Sarasota Internation Film Festival / Philadelphia Latino Film Festival 2020 – ¡Come!
Set in Florida, a 12-year-old Puerto Rican girl’s perspective changes when she brings a popular dessert dish, Arroz con Leche, to a thanksgiving event at her school and no one eats it.
Interview with Writer/Producer Pamela Rodriguez
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
¡Come! started off as a final project I submitted for a screenwriting course I took during my last semester of college. I initially had a difficult time starting my project because I didn't know what to write about. I didn't feel like I could effectively write a story about a summer romance or a mystery in a small town or anything of that nature, so I chose to go with what I knew. I thought about my childhood and growing up as a Latina in a predominately white, southern town. I thought about the friends I had growing up, the differences between our families and their traditions, and, more specifically, the differences in the meals we consumed. I thought about all of the times I brought leftovers from the night before to school for lunch the next day -- fragrant, authentically Puerto Rican meals -- and how self-conscious I'd feel at times not having "normal" American meals like my friends did. This particular thought helped me develop Isabella's story. My professor at the time, Matt Herbertz, saw potential in bringing the script to life and spearheaded the process.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
At our core, we are human beings seeking belonging and identity. ¡Come! tells a story about the search for both of those elements through the eyes of a child. We can all pinpoint a time in our lives where we may have wished we were a different person, or that our family would do certain things differently, or that we would have been raised a different way. ¡Come! brings those thoughts back to center, reminding us that we each have one unique life to live and that the things that make us different often become some of the most cherished and precious parts of our lives.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Our search for identity is a human thing, it doesn’t just happen with one group of people or the other. That search, coupled with the fact that Isabella comes from a Puerto Rican family living in a predominately white town, amplifies the concept of Isabella finding solace within her cultural identity. Regardless of your background, race, ethnicity, sexual preference, etc., anyone can identify with Isabella’s story.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The original script didn’t change much from the time it was finished to the time we started filming. When it was decided we would be doing a 2-day shoot, we had to modify a scene or two in order to make the most of our time on set. Overall though, ¡Come!’s storyline has stayed pretty consistent.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We’ve received so much wonderful feedback! The best part has been talking to people who grew up in Latin American/Hispanic homes like me, who experienced events similar to those in ¡Come! in their childhoods as well.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I’m not sure if it really surprised me, but it was comforting to see so many fellow LatinX friends and family reach out with words of encouragement, many who have said: “I saw myself in this” in different ways. It’s been its own gift to hear that ¡Come! was a story that needed to be told.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I am hoping that ¡Come! reaches a wider audience and that, in reaching those audiences, more LatinX filmmakers, screenwriters, actors etc. will watch and be inspired to tell their stories as well.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I believe we’re open to anything at this part of the journey!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I’d love for ¡Come! to bring audiences back to their formative years — whether that be a specific time in their childhood, their tweens, in high school, college, etc — and think of a time where they felt so out of place they were desperate to do anything to fit in. These moments can feel so hopeless at times, but finding beauty in where we are, in what makes us and our lives unique, is part of the journey!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Lizette Barrera, our director, is currently in development to direct two features -- Chicle written by Lizette Barrera and Miss East LA written by John Cantú, as well as the pilot Primos written by Robert Ahumada and Lizette Barrera. She's also in Development to Produce a Texas Feature called Over Half Hell’s Acre written by Joshua Gallas.
Our Director of Photography, Matt Herbertz, is in pre-production for three short films and writing two features. One of those shorts is about a young Navajo woman reconciling the recent death of her best friend — he co-writing, producing, and serving as the Director of Photography for that short in New Mexico this August.
Interview: May 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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
¡Come!
Set in Florida, a 12-year-old Puerto Rican girl’s perspective changes when she brings a popular dessert dish, Arroz con Leche, to a thanksgiving event at her school and no one eats it.
Length: 12:00
Director: Lizette Barrera
Producer: Matthew Herbertz
Writer: Pamela Rodriguez
Key cast: Noa Carcia (Isabella), Kianna Jackson (Teacher), Arniria Turney (Abuela), Elvia Hill (Maritza), Saul Cancel (Jose), Michael Ramon (Gabriel).
Looking for: journalists, film festival directors, distributors
Facebook: ¡Come!
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: Indie Atlantic Films
Funders: Florida Southern College, Self-Funded, Indie Atlantic Films, Seed & Spark