Women Texas Film Festival - EKAJ
A gritty and truthful portrait of a young man searching for purpose and love.
Interview with Writer/Director Cati Gonzalez
Watch EKAJ on Tubi and Prime Video
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I love films, since I was a child. I got into photography first but in the back of my mind I was always thinking of making a film, then the digital age came making it possible to do, so I jumped in. I wrote a script with the intention of filming it in NYC with a small budget, and the rest is history.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Because it’s a raw gritty look into a beautiful runaway kid’s life. Ekaj is not just a film about a gay kid, it could be any kid. It’s about the emotions a lot of us have experience as a teen, first love, rejection, feeling inadequate and being innocent. Ekaj experiences lots of rejection while being so beautiful it’s devastating. It’s also a look into how drugs form a part of every young person with problems in life. We are so used to it that we don’t make it an issue. It’s just a part of life.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
It’s all personal themes, experienced first or second hand, through friends or people I have known. I am not gay but I worked as a fashion photographer for 20 years and everybody is gay in the Fashion world. I had gay roommates, agents, friends, clients, it was my life.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Well, it evolved once I met a couple of characters, friends of friends and decided that rather than two Puerto Rican straight guys I would switch them to two Puerto Rican gay guys. I am surprised the film didn’t change as much as the original script when I look back. I did try to have them improvise some of their lines but it didn’t happen as much as I wished. Most of the time they stuck to the script.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Well, many have said that It reminds them of the movie “Kids,” it has also been compared to Andy Warhol and Paul Morrisey’s “Flesh” and “My private Idaho”. Most of the feedback is how real the film looks and feels, as if it’s a documentary.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It was surprising because it was my first film, and I got feedback similar to the feedback on my photography, that it was raw, real, etc. I’d say that It really motivated me more to write and plan for my next project.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
To reach out to an audience that is actually interested in film, in true indie films. I have noticed that the film does really well with some film aficionados.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We definitely need journalist to come on board and help us get it out there. We weren’t able to raise the funds to pay for publicity of the film, and all the publicity we’ve gotten so far has been thanks to Film Festivals, bloggers and two or three journalists who had interest in writing about the Film. Other than that, we’ve been promoting it ourselves.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like Ekaj to show the pain and tribulations that a runaway kid experiences. How fragile and dangerous their lives can be from one second to another. The similarities between a gay kid and a straight kid when it comes to runaways. A Puerto Rican female detective who had a film in the same festival where we premiered in New York City said during the Q&A that she was surprised about what these gay kids went through, she had arrested many of these kids during her time working at the NYPD but never had seen them from the point of view shown in the film.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
(I am going to answer with a few)
Was coming of age, rejection and loneliness a shaping factor in your life?
Did feeling different in your youth make you lonely, rejected?
Is Aids that common among teenagers?
Would you like to add anything else?
First, I wanted to make a film that had no stereo types at all and I think I managed that.
And second, although it was incredibly hard to do, I’m not sure I would recommend anyone to work with non-actor street kids. On the other hand, I did love working with real people who suffered these problems or knew about them second hand, and giving them an opportunity to expose their artistic sides otherwise hidden.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am working on getting the funding for my new short film which I am very excited about, and hope to put into production soon.
Interview: August 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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EKAJ
A gritty and truthful portrait of a young man searching for purpose and love.
Length: 80 Minutes
Director: Cati Gonzalez
Producer: Mike Gonzalez
Writer: Cati Gonzalez
About the writer, director and producer:
Writer, Director: Cati Gonzalez was born in Cordoba, and raised in Barcelona, Spain. She moved to NYC in 1990 where she worked as a Fashion Photographer for many years. Her work has been seen in many publications such as French Photo, I.D, Spin, Vibe, Interview, Paper Magazine and others. In the last few years Cati has transitioned from Photography to Film. Her first Film project ‘EKAJ’ is her directorial debut and has already won 16 awards at Film Festivals Worldwide. She is also the President of Tompkins Square Park Films.
Producer: Mike Gonzalez was born and raised in New York City. He is the Producer, Editor of the Film ‘EKAJ’ and is also Vice President of Tompkins Square Park Films which he formed together with Cati Gonzalez.
Key cast: Jake Mestre, Badd Idea, Scooter LaForge
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Journalists, Film Bloggers, Film Festivals, and International Distribution
Social media handles: FB: @ekajthemovie, Twitter: @ekajthemovie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EkajTheMovie/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ekajthemovie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catiandmike_gonzalez/
Tumblr: ekaj-the-movie.tumblr.com/
Website: www.ekajmovie.com
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4938292/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Funders: Tompkins Square Park Films, Inca Cola
Made in association with: Tompkins Square Park Films