Past Filmmakers

Penny Simpson
Nuestra Comunidad - Latinos in North Carolina
(Premieres November 8, 2003, at 11 PM)

Interview Questions:

1. How did you come up with the idea for the film? 

During the 1980s and early 1990s I was living in Mexico and working in film with my husband, Ernesto Estrada, a native of Mexico City (and who also collaborated with us on this film).  In the summers I would bring my two small children, whose first language was Spanish, to visit their “Anglo” grandparents in North Carolina.  I had grown up in North Carolina when there were very few Latinos and the only brand of “Latino” products available in the stores was Old El Paso.  Over the years, during my visits home I began to notice an increasingly visible number of Latinos, mostly from Mexico and a transformation-taking place in my home state. As a documentarian and filmmaker who was passionate about Latino culture, I felt that we were witnessing history and that it was extremely important to document this transformation for the next generation, as well as making people aware of issues confronting the majority of Latino immigrants to North Carolina and of the richness of Latino culture and heritage.

2. How long did the production process take?

The production process lasted from November of 1998 through July of 2001, with most of the taping taking place during 1999, 2000, and 2001. There were key historical events taking place during that time in the Latino community. And we shot over 60 hours of footage in digital format in North Carolina and in Mexico. The documentary premiered in November of 2001 at North Carolina State University’s Witherspoon Theater during the XV Latin American Film Festival that is sponsored by the Duke – UNC Consortium for Latin American Studies.

3. What challenges did you experience in the creation of the film?

Our major challenges were economic. We applied for several grants but only received two small grants, so the film was essentially financed through in-kind support, the support of friends and family and through tremendous effort. While producing the film we were also working on other projects or jobs to make   a living. The grants we received from the Institute for Southern Studies and the North Carolina Council for the Humanities.  In-kind support came from El Centro Hispano in Durham, The Department of Communication Studies at UNC-CH, New Century Digital Media in Chapel Hill, friends, family, and North          Carolina’s Latino community. Fortunately, today advances in video technology have facilitated independent projects as opposed to the days of having to work in 16 or 35 mm film, even though some filmmakers have found it difficult to let go of that medium and the “look” of film.

4. What is your favorite memory from creating the film?

I have many “favorite” memories   One of the most favorite occurred in 1999 when we went to tape the December 12 celebration of the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mount Olive, North Carolina.  The Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe is a very important national holiday in Mexico.  It was an incredible day.  There was a lot of excitement in the air as the community was inaugurating a newly built church named for this beloved cultural and religious icon and the archbishop was coming over from Raleigh. An architect had been brought in from Oaxaca, a beautiful town located in the southwestern part of Mexico to design the church, the Posada Guadalupana.  A local North Carolina company that employs many Mexicans had donated the land and community members had raised money to build the church.   The day was overcast and slightly chilly.  Having filmed in small towns in Mexico over the years, even this very same celebration, I had to ask myself, am I really in a rural community in North Carolina? A young Mexican boy was carrying the American flag at the head of the procession. Yes, it was North Carolina, but a different, a new North Carolina that proudly comprises an integral part of the New South. We were truly witnessing the transformation of the state as it approached the 21^st century.  

(Post data) My husband and I returned to tape again on December 12, 2002 and to give the community copies of the finished documentary. On that day, alongside the flags of Mexico and the United States at the head of the procession there were also flags from countries in Central and South America.  That year, the virgin had been declared the Empress of the Americas. A torch in her honor had even made a special journey, carried by Mexicans, from the Basilica in Mexico City, across the border, symbolic of the same journey made by many Mexican and Central American immigrants who risk their lives to come to this country, where it arrived safely in New York at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in time for the celebration.

5. When someone has finished watching the film, what do you hope they take away from the experience?

I hope that they get an historical sense of what is happening in North Carolina and of its importance, an increased awareness and understanding of issues faced by many Latino immigrants (as well as all immigrants everywhere), and knowledge about some of the contributions to the state of North Carolina (and to the nation) of the Latino community, as well as appreciation for the richness and diversity of Latino culture and heritage. 

6. What type of reaction has your film received from viewers?

The reaction has been incredibly positive and rewarding. The   initial public screening took place in November of 2001 after September 11, so we were uncertain about what kind of reception the documentary might have.   However, after its initial public screening, the documentary evolved into an “outreach” tool of sorts resulting in 5-6 monthly invitations to conferences, seminars, public schools or university classes followed by dynamic Q&A sessions. For example, I have spoken to several Spanish classes for premed students at North Carolina State University, and to journalists at conferences.  We also were invited to present the documentary at the first annual statewide ESL conference at North Carolina State University in 2002.  In addition, after the initial screenings in Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro and Chapel Hill during the XV Latin American film festival, the film was screened in film festivals in San Diego, Las Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, and Hot Springs, Arkansas.  The reception at each of those presentations was very positive. Californians were interested in hearing about what was happening with Latinos in North Carolina. Nevada and Arkansas are other states with a recent high percentage increase in the Latino population and so viewers were also extremely interested. Many libraries and universities have since acquired the film and professors use it in their classes.  It is also being used in health departments, by diversity coordinators for outreach with doctors and with nonprofits and diverse religious organizations in North Carolina and increasingly around the country.  It was recruited for satellite broadcast by Spanish television because its theme regarding immigration was considered universal and could be applied to similar situations worldwide.  To date there have been over six worldwide broadcasts as well as screenings on some of the community access television channels in North Carolina.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring young filmmakers?

I would tell them that they are fortunate to be living in an exciting era where advances in technology have empowered many individuals with a story to tell to be able to tell that story through the use of diverse forms of media. In particular,           the availability of the digital format for documentaries and also feature films has reduced costs so that it is much easier to put together a project if someone has time, energy, and persistence, and imagination.  

8. Please tell us about the next film you plan to work on.

I am involved in several projects at the present time so I will mention a few of them. One project, that another colleague from Mexico and myself are preparing, focuses on Mexicans who were born in Mexico but have immigrated to this country and have made significant contributions to this society in their individual fields.  Another project involves chronicling the next generation of Latinos here in North Carolina, those individuals that came here at an early age, or were born here and have grown up here. A third project revolves around traditional Southern families, particularly women.  Finally, another new project I am excited about is that of working with group of mothers and daughters, most of them currently living in California, on a project about the immigrant experience. My daughter was almost six when we relocated to North Carolina from Mexico.   She spoke only Spanish when she entered the first grade in the Wake County Public School System.

In addition I am also developing a project on language acquisition.  (Note: It is not unusual for independent filmmakers to have several projects in the works although it may take some time, even years to develop and finish the projects)

9. What are your thoughts on the film industry in NC?

I am sorry that the film industry in North Carolina has declined somewhat in recent years due to competition with Canada and a weakening economy.  North Carolina truly has a lot to offer the film industry. There are diverse and beautiful locations here as well as many talented and skilled people. I am excited also by the prospect of more independent filmmakers with stories to tell, or that are interested in telling the stories of others, deciding to make North Carolina their home, or returning home if they were originally from her, when there are opportunities, and I think we will see more of that. What I do know is that there are many incredible stories right here in North Carolina that are yet to be told.