In conversation with Denise Santos of Latinas in Media Atlanta

Denise Santos co-founder of Latinas in Media Atlanta Photo courtesy of Denise Santos A month from now a short film block curated by the organization Latinas in Media Atlanta will screen at the Peaberry Film Festival in Canton According to Denise Santos this is the first time in the organization s eight-year history that it has curated a block at a film festival which will run from - p m on Oct Santos is one of the co-founders of Latinas in Media Atlanta which has grown from a simple Facebook group in to an organization that works to empower Latine creatives within Georgia s film industry Santos is an actress and producer and has appeared in everything from television shows like The Resident to stage plays like The Vagina Monologues Rough Draft Atlanta spoke with Santos about the formation of Latinas in Media Atlanta and how she thinks the film industry in Georgia can better serve the locality moving forward How did you end up getting involved in the film industry Did you reliably know that was something you required to do Denise Santos My mom was in fact a beauty queen in Ecuador laughs so she promptly put me in modeling schools I don t know if you remember like John Casablancas or Barbizon Modeling and Acting School I was in those silly classes I think my mom s hope was that I would learn there but then I would be a expert or something I was like yeah that s not gonna happen mom I like this pretending stuff This is kind of cool So it stems back from when I was a little little girl I did background work I started off doing independent projects and not really fully understanding the society in South Florida that s where I m originally from born and raised in Miami I moved here almost years ago So years ago I was already kind of doing it as much as I could still with a day job and realized that I really missed my region of people I would bump into in Miami Miami is so intertwined culturally especially with Latinos and underrepresented voices It s just kind of part of the everyday I realized that I didn t see that here and I missed it That s kind of where Latinas in Media Atlanta started I would bump into the same actresses and the same friends in the audition rooms At one point there was this one actress her name is Viviana Chavez and I was like I totally am stalking you Please forgive me but I want to be you when I grow up We started talking and we both realized that we craved to start a neighborhood That s where also Gabriella Ortiz who unfortunately doesn t live here anymore started on that too In I started a Facebook group I was kind of doing it by myself just doing lunches And then in we started doing showcases and readings and being more interactive within the film region years ago Atlanta was still on the up and up as far as its film industry Why not New York or L A Santos I like to say that I moved here before all the fun craziness happened I m very proud of that but I didn t move here for that My husband was authentically transferred here for work The plan was if it didn t work out here that we would just move back to South Florida Everything very hastily started picking up right before that wave hit That s when I started doing everything I have three children so my kids were born here At that point we were rooted in and we were like okay we re not going back This is our home now This is where we are and I ve been loving it ever since Serendipitous for you that everything started popping off Santos That s the whole thing I didn t know At that point I was focused on being a mom I have these conversations a lot of times with friends of mine who are parents We have seasons where we plan on doing things a certain way and then our personal lives kind of take a detour That s where my season was at that time my focus was on my family and my children I think the rest of the world and my friends were like no no no you gotta come back Let s do something else Let s keep doing fun stuff I m like okay Laughs When you started Latinas in Media Atlanta and started having those initial meetings what came out of those Did you find that people were feeling the same way you were as far as the smallness of the public What other issues arose out of those first initial meetings Santos Yes all of that everything you commented Because everyone that I met here came from somewhere whether being first generation like me or from another city or from another country Everyone that I bumped into that was from a similar background and custom as me kind of missed having that population and that family A lot of people were here alone without family and so I think that really turned into something more than just having lunches together People really bonded and really started to collaborate on a deeper level than just exchanging information and working together It was something really special and that really encouraged and inspired me to want to keep doing more with Latinas in Media Atlanta and see what else we can accomplish so that it s not only population building but also helping us thrive How do you think the Latino society in the film industry has grown since that time Santos I mean you know we still have a means to go I think that there are people who are consistently trying to create opportunities for the society Nationally it s getting better We re still not where we want to be where it should be where it represents the global majority But within Georgia we ve definitely seen crucial development And people that move here from our Latino cultures seeing that there is a neighborhood people that are moving here are definitely embracing it and feeling seen and feeling heard There are so a large number of other organizations that really amplify the creative I like to say that we re by creatives for creatives We re all producers we re all actors we re all writers We re all working behind the scenes running camera running lights We re wanting to create the same opportunities that we feel we wish we had You ve got the happy hours you ve got Cafe Con Lima and all kinds of stuff now How in your eyes has Latinas in Media grown and what materials does it offer to patronage the group Santos Every year we try to challenge ourselves more and more depending on what we feel we would like to see So this year we re very lucky and we re collaborating with Peaberry Film Festival Festival Director Brent Lambert-Zaffino he reached out to me right before Viviana Chavez stepped away to grow her family she came back but he sent me an email right before Funny enough I worked with him years ago on a short film when he was still in college He reached out like hey I really love what you re doing I would love to give you an opportunity and just give you guys a block Do a Latina film block What do you think I was like gosh I m kind of doing this by myself right now I don t know if I can It s that fear of this is what I ve been wanting to do I should just do it When Viviana Chavez jumped back in after her break I just knew it was something we had to keep pushing to do Now our next endeavor is the film festival with Peaberry where we re going to be able to have that Latine block It s more than just a film festival screening It s going to be an immersive cultural experience where people from the communities can really come in and enjoy themselves and see themselves represented on screen It s not just for people within our custom and our communities but outside of that as well We really want people to visit and to take part in learning something a little bit outside of what we all see every day Cafe Con Lima is a monthly mixer We keep those very intimate in a coffee shop and we have been able to collaborate with El Ponce a restaurant in Midtown Rosa Thurnher is another person and an ally who has opened up her restaurant and declared whatever dates you need you just let me know and the restaurant is yours It s been amazing collaborating with her I don t know that our Cafe Con Limas would be consistently workable without her We have lots of other things in the works too We are working on certain grants We re working on amplifying the festival and growing it a little bit more We re working on collaborations with other communities outside of Latinas in Media Atlanta so that we can provide even more information not only to the Latino society but Asian group Black district disabled population We want to really make sure that we re working with any underrepresented group outside of Latinos in Atlanta The grants aspect is stimulating to me Is that something you ve been wanting to do for a while Obviously Georgia has a crew-based industry but as far as independent and homegrown film we re still a little behind Is that something you ve inevitably needed to do Santos Absolutely In conversation with filmmakers that s really such a big chunk of what we need I feel it s a bridge that we re missing to really walk through here Especially with the independent population with the film industry in general having all of the big Marvel movies and the big productions in town I feel at one point the independent film region felt like it was out of reach The thing about the independent film society that is so amazing is that we don t let that stop us I call Latinos in Media Atlanta a big part of the independent film region because we also are marginalized because of budgeting because of finances because of information The independent film society in Atlanta they don t let money stop them We grab a phone We have friendships with people that work in different departments and we re like hey let s create Let s put something together What can we do to help Let s make this film Let s make it happen I love that about Atlanta Atlanta just makes it happen Talking about the bigger productions and the independent public and those challenges do you have any thoughts on how the larger film industry players here whether that be an entity like the Georgia Film Office or a bigger studio like Trilith can do to help promote independent films or other kinds of marginalized communities within the film industry Santos I think that the smaller grassroots communities are really focused on public and keeping the group together What the larger organizations the larger industries investors producers can do is really do a little legwork and reach out to those smaller communities and say hey you have a area of creatives untapped talent right What can we do to advocacy each other Georgia Entertainment News has done that with Latinas in Media Atlanta they have reached out to us and shared our work We ve shared press releases with them and they amplify what we re doing Even something like that where you re just amplifying the work of the independent filmmaker the underrepresented filmmaker that s a huge step in the right direction As the years have gone by what has been the biggest challenge for you in terms of growing the organization Santos The biggest challenge I would say is financial is being able to have the funds to help motivate any type of initiatives that we d like to do The neighborhood is tight The region also really wants consistency so we try to keep ourselves consistent with what we re doing We try to stay connected with the larger group We try to stay involved within the society but if we requested to do even more and provide grants and finances and fund film festival fees and fund films really it is funding that we re hoping that we can help specific filmmakers with That s what I hear across the board I think that that s a conversation that s been had for a very very long time A lot of organizations in L A have established relationships with people who can fund filmmakers Here I think we re just scratching the surface Film Impact Georgia is able to offer that which is inspiring We would love to do the same thing within our Latine public That s constantly the answer when I ask this type of question funding funding funding Santos Within the relationships with our own region within the Latine society because it s such a growing industry I think also making sure we trust the people that we interact with that we have relationships with these people that we re interacting with that we know exactly that they mean well that they want to help us grow rather than hinder that or take advantage of that I think independent filmmakers we want what everybody has within that larger film industry and sometimes it gets taken advantage of That s why being by creatives for creatives is really something that we ve been there that happened to us We ve been taken advantage of and we want to make sure that doesn t happen to anybody else As far as building that trust what are you looking for and what can those organizations do to help build that relationship Santos A lot of times I think they also want to make sure they can trust us A lot of organizations will build parameters and boundaries and you know make sure that they re keeping their space safe But within our area reaching out asking questions offering aid What can they do What do you need How can I endorsement you That really is something that the people that we ve collaborated with already have extended to us which is why we have worked with them They re willing to take that chance A lot of people are afraid to take a chance We ve been around since We are consistent with the organizations that we work with Arte GA is another one that we collaborate with Our relationships really are central to us They re friendships I think Issa Rae noted it where you re building relationships across and not trying to seek people to get something out of them but rather to work together and collaborate on something bigger The post In conversation with Denise Santos of Latinas in Media Atlanta appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta