responsibility to to Communicate what it's more important for us. And I think in my case right now , what is more important about making films is to communicate that , um , uh , what is more what's more important ? Like , it's not even cinema that it's important or art. What is important is people. We are important as human beings , as as people. So having that in mind , I think I , I take my craft very seriously in that way. Like when I , when I'm making a film , I'm talking about a specific situation , a specific time , a specific person , a specific character. So I have the responsibility to chose something , um , through that and to say something through that and to to share my , my very own vision of the world , but at the same time is is , um , I don't know , it helps me to to. To enjoy myself too , because that is very important to us as an artist and filmmaker is enjoy yourself to enjoy yourself and do enjoy what you do. And don't forget where you come from. Don't forget the world that surrounds you. And I don't know , I said a lot of stuff on there , but that it's yeah , it goes like that a little , I don't know.

S1: Thank you so much. All three of you. Thank you for doing this , for taking the time to talk about this and about a lot of important things that you mentioned and that were very powerful both in Spanish and in English. And , um , and yes , thank you. Thank you so much for , for I know it was more than an hour and I appreciate that you stayed longer.

S13: No worries. Thank you a lot for inviting us. And it was great. Like , um , hanging. Well , like , you know , like connecting with all of you again , after a lot of time , you know , it's like a year , kind of. Yeah.

S14: Yeah.

S1: Thank you. Thank you so much.

S19: Thank you for inviting us. And , yeah , I was , uh , happy to share all this stuff with you.

S1: I probably shouldn't have watched American Psycho at the age of 14 , but viewing the behind the scenes interview with Mary Harron ignited my imagination. I believe that's the power of stories. They awaken and inspire something deep within us. Whether it's witnessing dinosaurs brought back to life on the big screen , or re-enacting a scene from Titanic with friends at a studio tour in Baja. These experiences convinced me that magic is something I could create , and that's exactly what Marla and Nicholas are doing in an industry where women still account for a small fraction of the directors in Hollywood and Mexico , they are forging ahead. In the latest annual report by Celluloid Ceiling. Researchers found that women directed only 16% of the 250 top grossing U.S. films in 2024 , and just 11% of the top 100 , showing no improvement from the previous year. Similarly , in Mexico , out of 240 feature films in production that same year , only 1 in 4 had a female director , and a mere 1 in 5 involved female cinematographers. Marla and Nicholas each bring their unique genres , aesthetics and styles to the table. Yet they all come from an industry historically dominated by men. Nonetheless , they have successfully paved their way for their stories. Marla , Maria and Nicholas are defined the daunting statistics stacked against them , proving that a film doesn't need to be produced in El Otro Lado or by a man to have a worldwide impact. This episode of Port of Entry was written and produced by Natalie Gonzalez. Adrian Villalobos is technical producer and sound designer. This episode was edited by Julio Cesar Ortiz Franco and Elma Gonzalez Lima Brandao. Liza Jane Morissette is director of audio programming and operations. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation of Public Broadcasting , a private corporation funded by the American people. This project was also made possible with support from California Humanities , a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit Call home. Soy , Natalia Gonzalez. Nos vemos. Pronto.