Filmmaker's Journey: (Wittliff Collections Literary Series)

Born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1941, acclaimed filmmaker Severo Perez moved to Los Angeles in 1972 to pursue a career in the motion picture industry. His films have won awards, including five CINE Golden Eagles. Perez is also an accomplished playwright and novelist. Filmmaker’s Journey offers valuable insights into the life and work of this influential and visionary artist. Perez’s 1995 film . . . and the Earth Did Not Swallow Him, perhaps his best-known work, is adapted from TomÁs Rivera’s classic 1971 Chicano novel . . . y no se lo tragÓ la tierra. The film follows the lives of a South Texas family of migrant farmworkers in the 1950s. Perez’s nuanced, powerful film beautifully evokes the substance and spirit of Rivera’s work, and it has won international critical acclaim, including top honors at film festivals worldwide. Some of these include the Sol Award at the 1995 CineSol Latino Film Festival, Best Feature Film at the San Diego Independent Film Festival, and Best Feature Film at the Minneapolis Rivertown Film Festival. Filmmaker’s Journey recounts Perez’s winding path toward building a career as an independent filmmaker. Beginning with the events accompanying the first week of production for . . . and the Earth Did Not Swallow Him—which coincided with the riots incited by the Rodney King verdict on April 29, 1992—then picking up the thread of his Westside San Antonio upbringing and his early fascination with making movies, Perez recounts his experiences with the small art houses, the obscure film collectives, and the move to Los Angeles that would eventually launch his forty-five-year career producing programming for PBS, cable, and network television.

About the Author :
Severo Perez is an acclaimed playwright, novelist, and director of films and television programming, including his award-winning . . .  and the Earth Did Not Swallow Him, adapted from a 1971 novel by TomÁs Rivera. A native of San Antonio, Texas, he has lived and worked in Los Angeles since 1972.

Review :
"May Severo’s work inspire all future American filmmakers of color to aspire to global exposure. And may you the reader enjoy this remarkable memoir as a testament to the fiercely struggling artist within us all.”—Luis Valdez, foreworder and creative director of El Teatro Campesino - Luis Valdez "Severo carries the reader with him on his filmmaking journey from the beginning until the film was on the screen. The detailed explanation of his process leaves you feeling what it must take to make a film of your own. I learned so much about what it takes to make a successful film."— Concha Rivera, widow of TomÁs Rivera "Severo PÉrez had to claw his way into the film industry. A Filmmaker's Journey is a compelling memoir about the alternate routes PÉrez and others have taken to make it in Hollywood. I highly recommend this book."—W.K. Stratton, award-winning author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah, A Revolution in Hollywood, and the Making of a Legendary Film “Severo Perez invites readers to a behind-the-scenes account of filmmaking in America in this important book covering his 50 years of experience. There are few Latino filmmakers in Hollywood, and his extensive career in the field is admirable and instructive. Perez has an exceptional eye for detail, and his narrative is enriched by perceptive insights. Perez probes the stressful, complex, and extensive steps required to make a movie. He demonstrates that filmmaking is not for the faint of heart. Future filmmakers and anyone engaged in writing for Hollywood or creating film art will enjoy his commentary regarding the many challenges and obstacles in a highly creative and competitive field.”––Ricardo Romo, urban historian and author of East Los Angeles: History of a Barrio