San Anto’s Westsider Alex Ramirez of Mala Bruja Pictures is celebrating his big win for SA Current’s Best of list. He has been voted Best Local Filmmaker of 2021.
“I don’t think my films would exist had I not grown up here in San Antonio. So, to be chosen for that list by San Antonio readers is the greatest feeling because I love my community. I love this city. I love making pictures here. So it really is a great honor,” Ramirez states.
Ramirez’s films are deeply rooted in his community, with a beautiful representation of our gente. The stories he tells are encompassed with many aspects of our San Anto cultura, including language, dialogue, familia, even the way San Antonians think flow through his work.
“All that falls into the pictures that I make, the people that I write about. I think it’s all there if you watch my work.”
His latest project “A Life in Technicolor”, is about “a young cinephile who, during quarantine realizes that she can kind of bend space and time in her apartment to recreate the films and the film scenes she loves.” This film should be out no later by this winter.
Ramirez’s diligence and dedication to his craft is more than admirable as he shares the joy of film with his students at SAY SÍ for the last three years, which he describes as “an amazing job,” thus giving him a purpose within the community.
“It’s amazing getting to work with kids, many of whom come from low income households, marginalized communities, and really using my skills and expertise to share that wisdom.”
The representation of color in the media is incredibly important for our youth and beyond. Ramirez believes “we need that representation, not just on the screen, but those roles behind the camera: writing, producing, above and below the line roles. That’s what I hope we can get to in the next few years, where it’s just commonplace, where we’re not just a statistic.”
Be on the lookout for Alex Ramirez and the amazing work he is doing for our comunidad.
Check out his website: https://www.alexramirezfilms.com/
