CSULB
film grad shows skills with 'Debut'
Film:
Cal State Long Beach alumnus, John Castro's
independent film, "The Debut,"
was released last month on Sony Pictures.
By
Paul DeCarlo
On-line Forty-Niner
John
Castro grew up wondering why he never
saw any Filipinos on television or in
films. When he came to Cal State Long
Beach to earn his film degree, he set
out to do something about it.
Rather
than wait for Asian-Americans to break
onto the scene, Castro took matters into
his own hands to help fill the void. The
stereotypical portrayal in Bruce Lee or
Jackie Chan action movies just didn't
cut it, and something had to be done.
In
1994, Castro made "Diary of a Gangsta
Sucka," a student project that poked
fun at fake suburban thugs. The short
mockumentary received praise at an Asian
film festival in Los Angeles, catching
the eye of a critic who gave it high marks
in LA Weekly.
After
graduating, he went on to co-write and
co-produce "The Debut," which
was released through Sony last month on
DVD and videocassette, with bonus features
including Castro's first film.
By
highlighting the coming-of-age struggle
of a Filipino boy's ascension to manhood,
the film addresses generation differences
of a father and son. Some of Castro's
own identity is present in Ben, the film's
lead character, who must find a balance
between family custom and fitting in.
"The
Debut" gained critical acclaim in
major publications like the New York Times
and the Chicago Tribune.
"It
had a lot to do with looking for Asian-American
and Filipino role models," said Castro
of his motivation to make socially accurate
films. "It was more of a conscious
way to improve the images of Filipinos
and Asians in the mainstream media."
The
success of Spike Lee and films like "Do
the Right Thing" made Castro aware
of the power of the minority voice.
"It
took an African-American filmmaker to
give me the confidence to get into filmmaking,"
Castro said.
At
CSULB in the undergraduate film program,
Castro made the most of professor Jose
Sanchez' film into video course, where
he was given the ability to produce a
short film.
Now,
both technologies are integrated and the
class has changed form, but the idea remains
the same. While some students at the time
wanted to edit only on film, Castro jumped
at the chance to create original material,
regardless of the medium.
"It
was a learning process from both sides,"
Sanchez said. "John was learning
things in the classroom, but I was also
learning from John about the story he
was telling."
Looking
back, Castro is grateful for the support
from Sanchez.
"He
was a really nurturing teacher,"
Castro said. "You could tell he cared
about his students."
Now,
Castro lives in Hawaii and is in the process
of writing another screenplay. If the
past is a reliable predictor of the future,
then Castro's stock can only go in one
direction: up.
"It
took an African-American filmmaker to
give me the confidence to get into filmmaking."
-- John Castro,
CSULB alumnus
