They started out in Queens, New York and later migrated to Rockland County which they still hold down as home base. But make no mistake, Colombian filmmakers Kevin and John Marco Lopez founders of LPZ Media were always enthralled by the box office hits of their childhood. In fact, going to the movies every weekend was a tradition for the Lopez family—John Marco was into action, thrillers and gangster movies, while Kevin was into horror flicks.
Yet, their interest in film would remain just that – until college. It was while Kevin was attending the University of Buffalo, that his interest would be piqued. Specifically, it was an on-campus screening of Conan The Barbarian. “If watched from a certain perspective, [Conan The Barbarian] can be truly appreciated as a pure art film. I had seen it a million times prior, but this time, I left the theater thinking that I could one day also make an artful epic film,” he recalled. Kevin soon switched lanes and entered the Master’s in Arts & Humanities Film and Performance program in pursuit of a career in film.
For John Marco venturing into filmmaking was a way to help his brother on projects early on in his career. John Marco, at the time was pursuing an undergraduate degree in Economics at Stony Brook University, would take on many roles on the film set, like handling lights or other filming equipment – pretty much anything that would help with the process. The two would work together on smaller projects, including a few music videos for artists such as Fabolous, Skyzoo and Nitty Scott MC, as well as Bhangra artists such as JK and Bikram Singh. One music video project in particular was where John Marco got hooked to filmmaking. “It must have been over ten years ago, but I think it was a Bollywood Music Video [laughs],” John Marco remembers. “The shoot [was] pretty hectic, but I also got bit by the filmmaking bug…and never looked back.”
Today, the brothers own LPZ Media, which produces everything from featurettes, to music videos and feature length films. Their latest production — which premiered at the 2015 Colombian International Film Festival in New York City, and features their sister, “Power” actress, Leslie Lopez—is titled The Inquisition of Camilo Sanz, and delves into the life of an illegal immigrant living in Queens, New York, who seeks money from a loan shark to fund a falsified marriage with a U.S. Citizen in order to avoid deportation.
‘LLERO caught up with the Lopez Brothers to get the behind-the-scenes stories on their venture into the film industry, their collaborative and individual projects, and the benefits of working with family. Check out our interview after the jump!!!