The family has arrived!

Gloria La Morte,

C0-director/Co-writer

After 9 days of shooting exteriors in the August heat, the deafening street corners of Jackson Heights and the mosquito haven of our canning depot, something wonderful happened to me today while shooting in the cramped, stuffy and uninspiring studio apartment our character Antonio has waiting for his family at the film's beginning: Just as the family has made it this far, I thought to myself, so have we. It was a proud moment.

That space has lived in my head for over two years and to finally see Mariana, Gabriel and giggly Andrea enter, dirty and sweaty, and to experience their polite yet obvious disappointment was magical.

So it's official! The family "arrived to Queens" for the first time Day 10 at 5:30pm... I will never forget.

Day 8 - August 27, 2008

Photo by Sridhar Ranganath, Locations Manager

We are really making a movie.

Paola Mendoza,
Co-Director/Co-Writer/Lead Actress
I woke up this morning with a knot in my stomach. I was afraid to look at the call sheet as it was a nearly impossible day. We had three company moves and 5 pages to shoot!!!! We were shooting the second to last scene of the script...one of the most important if not the MOST important scene of the film today. I promised myself not to freak out and instead I told myself to be calm and patient throughout the entire day. My mantra...IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING!
I have learned a lot about myself in the last eight days of shooting. I have realized that making movies is essentially the art of letting go. You can't hold on to any one emotion for very long because there simply isn't the time to. If I am upset because of a scene, or a person, or a set, or a costume, I have about thirty seconds to hold onto the feeling before I have to make another decision and let it go.
Letting go has always been a difficult task for me to do. I tend to keep emotions churning inside of me for a very long time. At times it even seems like I thrive with these emotions. Yet what Entre Nos has taught me is to move on without any emotional strings attached. I like that feeling, it's somewhat liberating. I hope to apply this new found awareness of letting go in the real world, not just in movie land.
Movie land is stressful! Everyday at around 4:00pm the stress levels start to creep up. I am working on how best to manage my stress so those around me don't get the CHANGO wrath!!! Today was a great day...Chango did not come out once. I am trying to keep him in check. I think because Chango was in check we accomplished everything that we needed to today.
I am off to get ready for our 5:45am wakeup call. Ten more days....its been one hell of a ride so far.
p

Day 6 - August 24, 2008

L-R: Paola Mendoza ("Mariana"); Sebastian Villada Lopez ("Gabriel"); Laura Montana ("Andrea")

Photo by Sridhar Ranganath, Locations Manager

Day 5 - August 23, 2008

L-R: Yori Tondrowski (1st AD) (standing); Anthony Chisolm ("Joe"); Sebastian Villada Lopez ("Gabriel"); Gloria LaMorte (Co-Director)

Photo by Sridhar Ranganath, Locations Manager

Day 3 - August 21, 2008

Becky Morrison,
Unit Production Manager
three down. fifteen to go. wow. it's been a blast!
it's been wonderfully hectic in that crazed, adrenaline way that only production can be. after a few narrowly avoided catastrophes (you don't even want to know about), a disgruntled store owner, lost keys, a farmer's tan, a fender-bender or two, a bucket of parking tickets, a belated caterer, and a kick ass team of interns . . . we're well on our way to making a movie!
that's why working on features is fun. the universe selects a handful of random individuals through choice and circumstance, tosses them onto a set, hands them equipment and calls them a crew. then for the next several weeks that crew is a family. you get to know each other in ways that you don't even know your own family. you see them bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 1st thing the morning, and exhausted and sweaty late at night. you see them laugh out loud and you see them pull their hair out. if a couple of crew members happen to actually BE your family, then the experience is truly magnificent. you are given the opportunity to interact in ways you never have before. you learn about each other as people, in a way you don't get to over thanksgiving dinner. then together you create something magical; something meaningful. it doesn't get any better than that . . .

Day 2 - August 20, 2008

Rick Mendoza (Paola's brother),
The inspiration of "Gabriel"
Today I get the pleasure of being "blog master!"
I'm Rick Mendoza - Paola's older, wiser, though uglier brother. I brought my family (wife Brandy and 3 kids Tori, Brandon and Ryan Cole) to New York to be here for Paola's big day. And what a day it was! I really had no expectations nor any idea what this production would be like.
As I walked onto the set, I was surprised at the size of this project. This might be a small independent film to most, but for me, someone not in the "biz", I was impressed. There had to be 60 people running around in some controlled, chaotic fashion. I learned what the "video village" was and what "first position" is. I have to say that it was a proud moment for me to watch my little sister doing what she does best. While everyone, I'm sure, is proud to be a part of this amazing project, you can't understand the level of pride that this project brings when its your little sister doing it. I had no idea the amount of work that goes into making a film and to watch her do it while maintaining her composure, her sanity and doing it with such control and confidence blew me away. She is a true professional at her craft.
As far as my family's debut in front of the camera, it was very cool, very fun, but very long! Paola wanted to have our mom and my wife and kids in the final shot of the movie. It went great and I hope the shot comes out, but keeping 3 kids entertained for 4 hours waiting for our scene was tough. I want to thank everyone on the set for their patience and help with our kids. Victoria was very excited about it and knew exactly what was going on...the boys...well they just wanted to eat pizza and play with their Nintendo DS's. While it was very cool to be a part of all this, I think I will keep my day job and leave the creative stuff to Paola.
On the first day, my sister gathered everyone together before the first shot to thank them for helping her dream become a reality. It was a touching moment to watch someone as their dreams are realized right in front of your eyes. That moment is so much more special when it belongs to your sister. To be there, to be a part of that moment, is a thing I will never forget. So Paola...I thank you for sharing that moment with us!!! I love you very much and am so very proud of you!

The deets on Day One!

Paola Mendoza,
Co-Director/Co-Writer/Lead Actress
It’s 9:04 pm after Day One of shooting and I feel great!!! My feet REALLY hurt because I was standing all day. On the real, I probably sat down for a total of twenty minutes in our 12 hour day. So you can imagine how much pain I am in. But I am happy to say that we made our first day. We shot every scene that was supposed to be shot. Of course we all had to make some artistic sacrifices but in the grand scheme of everything the day was great.
It started off a little rough. Once we got on set and tried to get our sound to roll we realized that our sound mixer was broken! Yes, BROKEN. We had our sound team trying to fix the mixer at 7 am and at about 8 am we made the call to go rent a new one. This of course left us with no sound for at least an hour. We got creative and shot everything we could that didn’t REQUIRE sound. We all handled the sound emergency very well. Our team worked together to fix the problem. Not only did we fix the problem but we got back on schedule by lunch time.
As I drove to set today I realized that you only have day one of your first feature film ONCE, and I said to myself no matter what was to happen I had to enjoy myself. Having my mother on set, with my brother and his family was perfectly beautiful. Their spirit and love carried me through the day just as they always have.
I am too tired to write anything beautiful or poetic but I must add that I realized today how lucky I am. I had my family on set, I had my two best friends with me, my boyfriend loves deeply and my community came out in force to show their support & love.
I am forever grateful to everyone who gave me such a special day today.
On to day two….we are ready for anything!

Brad walks on air

This is our first official production shot. Brad is so good the movie gods have given him the power to walk on air! Sam who fronts as our location manager but has the eye of an eagle took the shot!
Keep the good vibe coming!

Day 1 - August 19, 2008

Noni Limar,
Production Assistant
here we come
all of us
writers. directors. talent. producers. assistants
family
it will take all of us to make it happen
i flew from los angeles to see my best friend make a film
i was proud of her before the camera rolled
at 9pm, as i boarded the train back to brooklyn
i was proud of all of us
all summer i have been working as a PA on tasteless reality shows
& high end commercials
i have been learning the craft of filmmaking
thru the lens of commerce
here in queens,
its not money that matters
in the span of hours i saw community being built
children, store owners & extras
it was truly a beautiful thing
the glory of PA work is not being in charge
you can watch everyone stress out
debate choices, time, breaks, angles
& just ask someone what you should do
as a very responsible & busy artist
its great to let someone else be the boss
to learn humility, listening & team work
is invaluable
the first duty i had today was
washing dirty aluminum cans & plastic bottles
when adriana told me i had to do it
her face was full of pity
i didnt see whut the big deal was
just a few cans right?
wrong
hundreds of old beer cans for 3 hours straight
gross.
but, after the initial disgust wore off
i really grew to see how great the job was
one reason i like the script of entre nos so much
is the sacrifice the entire family makes to survive
i got to interact with the most important props in the film
head on
i experienced going thru garbage in order to eat
& though it wasnt a glamorous job,
it had honor in itit felt noble
it felt real the simplest things always do right?
im really looking forward to the next 17 days in the company of all of us
im even more excited to see the story of us
expand into an even bigger circle
of people who can relate to this journey of family, sacrifice & love.
noni

Meet Laura Montana

Meet Sebastian Villada

Andres Munar is cast as Antonio

Today is a good day

Paola Mendoza,
Co-Director/Co-Writer/Lead Actress
Taking a day off from work was a great thing. I was able to breath, take a moment for myself and allow me to prepare for the three weeks ahead.

My brother and his family flew in yesterday and I was able to spend the entire day with them. We walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and I couldn't help but crack a smile when my niece asked me, "why are there so many computers hanging outside all the windows." I explained those weren't computers but air conditioners. "Wow", she said fascinated. She wanted to go to China town so we stopped by. We marveled at the fish, the live crabs, the frogs...and of course the subway was the most exciting part of the day. It was a beautiful moment to have my family in the city I have come to call home. Sharing with them my love for New York, my fascination and respect for a city where I have come into myself as an artist. I believe it is my life experiences that influence my art, the people I have surround myself with are the foundation for my success and the place that I call home has fed my soul.

I am quite surprised that I am not very stressed out. I feel we are in a great place. Are there still loose ends to tie up, YES, most defiantly. We don't have a few locations locked, but I have no doubt Sam will come through. Schedule wise..a few changes need to happen. A few difficult days will need to be made in order complete the film. But all in all we are in good shape. Everyone has had to make sacrifices artistically because of money or lack of money or because of time...better said lack of time...but the essence of the story has been kept true.

Two more days until we say action...or better said until my mom says action. Cause you know I am going to let me mom say the very first action of the film!

Paola Mendoza,
Co-Director/Co-Writer/Lead Actress
The count down begins!
One week from today Gloria and I will be saying "action"...my heart just skipped a beat!

Nahhh, but on the real...I feel great about where we are. Gloria and I have been working our asses off for two years and now the time has come, it's ride or die...and you know we are gonna RIDE!!!
So you might be asking yourself exactly what Gloria and I and now a team of about 25 other people have done in order to say "action" on August 19th. If your not, I know my mom is...so here goes..
- bought final draft
- met in starbucks...thousands of times
- got kicked out of starbuck...zero times...gracias for the free office
- flew to Colombia two times...gracias to the fam for the free house
- met in Juan Valdez in Colombia
- made copies all over Bogota
- translated the script...thank god for the Colombian hook up
- applied for a grant that took four months to write...still waiting for the answer...so cross your fingers
- applied to IFP Market
- met with over 25 people at IFP Market
- won a camera package at IFP Market
- met in starbucks some more
- made a lot of cold phone calls for $$$
- wrote a lot of e-mails to strangers...some responded...some did not
- applied for another grant..again cross them fingers
- had a reading
- found our visionary...brad
- suffered over a title
- suffered some more
- got some money!!!!
- got drunk!!!!
- flew back to Colombia
- got drunk again
- got Michael and Joe on board
- we were able to FINALLY sleep
- applied to Tribeca All Access
- ate REALLY well at Tribeca All Access
- hired Maria & Ellyn as our casting directors
- auditioned over 200 kids
- went to Colombia's independence day parade
- talked to another 200 kids
- found our Gabriel
- started rehearsals with Sebastian
- were grateful to have the movie Gods on our side because the kid is brilliant.
- found our Andrea...life can't get better
- got our crew together: becky, andriana, yori, shiya, sam, james, vera, katie, monica, miyo, noni, theresa, chris, dillon, hans, jack, che, tao, veronica, antonio, jr, shereema
- drove all over queens finding our locations
- found some
- lost some
- ate too many empanadas
- had many many long nights
- made some re-writes
- made some sacrafices
- cried a lil bit
- laughed a LOT a bit

and that is the last 2 years wrapped up in a few hundred words....
man life is crazy...and I am loving it!

Gloria La Morte,

Co-Director/Co-Writer/Editor

As I begin to formulate my thoughts on the project and the process thus far, I can hear the clock on my wall ticking away. It dawns on me that it's past 1:00 AM and I have an early call for our first tech scout and maybe I should finish this tomorrow evening. But that would only put me where I was last night, making script changes for Yori (AD) at 2:30AM, when the next morning Paola and I had an early meeting with Brad (DP) to work on our shot list.

It seems that since Paola and I put fingers to keyboards the clock has not stopped ticking. The excitement of completing our first draft quickly lead us to entering our screenplay into film markets and festivals. Those amazing experiences gave us the confidence to whole heartedly move toward production... and here we are two weeks out from production.

To date, we have become honorary residents of Jackson Heights! I think we were the only Colombians who didn't know we could reach our homeland just off the #7 train... That by the end of one week of scouting we could have eaten dozens of empanadas between the two of us (and one whole cup of hot sauce). But most amazing off all, we have been welcomed beyond what we could have imagined by this community of hard-working people that are proud and supportive of the work we are fortunate enough to bring forth.

As I take my cue from my clock to wrap it up, I would like to acknowledge the hundreds of children we met in search of our two, young lead actors. They selflessly brought us to tears and gave us endless joy with their heartfelt stories. If, along with the amazing crew that has come on board, we get to tell our story as honestly and richly as they did, we will have fulfilled our sincerest wishes for entre nos.

Paola Mendoza,
Co-Director/Co-Writer/Lead Actress
I have never worked so hard before in my life. I feel as if I am being pulled in a million directions, everyone needs something, a question answered, a clarification demanded....but I am LOVING every moment of it.

The other night I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling and I imagined my mother walking onto set and introducing her to everyone that was making her story a reality. I smiled at the thought, my eyes welled as the reality sunk in that in a mere 21 days my mom would do just that, look into the eyes of 35 strangers and trust that we will be true to her story. I am humbled by this reality. I am grateful to everyone that is giving their time, their energy and their belief in the story Gloria and I want to tell.

I must confess that over the last two years there have been moments when I wanted to stop. But when I was simply too tired, confused and lacked confidence, it was that image of my mother on set that kept me going. It was the hope that I would be able to give a small gift to my mother in order to show her how much I appreciated all of her sacrifices.

Full Synopsis

Mariana Cabal, a young mother raising two children in a squalid neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia, is determined to reunite with her husband, Antonio. He has preceded their move to the United States, trying to build some sense of economic stability. With her children, Gabriel, age 9, and Andrea, age 5, Mariana illegally crosses the border in search of her husband and her dream… to one day provide her children with a better life.

Her reunion with Antonio is a joyous one, yet Mariana and the kids soon find themselves at Antonio’s small, poorly-furnished apartment in Korea Town, Queens. They are disheartened by his apparent lack of stability. For Antonio, their undeniable disappointment is more than he can stand.

One night not long after this arrival, Antonio returns home drunk and tells Mariana that he is leaving for Miami to find a better job. Mariana explodes with anger. She has endured peril and hardship to reunite the family, and she does not want to see it broken once again. She yearns for the day when the family has settled down, her children are enrolled in school, and she can pursue her passion for cooking, perhaps by opening a small restaurant. The simple pleasures of hard-working life. Yet, Antonio tells her that his mind is made up and that he will send for them from Miami, when he finds work. Antonio leaves.

Many days go by, and Mariana does not hear from him. She slowly comes to realize that Antonio has not only left them but abandoned them. With no more than fifty dollars to her name, Mariana must provide for her family, while lost in a country that is completely foreign to her.

Mariana turns to her passion for cooking. She makes homemade empanadas (meat patties) and attempts to sell them on the busy streets of Korea Town. This fails, however, and it becomes clear to her that her dreams will have to be put aside: complete selflessness is the price for her family’s survival. She will have to make due with hope. With mounting desperation, she joins the women who gather daily on Queens’ street-corners, trying to find menial work. This fails, too. With options closing in on her, Mariana turns to the city’s trash to feed her family. With Gabriel and Andrea beside her, tirelessly collecting cans, the family establishes the only stability they have had since their arrival to America. Despite this challenging and humbling experience, the family uncovers finer aspects of humanity amidst poverty and begins to build towards their dreams of opportunity in America.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Entre Nos blog:
Please check back for updates soon.
Members of the cast & crew will be documenting their experiences during production of this film.
Shooting begins on August 19, 2008.