Young Latino Filmmaker Sees the Power of Movies

Ralph Lopez will tell you that he — wanted to be in the movie business since he was in the third grade — as the guy who blew stuff up. That was until his mother suggested he, instead, look to being in charge of making movies, and not just blow things up. More than 20 years later, Lopez has the awards to prove not only that his mother gives good advice, but that he turned out to be a talented filmmaker.

Lopez produced, along with creative partner/writer/director  Ya’Ke Smith, “Katrina’s Son,” which just won Best Narrative Short at the Austin Film Festival over the weekend.  This latest win adds to the list of wins for the 2010 short, which has screened in Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Oaxaca, Mexico.

Everything about Lopez changes when he begins to talk film.
He gets into it — you don’t even have to ask him any questions. And you can tell he means it. After spending the better part of his 29 years working on film, the San Antonio native has a lot to say. He and Smith met in high school and have been collaborating since, with “Katrina’s Son” being their latest project to meet critical success.

I think success is having people respond to your product and convey what you’re trying to say, he told me recently over breakfast tacos. The goal is always to get better and to continue to do what we love to do.”
While Lopez says he focuses mostly on the technical aspect of film, he and Smith are also starting to expand their vision as filmmakers to encompass the business side as they look to work on a feature film. This is important, he says, because film is a profession that smiles on you for being versatile.

Looking to the future, Lopez is hoping to produce a feature film, better his skills and continue to share “Katrina’s Son” at film festivals. He gives a lot of credit to his family and Ya’Ke for inspiring and supporting him as a filmmaker, but says that for filmmakers everywhere to be successful, community support is vital. And that’s important, he says, because we all need movies.

Ya’Ke says this all the time, “Film is a powerful medium, because there are so many messages that can be spread and stories told that you can’t take film lightly.”