La Mission (film)
Encyclopedia
La Mission is a 2009 drama film
starring Benjamin Bratt
and Jeremy Ray Valdez
. It is written and directed by Peter Bratt (Benjamin's brother). The film has been shown at the Sundance Film Festival
, San Francisco International Film Festival
and the Palm Springs International Film Festival
.
of San Francisco, Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt) has always had to be tough to survive. He is a powerful man respected throughout the Mission barrio
for his masculinity and his strength, as well as for his hobby building beautiful lowrider
cars. A reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic
, Che has worked hard to redeem his life and to do right by his only son, Jes, whom he has raised on his own after the death of his wife. Che's path to redemption is tested, however, when he discovers Jes is gay
.
. The film was also shot on an eco-friendly movie set, one of the first of its kind in San Francisco. The cast and crew eliminated the use of water bottles, composting was done on set, and the art department allowed for green product placement in the film. La Mission subsequently earned an Environmental Media Association
(EMA) Green Seal Award in 2009 as the result of their production practices.
and Los Angeles
and on April 16 in San Francisco. The DVD was released on August 10, 2010. Songs of La Mission features songs from the movie.
gave the film 2½ stars out of 4. La Mission was referred to as "an honest attempt to portray the destructiveness of violence in the Latino community", and was credited by Latino media as being both authentic and genuine to various aspects of American Hispanic cultures.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
starring Benjamin Bratt
Benjamin Bratt
Benjamin Bratt is an American actor. He is most famous for his role as Rey Curtis on the TV series Law & Order; and his appearances in the movies Blood in Blood Out, Miss Congeniality, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Traffic, and Piñero.-Early life:Bratt was born in San Francisco, California,...
and Jeremy Ray Valdez
Jeremy Ray Valdez
Jeremy Ray Valdez is an American actor. He won the 2010 Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film for his role in La Mission".-Biography:...
. It is written and directed by Peter Bratt (Benjamin's brother). The film has been shown at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
and the Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January...
.
Synposis
Growing up in the Mission DistrictMission District, San Francisco, California
The Mission District, also commonly called "The Mission", is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, USA, originally known as "the Mission lands" meaning the lands belonging to the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis...
of San Francisco, Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt) has always had to be tough to survive. He is a powerful man respected throughout the Mission barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
for his masculinity and his strength, as well as for his hobby building beautiful lowrider
Lowrider
]A lowrider is a style of car originated by Chicano communities that sits lower to the ground than most other cars. Many lowriders have their suspension systems modified so that their ride can change height at the flip of a switch...
cars. A reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, Che has worked hard to redeem his life and to do right by his only son, Jes, whom he has raised on his own after the death of his wife. Che's path to redemption is tested, however, when he discovers Jes is gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
.
Cast
- Benjamin BrattBenjamin BrattBenjamin Bratt is an American actor. He is most famous for his role as Rey Curtis on the TV series Law & Order; and his appearances in the movies Blood in Blood Out, Miss Congeniality, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Traffic, and Piñero.-Early life:Bratt was born in San Francisco, California,...
as Che Rivera - Jeremy Ray ValdezJeremy Ray ValdezJeremy Ray Valdez is an American actor. He won the 2010 Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film for his role in La Mission".-Biography:...
as Jes Rivera - Erika AlexanderErika AlexanderErika Alexander is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and as Maxine Shaw on the FOX sitcom Living Single. She has won numerous awards for her work on Living Single, including two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a...
as Lena - Jesse BorregoJesse BorregoJesse Borrego is an American actor. Better knownfor playing Cruz Candelaria in Blood in, Blood out and later guest starring as George King in Dexter. Borrego, a Mexican American, was born in San Antonio, Texas. He considered going into the US Air Force to become a pilot...
as Rene Rivera - Talisa SotoTalisa Soto-Early life:Born Miriam Soto in Brooklyn, New York, Soto is the youngest of four children born to an Italian mother and a Canadian father of Puerto Rican descent. Her parents later relocated to Northampton, Massachusetts where Soto and her siblings were raised and educated.-Modeling:At the age of...
as Ana Rivera - Alex Hernandez as Smoke
- Max Rosenak as Jordan
- Cesar Gomez as Gummy Bear
- Chris Borgzinner as Nacho
- Neo Veavea as Kenny
- Cathleen Riddley as Shell
- Marcus Serralta as Chuy
- Talisa Soto Bratt as Ana
- Tatiana Rivas as Nadine
- Leonardo Medrano as Mr. Gonzalez
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Dee
- Melvina Jones as Regina
- René A. Quiñonez as Esteban
- Ruben Gonzalez as Benny
- Edwin "Hayna" Brown as Virgil
- Patrick D. Shining Elk as Gary
- Louis Ramirez as Rene Jr. Rivera
- Tonantzin Borrego as Maya
- Gustavo 'Gus' Gonzalez as Primo
Awards
- Green Media Seal, Environmental Media Awards, October 2009
- Human Rights Award, Artivist Film Festival, December 2009
- 2nd place, Audience Award, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, October 2009
- Special Jury Premio Mesquite Award, CineFestival in San Antonio, February 2010
- Maverick Award, Cinequest Film Festival, March 2010
- Special Jury Award, WorldFest Houston, April 2010
- Estela Award, National Association of Latino Producers, 2010
- Imagen Awards, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Norman Lear Writer’s Award, 2010
- Audience Award for Best Feature Film, OUT Film Festival Connecticut, 2010
Opening night honors
- Official Selection at Sundance 2009
- San Francisco International Film Festival, April 2009
- Outfest, July 2009
- New York Latino International Film Festival, July 2009
- Artivist Film Festival, December 2009
Environmental impact
Several scenes in the movie make subtle hints at environmentally-friendly themes, such as converting lowriders to run on biodieselBiodiesel
Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....
. The film was also shot on an eco-friendly movie set, one of the first of its kind in San Francisco. The cast and crew eliminated the use of water bottles, composting was done on set, and the art department allowed for green product placement in the film. La Mission subsequently earned an Environmental Media Association
Environmental Media Association
The Environmental Media Association is a non-profit organization which was founded in 1989 by Cindy and Alan Horn and Lyn and Norman Lear. EMA works with the entertainment industry to encourage green production and raise the public's environmental awareness. The group provides a "Green Seal" to...
(EMA) Green Seal Award in 2009 as the result of their production practices.
Film festivals
- Sundance International Film Festival, February 2009
- San Francisco International Film Festival, April 2009
- Outfest, Opening Night, July 2009
- New York Latino International Film Festival, July 2009
- Seattle International Film Festival, May 2009
- Boston Independent Film Festival, April 2009
- Austin Film festival, October 2009
- Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, October 2009
- American Indian Film Festival, San Francisco, November 2009
- Artivist Film Festival, Opening Night, December 2009
- Palm Springs International Film Festival, World Cinema, January 2010
- Goteborg International Film Festival, February 2010
- CineFestival in San Antonio, February 2010
- San Jose Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival, September 2009
- Cinequest Film Festival, Maverick Award, March 2010
- San Diego Latin Film Festival, March 2010
- Sami Film Festival, March 2010
- Worldfest (Houston), April 2010
- USA Film Festival (Dallas), April 2010
- Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, April 2010
- Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, April 2010
- XicanIndie Film Festival, April 2010
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, April 2010
- Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (OUT), May-June 2010
- Philadelphia QFest, July 2010
- Gainesville Latino Film Fest, September 2010
- Closet Cinema, Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, October 2010
- Oaxaca International Independent Film and Video Festival, October 2010
- Winnipeg Annual Film Festival, November 2010
- New Latinamerican Cinema of La Havana, Havana Film Festival, December 2010
Release
The film opened on April 9, 2010, in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and on April 16 in San Francisco. The DVD was released on August 10, 2010. Songs of La Mission features songs from the movie.
Reception
Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film 2½ stars out of 4. La Mission was referred to as "an honest attempt to portray the destructiveness of violence in the Latino community", and was credited by Latino media as being both authentic and genuine to various aspects of American Hispanic cultures.
External links
- La Mission Official Website