When René Garza was in high school, his acting teacher told him that the Valley was the second poorest place in the United States.

The PSJA High School graduate always remembered Gilbert Zepeda’s words, so when he had the opportunity to portray the Valley, not as the second poorest place, but as an undiscovered gem, he jumped at the possibility.

“That part of the country (the Valley) has yet to be explored,” said Producer David Barrera. “It’s kind of neat to be the first to explore in and bring it to the screen and share it with everybody else.”

Garza, Barrera and two other PSJA graduates, Mando Alvarado and Michael Ray Escamilla, have come together to produce a Valley-based film called 7 Tales of Desperation, along with Abby Paige Fenton, who is an Executive Producer for their film company, Those Guys and That Girl Films, LLC.

In the film, Manuel Ricardo Montes is forced to confront his past in order to gain forgiveness. Montes, who lives in Mexico City, discovers his estranged father is going to be executed in Texas in seven days. With that knowledge, Montes, with his childhood best friend, embark on a journey across the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. In the process, Montes learns that the only people who can help him on his journey, those in the working class, are the very people he has scorned while working as a graphic designer.

The film is one of self-discovery and knowledge that sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.

Garza, who is working as an Executive Producer, said in developing the script for the film, that Creative Directors Alvarado and Escamilla both wanted to create a story that portrayed Latinos in non-stereotypical ways.

“We want to create non-stereotypical characters and tell an innovative story. We want to see real people in a movie. We’re tired of Lupe the maid. We want to see the Latino experience,” Garza said.

Valley residents have the opportunity to see the trailer of the movie, learn a little more about the film and how to invest in it at a pre-production party at Cine El Rey from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday. Garza said the estimated budget for the film is $600,000, and they have already secured a major investor.

Once this film is complete, Fenton, Garza, Escamilla and Alvarado, who make up TGTGF, will try to make a film once every two years. The plan is to do pre-production for 7 Tales of Desperation this summer and then full production in the spring of 2007. The film should be completed by summer ’07.

Garza said the film will be shot in Monterrey and in the Valley and will include local talent.

“I’m hoping that (audiences will) understand that it’s a simple story a universal story,” said Barrera. “It could be any one of us. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, or what you’re trying to achieve, we’re all similar.”
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Paige Lauren Deiner covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4425. For this and other local stories, visit www.themonitor.com.