Countdown: Day 6 of 7
ADEL L. MORALES: P.S. 432
From the
Bronx to the Cannes Film Festival– now that’s a natural trajectory. As a
Producer, Adel leaves an indelible fingerprint on a film crossing the Atlantic.
And the pearls of wisdom he offers artists reverberate around the globe when he
affirms, “Starting and finishing something matters,” as well as, “selflessness
is important and bringing others along is what will make a difference.”
Short film: P.S. 432
Producer:
Adel L. Morales (a Nuyorican from the Bronx)
Director: Elizabeth
Nichols
Synopsis: A New York City public school
teacher, confronted with the reality of an exam-based system, is compromised to
consider whether or not to cheat on the state test exams.
• Buddy, you are on a roll. You just
had a short film that you wrote and directed while at NYU screen in April at
the Havana Film Festival in New York. Tell me about the lead actress you cast and the nature
of the film?
Yes, Missing Grandma starred Sonia
Manzano, a Bronx-born Nuyorican, and best known for playing María on [PBS'] "Sesame Street" since 1971. She plays a
Latina grandmother who teaches her granddaughter to act like a lady and about
sex with the hope of making up for the knowledge she lacked impart on her own
daughter. The grandmother’s objective was to prevent a mistake that she and her
own daughter shared.
 |
| Sonia Manzano of the film Missing Grandma. |
• Many of your shorts entail a moral
dilemma reinforcing that life is not often black and white. Why are you drawn
to this thread of storytelling? Having been educated in Catholic schools all my life
coupled with my Caribbean roots, there’s always been this duality of the Roman
Catholic religion and exposure to Santería and the spirit world through the
women on my mother’s side. This taught me that there is no right or wrong in
life. In the Catholic religion the priest would tell you what’s right or wrong– black and white– and then I went home and learned that there was no right or
wrong. Plus, living under conflicting dualities when in spite of being an honor
student who went to church, judged by being from the South Bronx because of
what you wore or music you listened to, you were subject to an establishment’s
view that I knew wasn’t black or white. Right or wrong is not fun.
• You are someone who has always
been committed to community, having been the President of NALIP-NY [the New York chapter of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers], helping
Latino filmmakers, and now you have produced NYU’s Pre-Thesis Graduate Film
Showcase which was comprised of 40 films. What is the message and why do you continue to
do this with everything on your plate? What I did at the NYU Showcase ranged from securing the public
venue, screening the projects to fundraising. I helped many of the filmmakers
in the area of casting for their narrative projects. I’m a teacher and a coach.
I’m an older brother and a first-born child and those variables have shaped who
I am. I cannot go into a situation and not help. It gives me joy to help. I’m a
big believer in karma and if I can help, only good will come out of it. I have
seen blessings come from it. It’s selflessness in wanting to help– I enjoy it.
• As a narrative filmmaker what are
your $0.10 [your opinion, or your "two cents", adjusted for inflation] for working with actors as a producer or director? I’m a SAG-AFTRA actor first. The
director-actor relationship is very important. I am very aware of actors. You
need to make them feel very important when they’re on set. Before rehearsals I
sit down with them and have a meal. I try to develop a relationship so that
there is a trust level before we step on set. Furthermore I give them the freedom
to explore and experiment– it tightens the bond.
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACT
FACEBOOK Group: Prime Latino Media
Twitter: @PLMSalon
Instagram: PRIME_LATINO_MEDIA
LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/in/louisperegomoreno
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