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Producer Frank Aragon: the Future of Latino Filmmakers
"I want to affect people's lives by the stories I'm telling, stories that make a
difference in our society"
By Al Carlos Hernandez
Published on Herald de Paris & LatinoLA: August 30, 2009
Produced by Boyle Heights native Frank Aragon, the Alan Jacobs' Toronto
International Film Festival - one of eleven titles added to its category
Contemporary World Cinema. The film was shot on location in South-Central Los
Angeles and stars local youths in the lead roles. It is based on a true story,
starring Danny Glover, Snoop Dogg, Kate Del Castillo, Elizabeth Pena and
introducing sixteen year old Jessica Romero from the streets of Wilmington,
California.
Frank Aragon's past films include MY FATHER'S LOVE, BOYLE HEIGHTS,
HOLLYWOOD FAMILIA and AND SO THEY DIE. All are part of 1211
Entertainment. Aragon's company has been concentrating on the
American-Latino audience for the last ten years. Frank is a Mexican-American
(Chicano) whose passion is telling positive Latino stories. In 2001, Aragon was
the recipient of the Golden Eagle Award as an outstanding independent
filmmaker from Nosotros. This is Aragon's first major film festival debut.
Frank tells us:
"I was born and raised in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles, eventually
moving to the San Gabriel Valley so we could live a little better life away from
gangs and drugs. I was raised in a single parent household; my mother and
father split up when I was six. My mother was always supportive of me. She just
didn't have time to nurture me the way she wanted to. It was always just me and
my sister because Mom worked a lot.
Mom always told me that I was a good storyteller. I believed her. If you tell a two
year old kid that they're good at something, they believe it and things start to
happen. I wanted more grown-up things early on, like a career in the movie
business. When my family found out about my dreams, and knew that I was
serious, they encouraged me. They patted me on the back and said, "You can do
it, mijo!" My friends knew that vision was what was driving me. They fully
supported me and are still expecting to have leads in future movies I make.
My sister and I grew up with television, especially FANTASY ISLAND. One film
changed my life and that film was ROCKY. I knew then that an underdog could
win or, at least in the effort, he was a winner.
I consider myself an actor who is also a producer/director. That is my love, my
passion. I'm told I'm a gifted director. After I wrote, produced, directed and starred
in my first film MY FATHER'S LOVE, I realized that I have an unshakable
confidence which cannot be broken by anyone. My ultimate goal is to someday
win an Oscar.
The reason I got into acting was that in the eighth grade I had a crush on my
drama teacher. I was student body president and discovered that I loved the
drama class so much! Reading plays aloud and then doing them on stage was
the best escape for me. I owe Miss Enloe; she started it all.
My first success came from an audition. I took a bus to Hollywood and walked into
a dark theater to audition for a play. I was eighteen and they cast me. We took
that play to New York City and performed Off-Broadway at Harold Clurman
Theatre. I had been auditioning for two years already for things in Hollywood. I
even got cast as a dead body in a morgue scene in DEATH WISH IV with Charles
Bronson. When I came back from New York at the age of nineteen I got cast in my
first film ANGELTOWN with Teresa Saldaña. Bob Morones cast me; I used to drop
pictures and resumes off at his door at least once every week.
My biggest supporters have always been my daughter and certainly my family,
who celebrate every success and encourage me to keep going. The biggest
challenge in starting out was being able to keep pursuing my dream and still eat
and live like any normal human being, I was a young man with responsibilities. My
high school sweetheart and I had a daughter from all of our love for each other. I
was only seventeen when she was born so I was a very young dad. My son was
born four years later. Destiny and Frankie are my two children.
My first professional gig was the play I did in New York City Off-Broadway,
performing next to a theater in which Melissa Gilbert and Phoebe Cates acted. I
knew I was a real actor like them. I eventually ran into them at the deli on the
corner and invited them to my play. They came and it was encouraging, (I loved
Phoebe Cates, but I didn't get to make out with her.) Working with young
professionals on that level, I knew I could make it then.
Originally I started out as an actor but had an accident after returning from
Minnesota where I had worked on a film. I asked the director and producer if I
could learn to be a PA, a production assistant, as well. They asked me, "Why?
You are an actor." I told them that one day I want to direct and produce so I want
to learn everything I can. I wanted to be by the camera at all times.That film was
Severo Perez's PBS film "And The Earth Did Not Swallow Him" based on the novel
by Tomás Rivera. I traveled with the film to Minnesota and there I eventually
worked in every department. I was a grip, an electrician, in the prop department,
the wardrobe department and production assistant. That was my first film school.
When I returned from Minnesota. I worked construction as a property supervisor.
Then tragedy struck. I had freak accident and was blinded by a bungee cord that
broke, hitting me in my right eye. I lost my vision in that eye and for four years I
didn't act anymore, having to undergo surgery after surgery.
Eventually I went to UCLA and studied the technical aspects of filmmaking. Five
years later I wrote, produced, and directed MY FATHER'S LOVE. Since then I've
made it a point to learn it all. I do what I need to survive, to keep going until I get
to the prize.
MY FATHER'S LOVE was my first serious effort, having produced, financed,
written, directed, and starred in that film. It was a major undertaking and it helped
me learn so many things in so many ways. Hollywood really doesn't care about
young or old. It cares about hotness. If you're hot, it doesn't matter if you are one
hundred years old. If you're thirteen and hot then you're welcome as well.
Hollywood is driven by money and who can bring in the next big payday. In this
town, if you are already successful then you are wanted. If you are smart and can
deliver in today's age, you can dictate your terms better than back in the day.
Especially when you are not dependent upon them for your successes.
I have to say that there is discrimination against Latinos in the entertainment
industry. I'm a Chicano and I'm brown. To most Hollywood people I'm just a
Mexican and sometimes I am viewed as an immigrant. They judge people based
on a perception about us that is false. That being said, most people in the
business are also smart, so they cannot deny our worth any longer. They are
fighting tooth and nail to try to get their hands on our audiences.
Al Carlos: What about your latest project? How did it come about? What events
led up to its showing in Canada?
Frank Aragon: I got a call from producer Scott Alvarez who had seen my work as
the location manger on REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES. They knew about me from
Effie Brown who knew me from my film MY FATHER'S LOVE. Scott wanted to meet
me and talk about a picture.
I read the script and liked it a lot. It wasn't stereotypical and I thought I could make
a difference working on the picture. I met with Scott Alvarez at an office in Studio
City. Scott and I talked while Alan Jacobs, who was in an office adjacent to ours,
could hear our conversation regarding a certain property. POR VIDA is the story
about a young gangster girl from South Central who happens to be Latina. Even
though he'd heard the conversation, I still didn't meet Jacobs.
We talked about the film and he offered me the job of location manager, I told him
I'd like to read the script again but I would like to help produce the movie. Based
on my body of work I was certainly more than just a location manager. He
listened. I went to La Vegas for a weekend and came back. I was offered the job.
When I returned they hired Dwight Williams, who is John Singleton's line producer
and executive producer in HUSTLE AND FLOW. I met with Williams but the
meeting turned into my being interviewed to be somebody's assistant, not a
location manager or even a producer. I very politely wished them the best of luck
with the project and walked away. There comes a point when you have to say,
"No, thank you," because you've earned more than they are offering. I still hadn't
met Alan Jacobs either while he was in the adjacent office.
They went out and tried to produce the film without me. They shot for ten days
out of a twenty-eight day schedule and then went dark. That means the film shut
down due to lack of money, being ove- produced, spending too much money, you
name it.
I knew that this project was an urban story and could be done cheaply if the right
people were involved. People who knew the hoods of Los Angeles and knew what
they were doing as independent producers, not studio producers. There is a big
difference and the difference is money. Independents are accustomed to working
without money and studio producers are used to having it. I learned how to work
without it. To make a long story short, I got a call from Scott again. He explained
everything to me, saying that everyone working the film was now gone. No more
money means they were no longer around. We set up a meeting at the Four And
Twenty in Studio City.
This time the meeting was with Alan Jacobs and Scott Alvarez. They asked me to
help them produce the rest of the film, keep a log on the days left, keep
continuity, handle cast issues, handle union issues, you name it. Problems,
problems. I asked them, "Okay so how much money do I have now to finish this
movie?" They said only about ten percent of the original budget. I accepted the
challenge and went to work.
We shot an additional nineteen days using weekends, making sure we matched
continuity, actors, and new locations. No more line producers, executive
producers, unit production managers, or location managers, These jobs are
usually filled by multiple people on films with money. We didn't have any money
so I did them all by myself.
I realized that this is what I've been grooming myself for all these years and I was
so ready. The film is simply good. It is excellent. We submitted the film to Toronto
and they accepted us. It is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. I
am so excited. It is an honor in itself.
Al Carlos: How has the film festival invite affected you? What do you hope
happens there?
Frank Aragon: Being selected is my own personal confirmation that I am ready. It
has shored up my confidence, giving me new birth and a passion for the next
level of projects. I hope I meet some great people who don't mind working on
projects with a young Chicano like myself in the future. People who can see
through the color of my skin and be okay with me, hopefully through my
successes. I can help enable more talented brown people on the set who need a
break too.
Al Carlos: What is your next project? How can people support your work?
Frank Aragon: I wish I could say. It's big. It is a comedy written by a big name
writer and produced by a young Chicano on his way to making a huge name for
himself. Me!!!! Oh yeah it has a strong female Latina as the lead who has yet to
be cast. Someone's going to get a big break! Especially if they are a Chicana!
People can support me, and the people like me who are trying to break down
some Hollywood barriers, by writing letters (emails) to the networks about me and
my work. Let them know we are coming and please go see my movies the first
week when they come out.
As an artist I want to changes lives. I want to affect people's lives by the stories
I'm telling, stories that make a difference in our society. I want to influence the
great change that is already taking shape in our country.
My life is one story that can be anyone's story. I know I am blessed and I will live
up to all the expectations people have for me by doing the best job I can. Making
a difference in others people's lives through the stories I will tell and the films I
produce, I will continue to be blessed by the very nature of the work and that
process.
More about Frank Aragon: From Boyle Heights Hood to Toronto International
World Premiere
Down for Life on YouTube
About Al Carlos Hernandez :
Edited by Susan Aceves
International Film Festival - one of eleven titles added to its category
Contemporary World Cinema. The film was shot on location in South-Central Los
Angeles and stars local youths in the lead roles. It is based on a true story,
starring Danny Glover, Snoop Dogg, Kate Del Castillo, Elizabeth Pena and
introducing sixteen year old Jessica Romero from the streets of Wilmington,
California.
Frank Aragon's past films include MY FATHER'S LOVE, BOYLE HEIGHTS,
HOLLYWOOD FAMILIA and AND SO THEY DIE. All are part of 1211
Entertainment. Aragon's company has been concentrating on the
American-Latino audience for the last ten years. Frank is a Mexican-American
(Chicano) whose passion is telling positive Latino stories. In 2001, Aragon was
the recipient of the Golden Eagle Award as an outstanding independent
filmmaker from Nosotros. This is Aragon's first major film festival debut.
Frank tells us:
"I was born and raised in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles, eventually
moving to the San Gabriel Valley so we could live a little better life away from
gangs and drugs. I was raised in a single parent household; my mother and
father split up when I was six. My mother was always supportive of me. She just
didn't have time to nurture me the way she wanted to. It was always just me and
my sister because Mom worked a lot.
Mom always told me that I was a good storyteller. I believed her. If you tell a two
year old kid that they're good at something, they believe it and things start to
happen. I wanted more grown-up things early on, like a career in the movie
business. When my family found out about my dreams, and knew that I was
serious, they encouraged me. They patted me on the back and said, "You can do
it, mijo!" My friends knew that vision was what was driving me. They fully
supported me and are still expecting to have leads in future movies I make.
My sister and I grew up with television, especially FANTASY ISLAND. One film
changed my life and that film was ROCKY. I knew then that an underdog could
win or, at least in the effort, he was a winner.
I consider myself an actor who is also a producer/director. That is my love, my
passion. I'm told I'm a gifted director. After I wrote, produced, directed and starred
in my first film MY FATHER'S LOVE, I realized that I have an unshakable
confidence which cannot be broken by anyone. My ultimate goal is to someday
win an Oscar.
The reason I got into acting was that in the eighth grade I had a crush on my
drama teacher. I was student body president and discovered that I loved the
drama class so much! Reading plays aloud and then doing them on stage was
the best escape for me. I owe Miss Enloe; she started it all.
My first success came from an audition. I took a bus to Hollywood and walked into
a dark theater to audition for a play. I was eighteen and they cast me. We took
that play to New York City and performed Off-Broadway at Harold Clurman
Theatre. I had been auditioning for two years already for things in Hollywood. I
even got cast as a dead body in a morgue scene in DEATH WISH IV with Charles
Bronson. When I came back from New York at the age of nineteen I got cast in my
first film ANGELTOWN with Teresa Saldaña. Bob Morones cast me; I used to drop
pictures and resumes off at his door at least once every week.
My biggest supporters have always been my daughter and certainly my family,
who celebrate every success and encourage me to keep going. The biggest
challenge in starting out was being able to keep pursuing my dream and still eat
and live like any normal human being, I was a young man with responsibilities. My
high school sweetheart and I had a daughter from all of our love for each other. I
was only seventeen when she was born so I was a very young dad. My son was
born four years later. Destiny and Frankie are my two children.
My first professional gig was the play I did in New York City Off-Broadway,
performing next to a theater in which Melissa Gilbert and Phoebe Cates acted. I
knew I was a real actor like them. I eventually ran into them at the deli on the
corner and invited them to my play. They came and it was encouraging, (I loved
Phoebe Cates, but I didn't get to make out with her.) Working with young
professionals on that level, I knew I could make it then.
Originally I started out as an actor but had an accident after returning from
Minnesota where I had worked on a film. I asked the director and producer if I
could learn to be a PA, a production assistant, as well. They asked me, "Why?
You are an actor." I told them that one day I want to direct and produce so I want
to learn everything I can. I wanted to be by the camera at all times.That film was
Severo Perez's PBS film "And The Earth Did Not Swallow Him" based on the novel
by Tomás Rivera. I traveled with the film to Minnesota and there I eventually
worked in every department. I was a grip, an electrician, in the prop department,
the wardrobe department and production assistant. That was my first film school.
When I returned from Minnesota. I worked construction as a property supervisor.
Then tragedy struck. I had freak accident and was blinded by a bungee cord that
broke, hitting me in my right eye. I lost my vision in that eye and for four years I
didn't act anymore, having to undergo surgery after surgery.
Eventually I went to UCLA and studied the technical aspects of filmmaking. Five
years later I wrote, produced, and directed MY FATHER'S LOVE. Since then I've
made it a point to learn it all. I do what I need to survive, to keep going until I get
to the prize.
MY FATHER'S LOVE was my first serious effort, having produced, financed,
written, directed, and starred in that film. It was a major undertaking and it helped
me learn so many things in so many ways. Hollywood really doesn't care about
young or old. It cares about hotness. If you're hot, it doesn't matter if you are one
hundred years old. If you're thirteen and hot then you're welcome as well.
Hollywood is driven by money and who can bring in the next big payday. In this
town, if you are already successful then you are wanted. If you are smart and can
deliver in today's age, you can dictate your terms better than back in the day.
Especially when you are not dependent upon them for your successes.
I have to say that there is discrimination against Latinos in the entertainment
industry. I'm a Chicano and I'm brown. To most Hollywood people I'm just a
Mexican and sometimes I am viewed as an immigrant. They judge people based
on a perception about us that is false. That being said, most people in the
business are also smart, so they cannot deny our worth any longer. They are
fighting tooth and nail to try to get their hands on our audiences.
Al Carlos: What about your latest project? How did it come about? What events
led up to its showing in Canada?
Frank Aragon: I got a call from producer Scott Alvarez who had seen my work as
the location manger on REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES. They knew about me from
Effie Brown who knew me from my film MY FATHER'S LOVE. Scott wanted to meet
me and talk about a picture.
I read the script and liked it a lot. It wasn't stereotypical and I thought I could make
a difference working on the picture. I met with Scott Alvarez at an office in Studio
City. Scott and I talked while Alan Jacobs, who was in an office adjacent to ours,
could hear our conversation regarding a certain property. POR VIDA is the story
about a young gangster girl from South Central who happens to be Latina. Even
though he'd heard the conversation, I still didn't meet Jacobs.
We talked about the film and he offered me the job of location manager, I told him
I'd like to read the script again but I would like to help produce the movie. Based
on my body of work I was certainly more than just a location manager. He
listened. I went to La Vegas for a weekend and came back. I was offered the job.
When I returned they hired Dwight Williams, who is John Singleton's line producer
and executive producer in HUSTLE AND FLOW. I met with Williams but the
meeting turned into my being interviewed to be somebody's assistant, not a
location manager or even a producer. I very politely wished them the best of luck
with the project and walked away. There comes a point when you have to say,
"No, thank you," because you've earned more than they are offering. I still hadn't
met Alan Jacobs either while he was in the adjacent office.
They went out and tried to produce the film without me. They shot for ten days
out of a twenty-eight day schedule and then went dark. That means the film shut
down due to lack of money, being ove- produced, spending too much money, you
name it.
I knew that this project was an urban story and could be done cheaply if the right
people were involved. People who knew the hoods of Los Angeles and knew what
they were doing as independent producers, not studio producers. There is a big
difference and the difference is money. Independents are accustomed to working
without money and studio producers are used to having it. I learned how to work
without it. To make a long story short, I got a call from Scott again. He explained
everything to me, saying that everyone working the film was now gone. No more
money means they were no longer around. We set up a meeting at the Four And
Twenty in Studio City.
This time the meeting was with Alan Jacobs and Scott Alvarez. They asked me to
help them produce the rest of the film, keep a log on the days left, keep
continuity, handle cast issues, handle union issues, you name it. Problems,
problems. I asked them, "Okay so how much money do I have now to finish this
movie?" They said only about ten percent of the original budget. I accepted the
challenge and went to work.
We shot an additional nineteen days using weekends, making sure we matched
continuity, actors, and new locations. No more line producers, executive
producers, unit production managers, or location managers, These jobs are
usually filled by multiple people on films with money. We didn't have any money
so I did them all by myself.
I realized that this is what I've been grooming myself for all these years and I was
so ready. The film is simply good. It is excellent. We submitted the film to Toronto
and they accepted us. It is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. I
am so excited. It is an honor in itself.
Al Carlos: How has the film festival invite affected you? What do you hope
happens there?
Frank Aragon: Being selected is my own personal confirmation that I am ready. It
has shored up my confidence, giving me new birth and a passion for the next
level of projects. I hope I meet some great people who don't mind working on
projects with a young Chicano like myself in the future. People who can see
through the color of my skin and be okay with me, hopefully through my
successes. I can help enable more talented brown people on the set who need a
break too.
Al Carlos: What is your next project? How can people support your work?
Frank Aragon: I wish I could say. It's big. It is a comedy written by a big name
writer and produced by a young Chicano on his way to making a huge name for
himself. Me!!!! Oh yeah it has a strong female Latina as the lead who has yet to
be cast. Someone's going to get a big break! Especially if they are a Chicana!
People can support me, and the people like me who are trying to break down
some Hollywood barriers, by writing letters (emails) to the networks about me and
my work. Let them know we are coming and please go see my movies the first
week when they come out.
As an artist I want to changes lives. I want to affect people's lives by the stories
I'm telling, stories that make a difference in our society. I want to influence the
great change that is already taking shape in our country.
My life is one story that can be anyone's story. I know I am blessed and I will live
up to all the expectations people have for me by doing the best job I can. Making
a difference in others people's lives through the stories I will tell and the films I
produce, I will continue to be blessed by the very nature of the work and that
process.
More about Frank Aragon: From Boyle Heights Hood to Toronto International
World Premiere
Down for Life on YouTube
About Al Carlos Hernandez :
Edited by Susan Aceves
| PRESS BOX |
FOX NEWS Profile on Frank Aragon
By DANA HARRIS
"Speaking of 2010 contenders, with Sundance behind us and South By
Southwest announcing its lineup today we're wondering where the next
"Precious" is coming from. Distributors should look no further than a
2009 Toronto Fest entry, "Down for Life" which was profiled in the Times
back in September and could be called a cross between "Precious" and
"Boyz 'N The Hood," two films that gained strong traction with Oscar.
This actually should be called "Girlz 'N The Hood" as it is the true story
of a young Latina gang member who uses her gift for poetry to find a
way out of a dead-end life. Although the cast includes Danny Glover
and Snoop Dogg, it is mostly comprised of L.A. based non-actors led by
Jessica Romero who could become next award season's Gabourey
Sidibe..." --PETE HAMMOND, LOS ANGELES TIMES
February 2010
Southwest announcing its lineup today we're wondering where the next
"Precious" is coming from. Distributors should look no further than a
2009 Toronto Fest entry, "Down for Life" which was profiled in the Times
back in September and could be called a cross between "Precious" and
"Boyz 'N The Hood," two films that gained strong traction with Oscar.
This actually should be called "Girlz 'N The Hood" as it is the true story
of a young Latina gang member who uses her gift for poetry to find a
way out of a dead-end life. Although the cast includes Danny Glover
and Snoop Dogg, it is mostly comprised of L.A. based non-actors led by
Jessica Romero who could become next award season's Gabourey
Sidibe..." --PETE HAMMOND, LOS ANGELES TIMES
February 2010
On Top of Los Angeles: an Interview
with Producer Frank Aragon
Frank Aragon's Push for Oscar Part I
By Ann Marie Ramirez
Published on LatinoLA: June 17, 2010
with Producer Frank Aragon
Frank Aragon's Push for Oscar Part I
By Ann Marie Ramirez
Published on LatinoLA: June 17, 2010
Twenty three years in the making, a young man from Boyle Heights is finally ready and
eager to let the public see his work, his collection of films that is.
That young man is Frank Aragon, a filmmaker born and raised in the tough streets of
Boyle Heights, a suburb of Los Angeles just to the east of the Los Angeles River.
In September of 2009 his film "Down for Life" starring Danny Glover, Snoop Dogg, Kate
Del Castillo, Elizabeth Pena and newcomer Jessica Romero from Wilmington, world
premiered at the prestigious 34th Annual Toronto International Film festival.
The independent film was produced and 2nd unit directed by the Boyle Heights native.
The Los Angeles Times, Pete Hammond calls the film an early Oscar contender -- a sign
of Frank Aragon's dream in the making.
This is his fifth film in the capacity of producer; Aragon has written and directed the
others. Aragon formed his company, 1211 Entertainment, to create, market, and
distribute American-Latino themed films with a universal appeal.
This determined filmmaker is ready to make a name for himself. In fact, he has been
working on this life-long dream since he was 13. His story is quite inspirational. He grew
up in a single parent household. His mother worked two jobs which left him to generally
grow up all alone the majority of the time.
A "latch-key" kid is what he calls himself. He spent hours taking buses into Hollywood
when he should have been sitting in his 9th grade classes because he knew he was
destined for the movie industry and couldn't get started soon enough. He was so
passionate about his goals he went out and just started doing it and it was as simple as
that. Whatever movie related project he could work on to obtain experience, he jumped
on enthusiastically. He started off as an actor and pretty quickly landed off Broadway in
New York.
Six months later he landed his first starring role in "Angel Town" opposite Teresa
Saldana. He didn't have a very close relationship with his father until his early twenties.
"I grew up brave able to take on the world but my personal relationships have suffered
because the absence of my mother and father in my childhood turned into what I made
to be my own negative perceptions of close relationships; inside I felt worthless".
He has wondered if that contributed to his desire for a life in show business-- a longing
for acknowledgment and admiration. Just after returning from Minnesota where he
starred in a PBS American Playhouse film, he faced yet another challenge. He lost his
vision in his right eye from a freak accident involving a bungee cord. He went through 5
years of surgeries and struggles adapting to his disability. "I thought my acting career
was over so I returned to school to learn the technicalities of what I loved-- to produce
and direct".
He began creating his own movies 12 years ago. His other film titles are "My Fathers
Love", "Boyle Heights", and "Hollywood Familia". There are no limitations for Aragon. He
sees Hollywood as not having completely caught on to the importance of brown behind
and in front of the camera. "We are a part of the American fabric. I myself am a third
generation Mexican-American with my roots right here in Los Angeles. I love this city and
all it has to offer. If you work hard and you believe in yourself, the sky is the limit".
He's been involved in the movie industry for over 23 years now, a member of the Screen
Actors Guild since 1987 and has been in front of and behind the camera the last twelve.
He wants to work with the best because he believes he is as worthy as anyone else.
Confidently embracing his calling, he says "I WANT TO AFFECT PEOPLE'S LIVES BY
THE STORIES I'M TELLING, STORIES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR SOCIETY".
He is dedicated to tell the stories that need to be told, "…like our involvement as a
people who have contributed greatly to the growth of this country". Regardless of how or
why he got started, he is faithfully committed to this goal. His oldest brother fought in
Vietnam and his uncle fought in Europe during World War II. He shares, "My father
fought at the end of the war in the Pacific and yet there were no Latinos portrayed in the
HBO series of the same name by Hollywood icons, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks",
yet he is still a huge fan of their work. "I would love the opportunity to work with these
men and would like to remind them not to forget all the people of color who also happen
to be Americans that are a huge part of our history too".
Frank started his own company, 1211 Entertainment, for that very reason; he feels
there is huge lack of American-Latino product. There is a need and he intends to help
fill it. "I am an actor who is also a writer, producer and director and I am very proud of
what I have overcome in my own life to be where I am at in my career. I am a father with
three children, two of which I have a wonderful relationship with and another I aspire to
one day. There is not one of us who is without fault. I have had my share of downfalls
but I believe in getting up a stronger and a better person. I am blind in my right eye but
learned to accept my disability". A lawsuit four years later allowed him to finance his
company's current slate of films, with exception of "Down for Life", all to be released in
the Fall of 2010.
(Part 1 of 2, Aragon's push for Oscar)
eager to let the public see his work, his collection of films that is.
That young man is Frank Aragon, a filmmaker born and raised in the tough streets of
Boyle Heights, a suburb of Los Angeles just to the east of the Los Angeles River.
In September of 2009 his film "Down for Life" starring Danny Glover, Snoop Dogg, Kate
Del Castillo, Elizabeth Pena and newcomer Jessica Romero from Wilmington, world
premiered at the prestigious 34th Annual Toronto International Film festival.
The independent film was produced and 2nd unit directed by the Boyle Heights native.
The Los Angeles Times, Pete Hammond calls the film an early Oscar contender -- a sign
of Frank Aragon's dream in the making.
This is his fifth film in the capacity of producer; Aragon has written and directed the
others. Aragon formed his company, 1211 Entertainment, to create, market, and
distribute American-Latino themed films with a universal appeal.
This determined filmmaker is ready to make a name for himself. In fact, he has been
working on this life-long dream since he was 13. His story is quite inspirational. He grew
up in a single parent household. His mother worked two jobs which left him to generally
grow up all alone the majority of the time.
A "latch-key" kid is what he calls himself. He spent hours taking buses into Hollywood
when he should have been sitting in his 9th grade classes because he knew he was
destined for the movie industry and couldn't get started soon enough. He was so
passionate about his goals he went out and just started doing it and it was as simple as
that. Whatever movie related project he could work on to obtain experience, he jumped
on enthusiastically. He started off as an actor and pretty quickly landed off Broadway in
New York.
Six months later he landed his first starring role in "Angel Town" opposite Teresa
Saldana. He didn't have a very close relationship with his father until his early twenties.
"I grew up brave able to take on the world but my personal relationships have suffered
because the absence of my mother and father in my childhood turned into what I made
to be my own negative perceptions of close relationships; inside I felt worthless".
He has wondered if that contributed to his desire for a life in show business-- a longing
for acknowledgment and admiration. Just after returning from Minnesota where he
starred in a PBS American Playhouse film, he faced yet another challenge. He lost his
vision in his right eye from a freak accident involving a bungee cord. He went through 5
years of surgeries and struggles adapting to his disability. "I thought my acting career
was over so I returned to school to learn the technicalities of what I loved-- to produce
and direct".
He began creating his own movies 12 years ago. His other film titles are "My Fathers
Love", "Boyle Heights", and "Hollywood Familia". There are no limitations for Aragon. He
sees Hollywood as not having completely caught on to the importance of brown behind
and in front of the camera. "We are a part of the American fabric. I myself am a third
generation Mexican-American with my roots right here in Los Angeles. I love this city and
all it has to offer. If you work hard and you believe in yourself, the sky is the limit".
He's been involved in the movie industry for over 23 years now, a member of the Screen
Actors Guild since 1987 and has been in front of and behind the camera the last twelve.
He wants to work with the best because he believes he is as worthy as anyone else.
Confidently embracing his calling, he says "I WANT TO AFFECT PEOPLE'S LIVES BY
THE STORIES I'M TELLING, STORIES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR SOCIETY".
He is dedicated to tell the stories that need to be told, "…like our involvement as a
people who have contributed greatly to the growth of this country". Regardless of how or
why he got started, he is faithfully committed to this goal. His oldest brother fought in
Vietnam and his uncle fought in Europe during World War II. He shares, "My father
fought at the end of the war in the Pacific and yet there were no Latinos portrayed in the
HBO series of the same name by Hollywood icons, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks",
yet he is still a huge fan of their work. "I would love the opportunity to work with these
men and would like to remind them not to forget all the people of color who also happen
to be Americans that are a huge part of our history too".
Frank started his own company, 1211 Entertainment, for that very reason; he feels
there is huge lack of American-Latino product. There is a need and he intends to help
fill it. "I am an actor who is also a writer, producer and director and I am very proud of
what I have overcome in my own life to be where I am at in my career. I am a father with
three children, two of which I have a wonderful relationship with and another I aspire to
one day. There is not one of us who is without fault. I have had my share of downfalls
but I believe in getting up a stronger and a better person. I am blind in my right eye but
learned to accept my disability". A lawsuit four years later allowed him to finance his
company's current slate of films, with exception of "Down for Life", all to be released in
the Fall of 2010.
(Part 1 of 2, Aragon's push for Oscar)
