Check Out Felix Igori Ramos’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Felix Igori Ramos. 

Hi Felix, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My obsession with film began when I was kid living in Chicago, where I was born. I remember going to double features with my mother and brothers or my cousin Tony. We saw all the great 80’s movies. From E.T., The Thing, Return of the Jedi, The Karate Kid II, Adventures in Babysitting, I could go on and on. We weren’t able to afford a camera so that I could experiment and teach myself the craft, but I improvised with a tape recorder. I would write these small scenes and employ my brothers, cousins, mother whoever I could get to read lines and record these scenes that varied from drama to comedy to action/war scenarios. Then I would play them back and close my eyes and just imagine the scene in my head with full vistas, costumes, and camera moves. But the film that truly cemented my fate in film was Spike Lee’s 1989 masterpiece DO THE RIGHT THING. I walked out of that theatre as an 11-year-old kid and my whole world was flipped upside down. The material itself was gut-wrenchingly thought-provoking and visceral. Especially for me because I was living in a neighborhood on the Westside of Chicago that strikingly resembled the one Spike was depicting in his film. But what really had me in awe was the film technique from the camera work, to the music, to the acting, to the writing (wow, the writing) and ultimately the directing that moved me to tears and gave me a sense of despair. I walked into the theater that day wanting to be a filmmaker. I walked out of the theater needing to be a filmmaker. And I’ve been chasing the ghost of that experience ever since. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No such thing as a smooth road. You’re always going to struggle in one way or another if you’re ever going to be good at what you strive to be. The struggle can be external such as the kind you have with the elements of putting a production together and having to rely on others to complete your vision. But that’s the least of it in my opinion. I believe the great struggle is the one you have with yourself in the ring of doubt and fear. I have struggled with my confidence since I walked out of that theatre after watching DO THE RIGHT THING in 1989. You have to understand as a Guatemalan/ Puerto Rican kid from the West side of Chicago dreaming about being a filmmaker was not just discouraged but pitied. Like, “poor kid he actually believes that bullshit of you can be anything you want to be in life if you put your mind to it.” Truthfully, I don’t feel like I chose film, I honestly believe it chose me. Pragmatically, I would have chosen something less impossible like accounting or dentistry or computers like my parents wanted me to. It would’ve spared me the look I would get by just about everyone I ever told I wanted to be a filmmaker. Again, that look of pity. But once I settled into who I truly am whatever external struggles I encountered I overcame because I finally accepted God’s purpose for my life. Which is to be an artist. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a filmmaker. I have written, produced, and directed 12 short films and 1 feature film IN THE DEFENSE AGAINST TYRANNY which has won 11 film festival awards including Best Picture, and will be released worldwide in 2023 through High Octane Pictures Distribution. I believe we are living in volatile times and the art of this time needs to reflect as well as comment on the present and future direction we as people are headed in. So, like I mentioned I grew up on the “entertainment” of the ’80s but we don’t live in those times anymore. I would equate our times more to the ’60s and ’70s. So, my inspiration is to reflect and comment on what is going on today and where we might be going tomorrow. My heart and my mind is not on “entertaining” the audience that cares to watch my films. My heart and my mind is on presenting an experience for us both to navigate through and God-willing come out better or at least with a sense of understanding at the end. One of my favorite scriptures is out of Proverbs 4:7 and I’m paraphrasing, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Which I take it to mean, wisdom is the pursuit, but it is nothing without understanding. And to me, understanding means empathy, compassion, and love. I desire to bring that to my films and thus to the audience who will not go into one of my films under false pretenses. They’ll come to experience, not just be entertained. 

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I haven’t found a mentor in the industry yet, so I couldn’t speak toward that so much. But, as far as networking. Don’t be fake. It’s cliched and boring. Be kind, be professional, and have the courage to be yourself. People remember that more than you bloviating about what party you were at or who you may or may not be working with. Just be genuine. Flawed and all. I always say perfect is boring. Interesting is much more memorable. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felixigoriramos/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/felix.ramos.5036