Today we’d like to introduce you to Javier Barboza
Javier, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Graffiti art was my gateway into considering myself an authentic artist in my youth. I would draw for fun comics and Saturday morning cartoon’s characters, Looney Tunes, I really started first making money from my drawings selling hood loony tunes to friends, 2 bucks, 5 bucks a drawing. I grew up in Boyle Heights. We all had nicknames as kids & teens. Everybody had a nickname like be Droopy, Yogi, Gumby, Flacco, Snoopy, Cheeks, Tweety. So I would draw Cholo Tweety bird wearing a bandana, baggy paints and some steel boots. Then tagged the name Tweety in old English. Then right around 1992, hip-hop and graffiti really took full swing and I started transitioning from teen angels, low rider, Prison art cartoon drawings to more NYC graffiti style, bubble letters and wild style. In high school stealing markers and my dad spray paint and getting invited by different crews to go on tagging missions…..I was the character’s artist. I never really did text graffiti because in East LA & South Central graffiti was involved with tag banging. Because West Coast graffiti is not east coast hip-hop graffiti, West coast style in the 90’s was very inter link with the gang culture. So I would do piecing from bombs , throw up but most importantly funny looking cartoons on walls, freeways, trains, rivers walls, billboards. It was fun until you got caught for the hood foo’s and get shot for tagging in their barrio…lol. But me and homies would watch Jackie Chan movies and study his moves to climb and scale structures and escape from the cops and gangsters…..it was fun and a rush. But I saw no future in that.
At Roosevelt high school I really got into animation at this after school program in skid row, Cal Arts & Inner City arts animation program. Teachers, instructors, help me see a different path in art. Cuz at the time, Hollywood to me was as far as China. At the after school program I was learning how to use my character skills into doing character animation, and experimental animation. I attended East LA College to refine my skills and portfolio to get into Cal arts focused on drawing and painting. I had a side job painting Murals and street signs, and did murals for store fronts and elementary schools. Painted letters on ice cream trucks and elote/ corn carts, fruit carts, and food carts. I was shocked when I got accepted to CalArts. My other option was to join the Marine core for the GI bill for college. I applied to the core but they said I was to Fat, overweight this is before 9/11. At Cal Arts I focused on animation, film, and experimental film. A film of mine title ( February 18, 2005) screened at Nickelodeon film festival, Nicktoons award and broadcast on their networks all over the world. I did a lot of freelance working on different commercials, Tv shows like Bo Jack horseman and Robot Chicken and different indie films. I was doing a lot of teaching at after school programs working at the Watt towers, Plaza de La Raza, amongst other schools, teaching at continuation high schools. A friend of mine and a coworker recommended that I get a graduate degree so I can teach at a university level. So I applied to USC university of Southern California and to my surprise got accepted to the school cinematic arts/ animation program.
At USC I wrote, produced and directed an animated documentary title (El Coyote). Where I interviewed an old friend from the graffiti world , at the time they smuggled people from Tijuana Mexico to LA. They also cross over “heavy cargo”. I interviewed them and they opened up about their life as a Coyote, the slang term for human smuggler. People would pay him and his crew to cross into the USA. We talked about the mechanics behind it. How he had to code switch into different characters from talking Spanish, English, slang, and code. As a filmmaker, documentarian and journalist I have to protect their identity. So I animated his story and got funding from the Princess Grace foundations and the Annenberg fellowship at USC. I blended many animation styles. The film did well showcasing at many film festivals across the globe and aired at few networks. It was also nominated for an ASIFA Hollywood’s Annie Awards, one of the highest awards you can get in the animation industry.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Funding your own films and working independently has its challenges. Balancing work, teaching at several universities and freelance for many independent film productions. While working on your own film work can strain the artist’s creativity most definitely causes burn out. Plus Natural forces of nature can derail any production no matter how much you plan and no batman contingency plan will help out against mother nature. While in Mexico in fall 2017 the volcano
Popocatépetl erupted and there were 2 major earthquakes. It altered my timeline for volunteering at the migrant shelters and doing interviews for a animated documentary. In 2019 I received a grant funding to do the part of the film. I received a special project grant with Princess Grace foundation. everything was set to go. Then Covid hit. I was living in Boston & NYC for work. I decided to move back to LA. but lost a good chunk of funding that was already used for the film production at the time so I was placed on hold till now. Plus working with other people in the animation & film industries have their share of divas and racially biased and can wreck any film production.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My film work got the attention of KCET / PBS show called Lost LA. Where I directed the short segment (Once Upon a time in Chavez Ravine) the real story of Dodger stadium. How an entire community of Chavez Ravine was deceived and forcibly removed to make a Dodger stadium an illegal stadium. The episode that included my short was nominated for a day time regional Emmy.
Most recently I’ve been producing and directing an independent film Clandestino: A Refugee fairy tail. It’s inspired from my travels in central and southern Mexico. An animated documentary/ mockumentery of interviews when I volunteered with “Hermano en El Camino” in Oaxaca Mexico and “Las Patronas” in Veracruz Mexico. As a volunteer I helped out migrants coming from Central America hitchhiking in Mexico riding on the train called la Bestia, El tren de Murte, The Train of Death. I completed one section of the film MURO/Wall. MURO is a stop motion film that was funded by Laika studios studio that made “Coraline” the film grant was part of Film Independent organization’s Project Involved animation grant. In the film “Muro” Humpty Dumpty guards the Wall/Muro in Spanish. Humpty watches over a mythical landscape. The Wall represents the division wall from the world and history, The great wall of China, East & west Berlin, Israel and Palestine, US and Mexico. A young girl named LIbby is trying to cross over for a better life and has to bargain with Humpty Dumpty. I’ve been writing grants to get more funding to complete the 2 other acts of the film Clandestino. The other 2 stories are adaptations of the 3 goats and the troll and the Fairy godmothers.
We live in a new age where worlds can merge in a new fairytale, for New Fairy tales emerge to tell of the horrors of our world. Clandestino: A Refugee fairy tail. is like my other films, mixing these storys and ideas from documentary to fantasy animation mix media and experimental film styles. Juxtaposing these worlds audiences will see a very familiar stories transpire. From fantastic to comedic, dark and terrifying, reflecting on reality of trying to make sense of this world. I quote Mark Twain “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it’s because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn’t.” But just how strange can truth be? ”
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
The grass is always greener on the other side. The perspective of success can mean many things. For Tony Montnana, The World is Yours…at what cost. Get rich or Die tryin. I’m not a fortunate son. What would one pay for success? Money, Power, Fame? For Hollywood and the Art worlds can sail any artist in search of the seas of gold, Then ask why the seas of gold are so cold? As long I’m drawing and getting paid to draw and making my own films. Making a good living just drawing. health for my family, friends and I….that good with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.javbarboza.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/javbarboza/
- Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user678879
- Other: https://vimeo.com/85998522
Image Credits
El Coyote film link
https://vimeo.com/85998522
MURO film link
Once Upon a Time in Chavez Ravine
https://www.pbs.org/video/once-upon-a-time-in-chavez-ravine/
photo profile Self at Yaddo Artist Residency
photos Credits
1. Coyote Poster
2. Javier/self on set Muro , with Humpty Dumpty and the Wall/MURO set
3. film :Clandestino shot of la Bestia, Train of Death Film still
4. film :Clandestino: film still border patrol
5. Muro, film still
6. Drawing still
7. Muro film still, character Libby
8. Set photo, Self /Javier working on set with animator Aaron Homles
9. Las Patronas volunteer work with migrants
