Conversations with Ahuatl Amaro

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ahuatl Amaro.

Hi Ahuatl, 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?
I am a proud queer Indigenous Latinx born and raised in Los Angeles. I work as a media, marketing and public relations practitioner. I also direct films in my spare time. After working for nonprofits to secure millions of dollars in funding and advance over 200 pieces of legislation, I decided to reconnect with my artistic side. By leveraging my nonprofit leadership and narrative change skills, I have been able to write and direct three live-action shorts that uplift the voices of Latinx, Indigenous, working-class and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The film and television industry in Los Angeles is experiencing an existential crisis. There is an exodus of Hollywood productions because of the skyrocketing cost of filming in Los Angeles, governments abroad are offering competitive tax incentives, and major studios are focused on producing box office hits. For independent, working-class and people of color (POC) filmmakers, producing an extraordinary, award-winning, highly-acclaimed, live-action film is nearly impossible. Anyone that is able to write, produce, and screen a film at an Oscar-qualifying festival should be exceptionally proud of themselves.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My lifelong body of work has been dedicated to uplifting the voices of communities that to this day lack equal protection under the law. My hope is to make the invisible visible. As a media, marketing and public relations expert, I am proud to have been part of the team of advocates that won the right for LGBTQ couples to marry in the United States. As a film director, I am lucky to have worked with talented actors and filmmakers to produce award-winning live-action films that have screened at over 40 film festivals worldwide.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I am grateful for my mentors and educators that have shaped my narrative change and filmmaking work. I also want to thank the passionate producers and assistant directors that helped our films come to fruition: Brian Bonilla, Barbara Lettieri, Fanfan Zhou, Jacob Ortuño, Linda Wei, Bamby Salcedo, Al Ballesteros, Pepe Torres, Guillermo Douglass-Jaimes, David Douglass-Jaimes, Abraham Rodriguez, Arianne Garcia, Jason Genao, Matan Alter, and Andrés H. Martínez.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aguadulceproductions/

Image Credits
Headshot by Arturo Díaz Salmerón, BTS photos by Em Chen (“Mean Goals”) and Joshua Vazquez (“Physical Therapy”)