Lady Filmmakers Film Festival - My Name is Maria De Jesus
In 1950’s Texas, Mexican-American children were forced to abandon their Spanish language and culture in order to fit in with a xenophobic American society. Thirty years later, one mother realizes the impact that Americanization has on her second-generation child who is struggling to connect with her Latin heritage.
Interview with Director/Producer/Writer/Actress Marcella Ochoa
Watch My Name is Maria De Jesus on Prime Video
Congratulations! Why are you making your film?
I always knew I wanted to do a story based on my parents’ lives and what they went through growing up Mexican-American in a xenophobic society in Texas in the 1950’s. I wanted to show the negative effect ‘Americanization’ had on the way my parents raised their children speaking English only. My goal was to educate the community and for people to understand the reasoning why some Latinos in the U.S. are not fluent in Spanish.
I’m extremely proud of my culture and embrace it, and I want to get that message across so others can feel the same way no matter what country their family comes from. We should all be proud to be American, but also try to retain the language and traditions from our individual cultures. Due to the fact that Latinos are often portrayed in a stereotypical manner in film and TV, I was compelled to tell a strong character-driven story. I also wanted to incorporate strong female leads, while inspiring young Latinos to get into the film-making industry.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This story is a very unique and important part of U.S. history that has never been told before. It’s important to understand what happened in our history so we don’t repeat the same mistakes, and we should embrace each other’s cultures. It’s a powerful message that I think many people can relate to and extremely timely with what’s going on right now in our country.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
This film follows one family’s story, but it is really a universal theme of accepting yourself and not being ashamed of who you are. I believe many people can relate to feeling disconnected from their culture or trying to fit in and be more American to be accepted by society. On a more personal level, it explores the relationship between different generations and the difficulty we sometimes have understanding and communicating with our parents or grandparents who did not pass on their language or culture from their country in order for their children to assimilate.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
It’s based on my family’s true story so the script was always pretty much set. I knew the specific scenes from our childhood I wanted to incorporate and worked a great deal with my parents and sister to ensure the story was accurate. When I wrote the script, I knew I only had enough funding for a two-day shoot, so I was mindful to keep the script short to make that schedule work. My goal was to get the greatest impact I possibly could from the scenes I wrote, as it was quite difficult to tell a whole life story in 15 minutes.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
So far, I’ve received positive feedback from every festival it has been screened at, and it was awarded a Bronze REMI award for Dramatic Short at Houston’s Worldfest. After it screened at the San Antonio Film Festival, I received an overwhelming response from people reaching out to me who expressed what their parents, and they themselves, experienced growing up in Texas. They told me their heartbreaking experiences and how it still affects them today. The people were all very grateful I was sharing this story. Those who were unable to attend the festival reached out to me asking where else they could see this film and requested showings at their schools. I was extremely touched by their reactions, and it just showed me how important and relevant this topic still is today.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I was definitely surprised at the responses and how emotional it made people recalling specific incidents from their childhood. In addition, I was actually really surprised to find out most of my cousins don’t speak Spanish, as well, due to the Americanization process my aunts and uncles went through. We all bonded over our similar stories of growing up feeling ashamed, but now we are all proud of our culture and making it a priority to speak Spanish. It really motivates me to make more impactful stories like this one and develop this short into a feature film to reach more people.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I really wanted to not only educate people about our history, but to create awareness about this short, as my ultimate goal is to make this into a feature film. I’m always looking to collaborate with other filmmakers who want to tell more incredible stories on under-represented groups, such as Latinos and women. It’s important for me to continue to make stories that give a voice to the voiceless, and I’m always happy to meet anyone who shares those same goals.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
This fall, I will be winding down to the end of my festival circuit, as it has been screening throughout the U.S. all year. My next steps are to start looking for a distributor to find a platform where I can reach as many viewers as possible. I’m also currently writing the feature film and then will look to secure financing for that project to shoot in Texas, as well.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
My hope is that this film will spark conversations about our different cultures. Hopefully, viewers will learn to accept themselves as well as others despite their differences. I hope they can recognize we’re all Americans, and what makes this country unique is that it is a land built on immigrants. To be an American, you don’t have to abandon your heritage. Instead, one should celebrate it and realize speaking more than one language is a beneficial, beautiful gift and not a shameful disadvantage.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
I think one of the key questions that can start a conversation about this film is do people consider themselves less of a Latino if they don’t speak Spanish? Many Latinos I knew growing up felt so ashamed they couldn’t speak Spanish, and they were judged by other Latinos for not being able to be fluent, so they didn’t truly feel Latino. My sister and I felt ashamed, as well, and we made it a point to learn Spanish in school. I would love for people who watch my short to understand the circumstances that our parents grew up with and the reason we only spoke English. This film shows why many Mexican-American generations, specifically in Texas, don’t speak Spanish, but that doesn’t make any of them less of a Latino.
Would you like to add anything else?
Thank you for contacting me to do this interview and helping create awareness on this important subject. I want to thank my family, cast, and crew. It wouldn’t have been possible to make this film without all of them. Thank you to my parents for sharing this very personal story and everyone who has contacted me to share their stories, as well.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m currently in post on a horror film called Discarnate that I co-wrote and produced and am looking for distribution. Besides writing the feature of this short film, I’m working on producing a documentary on Latinos in the Tech industry in Silicon Valley. I want to help inspire Latinos to go into the Tech world, and I’m also developing a couple of TV pilots featuring strong Latina roles. I’m also working on developing a fantasy film with my Executive Producer Mario Miscione, who I co-wrote my horror film with, as well.
Interview: September 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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MY NAME IS MARIA DE JESUS
In 1950’s Texas, Mexican-American children were forced to abandon their Spanish language and culture in order to fit in with a xenophobic American society. Thirty years later, one mother realizes the impact that Americanization has on her second-generation child who is struggling to connect with her Latin heritage.
Length: 18:03
Director: Marcella Ochoa
Producer: Marcella Ochoa, Victor Solis
Writer: Marcella Ochoa
About the writer, director and producer:
Marcella Ochoa is a Director, Writer, Producer, and Actress based in Los Angeles. She focuses on developing strong female and Latino content through her production company 8A Entertainment.
Key cast: Marcella Ochoa (Adult Maria), Ximena Pelaez-Munoz (Marissa), Jasmine Linares (young Maria), David Saucedo (Grandpa), Geovanni Gopradi (Sal)
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): I’m currently looking for distributors, and anyone else who can increase the film’s visibility
Social media handles:
Facebook: Marcella Ochoa
Instagram: Marcella Ochoa
Other: www.marcellaochoa.com
Funders: Self funded through my company 8A ENTERTAINMENT
Made in association with: 8A ENERTAINMENT LLC
Where can I see it in the next month?
It is being shown at the Lady Filmmakers Festival in Beverly Hills on September 29 and then at the Highland Part Independent Film Festival on October 7.