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Mosquita y Mari’s Path to Sundance
http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Film/Mosquita_y_Maris_Path_to_Sundance/***snip
But it’s a tale that can’t be quantified by dollars. The people who made the film and the community that supported it were often one in the same, all moved by the desire to see something different on the big screen. While it’s rare to see queer cinema, it’s even more difficult to find meaningful and authentic representations of Chicanos, much less ones that are written, produced, and directed by queer Chicana filmmakers.
Below, Guerrero talks about what inspired her to make the film.
Jamilah King: What inspired your film Mosquita y Mari?
Aurora Guerrero: When I was in film school we were tasked with writing about “something you know.” I kept coming back to a friendship I had when I was 13. It was the first time I was bringing voice to a moment in my life that was so transformational. This friendship I had with this other girl gave me the courage to be comfortable in my own skin. And by that I'm referring to that awkwardness that comes at that age. Not always feeling like you fit in. As teens these are the relationships that are the most prominent — especially the same-sex friendships. When someone comes to mean so much to you, I think other feelings can arise like love and desire. That's what surfaced in my friendship, and it seems that many people around me can relate to that experience.
It’s not often that we hear and see love stories about young Chicanas growing up in South East Los Angeles. How did you come into filmmaking?
Precisely for that reason. As a young queer Xicana, I yearned for images of myself in media. It's only now that we're seeing a few, and by that I mean Santana on Glee. It's 2012 and we only have Santana? This was a big motivator for me to prioritize this story over other scripts I wanted to direct. But in general I came into filmmaking as an artist in love with the creative process and as an activist drawn to the potential film has to inspire reflection.
