Check Out Carlos Carlos Jr.’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Carlos Jr.

Hi Carlos, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Honestly, it’s pretty impossible to define when this journey started. I consider my directorial tendencies rooted in lots of other experiences and mini journeys if we can call them that. The overwhelming passage of my life has been quite removed from film and filmmaking in general, but I know without a doubt all roads led here. I think I’ve always just loved the chase of something bigger – somehow, the process of making a movie is that something ‘bigger.’ Rock bands, religious devotion (rip), community organizing, etc., are all somehow almost exactly the same process as what I’m doing now. Same process, different tools, same person, different outcome. What I’m more interested in is what’s next. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Challenges are what make the end result worth it, no? The biggest obstacle is typically oneself, and I’m the first example of that cliche. I don’t know why we love pouring ourselves into an art form that can leave you so drained, empty, exhausted, fried. Like I said before, I think I absolutely love the chase. I guess they call that the “process” of making film. But most of the “process,” to be honest, is an emotional and interpersonal one. The rest is learnable, figure-out-able, etc. Of course there can always be more money, more time, more attention, sure. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am proud to be able to relate to most people in a positive, collaborate way. I love, love sharing experiences and philosophies with others, and I try to leverage that for my work. That’s why I landed in directing. The chameleon-esque nature of discussing performance, camera, color, cuts, schedules, and efficiency with different departments is absolutely my jam. I’m addicted to the process of preparing a shoot and choosing all its elements with a team. I love it, love it. I’ve been told that charisma, if I may say humbly, is among my strengths. 

To give a more direct answer, I am a writer & film director with strengths in assistant directing and production. I specialize in organizing people, creative information, and being the connective tissue between teams. I’ve directed 8-or-so short films, 3 short pilots, most of which are available at your request. I’ve just completed my graduate thesis, La Cumbia (De Lo Que Pudo Ser), a love story between an indigenous third-gendered Muxe (look them up, they’re amazing), and a traveling western documentarian. I am extremely proud of the deep research and recreation work we did to shoot a film set in a foreign country within the limits of production in proximity to our university. Elle Perfecto, my co-writer and ride-or-die, worked tirelessly to learn and understand the culture we’re portraying and we’re extremely excited to announce we’ve embarked on our feature writing journey. Back to Mexico to learn and encounter more. I’m also incredibly proud of working with an amazing team of women (Ayako Karasawa, Flora Jiang, Morgan Spurr, Mihika Das) all from different countries to tell this indigenous Mexican queer story. They are the brilliance and power of our production and my biggest source of inspiration. Yes, that’s 100% what I am most proud of. 

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I’ll give a brief story. 

In 1995/6, a Mexican woman in the Mexican/American border, raised in a 400 square foot tiny home with 8 others no shoes, no bathroom, no bedrooms, no resources, no father, no agency, created her own power to climb to academic (and personal) excellence, be the first of any generation to study, start a family, experience divorce years later, pregnant, and on the day of her child’s delivery, she crossed the border to ensure her child is born with an American birth certificate. She goes back to Mexico for years, eventually making her way back to the US. Jobs in two countries, kids raised in educational care, builds her own company, and inspires her kids to follow their dreams and go to art school. For brevity, I left significant detail out. 

That monumental woman is my mother and on her shoulders I stand. You tell me if luck has played a role in my life because, to me, having a mother like that is the luckiest a human being could ever be. 

Contact Info:

• Website: carloscarlosjr.com
• Instagram: @carloscarlosjr_
• Twitter: @carloscarlosjr_

Image Credits
@your_bts_guy
@suhchae