EXPANDING L.A.'S FILM VOCABULARY

A nonprofit founded by two moviegoers, El Cine is shining a spotlight on the impact Latinos have had (and continue to have) on Hollywood

- LINA ABASCAL

GILBERT TREJO and Mariana Da Silva, founders of nonprofit El Cine, fill a void by hosting screenings of films made by Latinos.

In 2017, Gilbert Trejo and Mariana Da Silva were waiting in line at the Vista Theatre for a screening of the 1982 cult sci-fi film "Liquid Sky." They had seen each other before, but never met. Both avid moviegoers across the Los Angeles area, it wasn't uncommon for either of them to wait in line for a 35mm screening of an old film, a newly restored print of a cult favorite or a Q&A with a filmmaker.

That night, they finally got to talking about their recently watched films, about their respective work in the film industry and about a shared complaint: Los Angeles boasts a population that's nearly 50% Latino and Hispanic residents, but there was a severe lack of films from Latin America and films made by Latinos available to watch in the city.

"I go on Revival Hub [a website to find specialty film screenings], and it's like, I can go see a Wong Kar-wai movie today. I could go see a Jean-Luc Godard movie yesterday. I can go see an Ingmar Bergman movie in two days. But there's just nothing in Spanish," said Trejo.

When the two friends thought of the stereotypical Los Angeles cinephile think a Mubi tote-carrying, Letterbox-dusing member of American Cinematheque or Vidiots-they often found that these people could name directors and films from all over the world, but stumbled when it came to Latin America. At best, they may cite director Pedro Almodóvar, whose films are in Spanish - but Spanish from Spain, not Latin America.

Trejo, a Mexican American director born and raised in Los Angeles, and Da Silva, a Mexican Brazilian actor and filmmaker who immigrated to the States from Brazil, wanted to change that.