CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A South Texas film crew has released their newest production "El Poeta" and it was all filmed here in the Coastal Bend.
While there were challenges in making the film, there were also great achievements.
The short film is getting a lot of attention and was even picked up by a film festival.
Director of the film Taylor Carmona is a South Texas native.
She says she began writing back in 2017 and is happy to see her creation come to life.
The film "El Poeta" required a community effort of over 50 cast and crew members which included students, artists, and professionals.
Director and owner of Pomegranate Films Taylor Carmona says this project touches her heart.
Carmona says her grandfather would tell her stories about how he would go to the bars in Kingsville.
Set in the 1960s, there would be a man who would drink a little too much but would recite poems.
The inspiration stems from men having an appreciation for art and literature.
“There is a huge need to fill the void of representation in terms of Latinos and Mexican Americans in media and I really think that it takes us as Mexican Americans or Latino Americans to really write our own stories,” says Carmona.
The film has even made it to the "Oaxaca Film Festival."
Carmona says the attention given to the film makes her feel proud and shows what Corpus Christi can bring to the table.
“We have to write about the people that we grew up with, we have to talk about the fact that we are more than just like criminals, and these stereotypical roles that usually get put into film and media for our people,” says Carmona.
Carmona also says there are more upcoming projects coming soon.