I was first introduced to Antonio Morales in 2013 when his debut film Por Amor en el Caserío made its New York City premiere at the International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival (IPRHFF). The movie is described as a modern day Romeo and Juliet set in the housing projects of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Yet, what is really impressive is the backstory of how this film came to be. What started as a theater production in the Caserío morphed to a feature film making rounds on the film festival circuit and made history by becoming the first stage play in Puerto Rico to make this transition. ‘LLERO sat down with the playwright/filmmaker Antonio Morales to learn what it took to make this happen.
Antonio’s Origins
Growing up in the Residencial Luis Llorens Torres also called the Caserío in San Juan, Puerto Rico Morales witnessed first-hand the civil war that plagued the community. His dad was a drug lord on one side of the projects, his mother addicted to drugs. Seeing violence both outside and inside his home was commonplace. Not wanting to continue in his parents footsteps he sought refuge in the arts – specifically theater.
When Antonio expressed an interest in studying theater, his dad forbid it, saying that was “for the gays and the girls.” Antonio put his dreams on hold until his dad was out of the picture, which happened soon enough when Federal Agents busted into their home and put him in jail. At that point Antonio’s mother enrolled him in Jose Julian Acosta Theatre Arts Middle and High School and everything changed. “When I start attending this school I start discovering this new world and it was exactly what I was looking for, it was what my soul needed. So everything I start learning in school I would immediately bring back and start teaching in my community.” He would go on to start a theater group in the Caserío to give kids an alternative to the perils of the streets.
While furthering his education at the University of Puerto Rico he was introduced to the works of Shakespeare. When he stumbled upon Romeo and Juliet something clicked and at sixteen he immediately had the urge to start writing his own adaptation. Por Amor en el Caserío tackled the social issues facing his community in the form of a love story. Two teens from feuding drug lord families fall in love. The play garnered a huge response from the community who could self-identify with the film it sparked a dialogue about the issues in the community. “After the play was a huge success, first in the community, then the city, then the island, we were certain that this message couldn’t just stay in theaters. So that’s when I decided to make this into movie.”
But how? With no formal education in filmmaking Antonio took a year off to learn screenwriting. He put together a great script and began shopping it around, but to no avail, so he again rolled up his sleeves to produce the movie himself. After more education about directing, he and the cast put on shows for a year to fundraise and earned about $30,000 towards the project.
Finally the right producer came knocking and together Antonio and Cine-Coop made history by making Por Amor en el Caserío the first ever Puerto Rican play to be converted to a feature film. The response has been amazing both on the island and state-side while making its festival runs. Since Morales has held every title from screenwriter to producer we thought he’d be an ideal source for some sage consejos about breaking into film.
The Good
“The acceptance of the outsiders [laughs]. And maybe the way our kids now see art in their society. It is no longer a stigma to be a part of the arts. It wasn’t easy at first because a lot people thought just like my dad. So first I had to convince the kids that it was ok, then the kids had to convince their parents, once they were on board I had to convince the community that this was important. But now, everyone is eager to get involved and theater is regarded to the same way as sports, as another viable option to get off the streets.”
The Bad
“That bad part is having to convince investors/sponsors to get on board. Convincing them that you have talent and making them give you the opportunity. It’s like you are at their mercy. I went to the first meeting with this producer and he says, ‘I love it, it’s perfect! Let’s change it.’ He said, ‘It’s cool and all but I don’t see it with the kids from the Caserío. Why don’t we use young celebrities?’ It was really tempting because he offered me a lot of money for the screenplay but it was for all his people. So I said no thanks.”
“So then another producer calls me. She says, ‘I love it. It’s perfect. Let’s Change it.’ she wanted to film it in La Perla instead of the Caserío. Because in the Caserío all the buildings look the same, same colors, whereas La Perla has different colored buildings and it’s near the sea. So I get it, it might not be as interesting visually to have it take place in el Caserío. But this is my story and it has to be filmed there. So I said, no thanks.”
“Then another person contacted me and said, ‘It’s perfect, but let’s change it.’ He wanted to do it all in English. So, of course that meant not with my actors. I said no, it’s not the story I want to tell. The story has to be from us to the world. If someone else tells it, in the U.S. or in English, it will be just another story being told from the world to us. I was disappointed so I told my kids you know what, no one wants to work with us so we will just do it ourselves. While we were filming we met the people from Cine-Coop, which is our current production company. The president of the company tells us, ‘I read the script. I love it. It’s perfect.’”
The Ugly
“The ugly for me would be, the production process. I didn’t really love the entire process. During the production I hate having to repeat the scenes over and over again. Some people love that, but for me that process for was meh [laughs]. Being up until 3 am and then you have to be quiet and not disturb the neighbors. Then cut to let a helicopter pass. I have to say people probably think it was so hard for us to film in el Caserío but it was the opposite. The people were so accommodating they made things easier for us. Everyone was so into it, they were so disciplined about where to park their cars, when not to walk by in the street, etc. It was great. Also, during the filmmaking part we actually gave jobs to 100 people in the community to help with different areas of production. So, everyone was very invested in the success of the movie.”
Advice
“My advice would be first of all, not to give up. I would have to say the most important thing in filmmaking is the script. Make sure you have the best story to tell ever. Don’t rush. Don’t just want to have any script just to make a movie. It should be the other way around. Once you are certain and determined to have the perfect screenplay, then start knocking on doors to make it happen.”
Por Amor en el Caserio is currently playing on HBO Latino. For more info on Por Amor en el Caserío go visit www.poramorenelCaserío.com and for a look at the official trailer just click below.
