La Mission (film)
| La Mission | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Peter Bratt[1] |
| Produced by |
Benjamin Bratt Peter Bratt Alpita Patel |
| Written by | Peter Bratt |
| Starring |
Benjamin Bratt Jeremy Ray Valdez Max Rosenak Erika Alexander Jesse Borrego |
| Music by | Mark Kilian |
| Cinematography | Hiro Narita |
| Edited by | Stan Webb |
| Distributed by | Global Cinema Distribution |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
La Mission is a 2009 drama film starring Benjamin Bratt and Jeremy Ray Valdez. It is written and directed by Peter Bratt (Benjamin's brother).[1] The film has been shown at the Sundance Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Synposis
Growing up in the Mission District of San Francisco, Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt) has always had to be tough to survive. He is a powerful man respected throughout the Mission barrio for his masculinity and his strength, as well as for his hobby building beautiful lowrider cars. A reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, Che has worked hard to redeem his life and to do right by his only son, Jes, whom he has raised on his own after the death of his wife. Che's path to redemption is tested, however, when he discovers Jes is gay.[2]
Cast
- Benjamin Bratt as Che Rivera
- Jeremy Ray Valdez as Jes Rivera
- Erika Alexander as Lena
- Jesse Borrego as Rene Rivera
- Talisa Soto as Ana Rivera
- Alex Hernandez as Smoke
- Max Rosenak as Jordan
- Cesar Gomez as Gummy Bear
- Chris Borgzinner as Nacho
- Neo Veavea as Kenny
- Cathleen Riddley as Shell
- Marcus Serralta as Chuy
- Tatiana Rivas as Nadine
- Leonardo Medrano as Mr. Gonzalez
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Dee
- Melvina Jones as Regina
- René A. Quiñonez as Esteban
- Ruben Gonzalez as Benny
- Edwin "Hayna" Brown as Virgil
- Patrick D. Shining Elk as Gary
- Louis Ramirez as Rene Jr. Rivera
- Tonantzin Borrego as Maya
- Gustavo 'Gus' Gonzalez as Primo
- Martin Cantu as grocery store owner
Awards
- Green Media Seal, Environmental Media Awards, October 2009
- Human Rights Award, Artivist Film Festival, December 2009
- 2nd place, Audience Award, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, October 2009
- Special Jury Premio Mesquite Award, CineFestival in San Antonio, February 2010
- Maverick Award, Cinequest Film Festival, March 2010
- Special Jury Award, WorldFest Houston, April 2010
- Estela Award, National Association of Latino Producers, 2010
- Imagen Awards, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Norman Lear Writer’s Award, 2010
- Audience Award for Best Feature Film, OUT Film Festival Connecticut, 2010
Opening night honors
- Official Selection at Sundance 2009
- San Francisco International Film Festival, April 2009
- Outfest, July 2009
- New York Latino International Film Festival, July 2009
- Artivist Film Festival, December 2009
Environmental impact
Several scenes in the movie make subtle hints at environmentally friendly themes, such as converting lowriders to run on biodiesel.[3] The film was also shot on an eco-friendly movie set, one of the first of its kind in San Francisco.[3] The cast and crew eliminated the use of water bottles, composting was done on set, and the art department allowed for green product placement in the film.[3] La Mission subsequently earned an Environmental Media Association (EMA) Green Seal Award in 2009 as the result of their production practices.[3]
Film festivals
- Sundance International Film Festival, February 2009
- San Francisco International Film Festival, April 2009
- Outfest, Opening Night, July 2009
- New York Latino International Film Festival, July 2009
- Seattle International Film Festival, May 2009
- Boston Independent Film Festival, April 2009
- Austin Film festival, October 2009
- Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, October 2009
- American Indian Film Festival, San Francisco, November 2009
- Artivist Film Festival, Opening Night, December 2009
- Palm Springs International Film Festival, World Cinema, January 2010
- Goteborg International Film Festival, February 2010
- CineFestival in San Antonio, February 2010
- San Jose Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival, September 2009
- Cinequest Film Festival, Maverick Award, March 2010
- San Diego Latin Film Festival, March 2010
- Sami Film Festival, March 2010
- Worldfest (Houston), April 2010
- USA Film Festival (Dallas), April 2010
- Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, April 2010
- Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, April 2010
- XicanIndie Film Festival, April 2010
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, April 2010
- Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (OUT), May–June 2010
- Philadelphia QFest, July 2010
- Gainesville Latino Film Fest, September 2010
- Closet Cinema, Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, October 2010
- Oaxaca International Independent Film and Video Festival, October 2010
- Winnipeg Annual Film Festival, November 2010
- New Latinamerican Cinema of La Havana, Havana Film Festival, December 2010
- Melbourne Queer Film Festival, March 2011
- Pink Apple Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, May 2012
Release
The film opened on April 9, 2010, in New York City and Los Angeles and on April 16 in San Francisco.[3] The DVD was released on August 10, 2010.[1] Songs of La Mission[4] features songs from the movie.
Reception
Roger Ebert gave the film 2½ stars out of 4.[5] La Mission was referred to as "an honest attempt to portray the destructiveness of violence in the Latino community",[6] and was credited by Latino media as being both authentic and genuine to various aspects of American Hispanic cultures.[1]