Los Pajarracos - A Mexican Filmmaker Experience in the U.S.

1. Tell us about your movie and how it was received in the U.S.? What was different than you anticipated?
Horacio Rivera: I have to say that people have given Los Pajarracos great reception in all the Latino Film Festivals where it has participated. People really enjoyed this story and appreciated its humor and social criticism. Regarding my forecast about the US film marketplace, I use to think that it was easier to release my film theatrically, but it is not. Advertising costs are higher and everyone is afraid to take the risk.

2. Could you tell us about your experience promoting your film in the US? What did you learn? What worked or didn’t work for you?
Horacio Rivera: What I learned is the distributor loses faith on your film pretty soon. So if you want people to see your film, you can not be waiting for your distributor to do the work, you have to become both distributor and spokesman of your own film. You have to reach your moviegoers on your own. We focused on strategies that maximized our opportunities to generate awareness of our film. It meant becoming a public relations expert, a kind of professional who always is aware of the mass media and film industry trends in order to take as many exposure opportunities as one can.

3. How important was it for your movie to participate in Latino Film Festivals?
Horacio Rivera: It is important in terms of image and awareness from the potential audience as well as the global film market place. By participating in a Film Festival, your film enhances its value in territories of the world where it could be sold. And it means potential revenues. In the case of Los Pajarracos, our sales agent, placed in London, has used the Festivals attendance of our film as a selling point in order to get interest from distributors of different countries.

4. What advice can you offer Latino filmmakers outside the U.S. looking to the U.S. to distribute their film?
Horacio Rivera: -1. Get as much information as you can get, regarding U.S. film market place. -2. Send your film to Film Festivals into U.S., and don’t expect it will get you the big prize, just conform yourself as people of the industry get awareness of your film. -3. Rather than aim for a conventional distribution deal whatever the terms, you have to focus on distribution strategies that maximize your opportunities to earn revenue from your film. And that usually means hanging on to as many rights as possible, and getting into a position where you can negotiate from a more favorable position.

5. What have you learned about distribution opportunities here in the U.S.? How does this compare with your home country or other markets?
Horacio Rivera: It is the same thing everywhere. If you want to get a distributor, please take notice that you will have to hand over complete rights of your film. It means that you will have to rely on a traditional distribution model, and most important, you will have to deal with the standard distribution model: theatre-owners take their slice, 50% of box office gross, the distributor takes his fee, typically 35% of gross, and recoups the cost of prints and advertising (P&A). What lasts to the filmmaker? Debts! If you are lucky, It will take two years for ancillary revenues, in particular, from the big revenue-maker DVD sales, to get the filmmaker obtains some cash.

6. Is there opportunity for Latino Filmmakers in the U.S. to distribute films in your country?
Horacio Rivera: Of course there is. But that is not the real issue, the main issue I believe is that a Latino filmmaker who lives in the U.S., does not know the way of thinking of the people who live in other countries in Latin America. I mean in most cases, they just know stereotypes. And it makes it harder to reach a big audience. On the other hand, if the film has a big advertising campaign, your will have a better chance to obtain box office revenues.

7. What’s next for you?
Horacio Rivera: By now I am developing a hilarious comedy called LIMBO: a curious story of a gay-boy, who suffers an accident. After that he goes to LIMBO -a place out of this word- where he will meet a couple guys who will change his life once the boy returns to the material world. I have to add that LIMBO is a super low budget film that will be distributed by myself.

Saturday, November 17, 2007  |  Share This