An exclusive interview for Musica Roots Magazine from the director of LA GUAPA Kenneth Castillo.
Kenneth , first of all, thank you for your time and inspiring directing skills , please tell us about your latest film :
How long have you been directing ?
I started writing and directing one act plays in the mid to late 90’s right after I had graduated from an acting academy. I wrote and directed my first feature film in the year 2000 and screened it 2 years later. It went nowhere but the experience taught me a lot. It was basically my own self-taught film school.
What other movies have you been part of as an actor or director ?
I don’t consider myself an actor anymore although I do make a cameo here and there in my own movies. La Guapa is my sixth feature film as a writer/director. I also wrote and directed a series of urban Latino films entitled The Drive-By Chronicles. They are character driven slice of life stories whose titles are Sidewayz, Ghostown, Confession of a Gangster and Hearts of Men. My fifth film was a boxing drama that I co-wrote and directed called Counterpunch. It was based on a true story of a Golden Gloves boxer (Alvaro Orlando) who suffers from bi-polar 2 disorder and gets help from his crisis counselor who is played by Danny Trejo. You can check that one out on Netflix and Amazon.
Is this fiction ?
La Guapa is fiction but like all my films they are all rooted in past experiences and truths.
Tell me about the main characters and who plays them ?
The main character is Alex aka La Guapa who is played by Grace Serrano. She’s a salon owning assasin who has to carry out various hits for her ex-husband/drug dealer Cesar Fiqueroa who is played by Anthony L. Fernadez in order to gain back custody of their daughter. With every “hit” she gets closer to getting back to her daughter but emotionally gets further away. This all happens while she is being pursued by Det. Pensiero played by Al Coronel. With less then 6 degrees of separation between all the characters involved it’s just a matter of time before everything starts to unravel.
How many actors are in this film total ?
Including all roles there are 16 actors in this film.
Is this movie done in LA ?
Yes. We shot all over L.A. From North Hollywood to South Central, Downtown L.A., the Hollywood Hills, Montebello and East L.A.
What kind of audience is it for ?
I always say that my films are independent movies for a mainstream audience. Anyone who likes a character driven drama with authentic relationships and a thrilling story with some twists and turns will enjoy La Guapa.
In tree words define your movie ?
Oh man. That’s tough. Okay, here goes. Emotional, haunting, thrilling. Of course, the audience will have the ultimate say but I hope they enjoy my effort.
If you want to check out the movie this Sunday buy your tix now. We have very few tix available but if you want to stay in the loop for future screenings check out my website at:
KennethCastilloFilm.com
Photos by Kenneth Castillo
Interview by Luis Polanco
