Puerto Rican screenwriter tries to break schemes with “Gordita Chronicles” series

ÎNGERII.- To say the events that marked your life and community is the lesson that Puerto Rican screenwriter Claudia Forestieri he learned in his effort to enter Hollywood and tell stories for a Latino audience, which, despite multiple calls, is still underrepresented on screens.

“It always encourages someone to write something personal, because it will be a story that no one else will have, and this will be a letter introducing who you are and what your point of view is,” explains Efe Forestieri, who came to Los Angeles more than 10 years ago looking for an opportunity to bring Latino stories to TV or film and fill the gap that exists in the industry.

However, he says he had reservations about writing about his life and getting a Hollywood producer to bet to give him a chance at his project. The election of President Donald Trump in 2016 and the constant attacks on immigrants and their community led her to find inspiration in her own life experience. “Chronicles Gordita”.

The story of the immigrants “GORDIȚA”

Despite having an American passport since birth, Forestieri claims that he knows what an immigrant in the United States is facing and much more about the adjustment problems that foreign children face. Born to Dominican parents, the Latin writer and her family moved to Miami, Florida, in the 1980s, when she was just seven years old.

“It was very difficult because I didn’t know the language, the culture. They told me I had to start changing and started calling me “chubby.” It was a very shocking combination, “he recalls. In addition, Forestieri and his family have reached a stage where immigrants have been identified as generators of violence in South Florida. The screenwriter points out how in 1981 the famous Time magazine declared on its cover that South Florida was a “Paradise Lost,” a specialty with photographs showing when Miami was known for cocaine traffickers, the wave of crime, and an influx of immigrants from Haiti. and Mariel boats from Cuba.

“There have been many negative stories in the press and this has greatly affected the image of Cubans and other nationalities in Miami. Despite the fact that the criminals were a very small percentage, we all suffered these accusations “, he refers.

THE VALUE OF LATINS

Forty years later, things have changed in Miami, Forestieri admits, a transformation that is largely due to Hispanic and immigrant hands.

“This new face of Miami is largely due to our contributions,” he says proudly of the city he calls home and where “Gordita Chronicles” takes place, a comedy set in the 1980s around the 12-year-old Dominican Girl. . HBO Max this month approved the implementation of the pilot program. Forestieri brings the experience of being part of the drafting team “Selena: Series”, a Netflix production that premiered on December 1 revives the legend of Queen Tex-Mex. Puerto Rican was also one of the screenwriters in “Good problems”.

Barriers difficult to engrave

To reach these teams, the 46-year-old Puerto Rico has spent more than 10 years of his career knocking on dozens of doors and attending training sessions on NBC, HBO and Disney.

“It’s a very difficult road; you have to work on other things to pay your rent and survive. You have to give up a lot of things to get an opportunity, which may never materialize, and for Latinos the effort is double or triple “, he considers. The absence of Latin narratives in film and television is such a big problem Hispanic Caucus Congress led a hearing of the Chamber’s Judiciary Committee a few weeks ago to address the disparity. The Caucus and the House Oversight and Reform Committee called in October for the US Government Accountability Office to report on the issue. The ultimate goal of the application is to “enforce federal equal opportunity requirements” in the film, television and publishing industries. “It is time for the federal government to examine this issue of systemic racism and the exclusion of Latinos in industries such as publishing and Hollywood,” he said in a statement. Congressman Joaquín Castro, president of the Caucus. And it is that Latinos, who represent 18% of the population of the United States, represent only 4% of American cinema. A much lower figure than African Americans, who account for 17% of all images in Hollywood movies.

“There are many obstacles, such as convincing producers that our stories appeal to all audiences, not just Latinos,” Forestieri warns of one of Hollywood’s myths about Hispanic issues. For now, the Puerto Rican is focusing on making his creation and a first season is approved. He is also working to expand the concept of short film “Unimundo 45” which tells the adventures that take place inside a Spanish news in the United States. “This is another world full of characters of different nationalities and experiences, but which brings together the effort and spirit of immigrants from the United States,” he concludes.

Ana Milena Varón / EFE