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Writer, director, producer, actress, and all around bad ass chick: Maylen Calienes.
I feel so honored to have a friend who has done so much in the indie film community. I met Maylen Calienes at a Film Independent social because I wanted help making my first film "The Pill." Maylen was experienced, resourceful, and very patient with my enthusiastic, naive film maker self. But I learned a lot from her - mostly how to maintain the positivity during the stress of making a movie. She almost makes it look easy.

With six films now under her belt, and a premiere just around the corner, I'm pretty convinced that my friend Maylen might just become the Latina version of Harvey Weinstein. At last that's what she would like. And based on her record, I'd say if she wants it, she'll get it. Read on to learn about her latest movie the "The Three Bilinguals."

What is the Three Bilinguals about?
"The Three Bilinguals" is a quirky character driven dramedy about a Mexican a Cuban and a Puerto Rican that meet at the reading of their father's will.


Where did you get this concept? What inspired this story?
One word DIVERSITY. Being a Latina (Cuban) woman in the "Hollywood industry" can present many obstacles and not too many opportunities. The Latino community is very diverse we come from different countries with different realities and cultures. We typically deal with Latino stereotypes we often see in film. Some examples, Latinos playing gang members, maids, gardeners etc. Also in film we often see Latinos living in poor neighborhoods, although this may be the reality to some it is not the reality to all Latinos.  

In my film "The Three Bilinguals," there are three Latinos living with a white woman and they are not the gardener the maid or the chef.  Yes, the main characters include a Mexican a Cuban and a Puerto Rican played by actors native of those countries. I am not making anyone change their accent or their culture, they are playing the part true to who they are and where they come from. We not only cast diversity of Latinos we also cast diversity as a whole. In the film I have other ethnicities Asian, Black, Indian, White,etc. We live in the United States of America where we have neighbors of many different beautiful colors and cultures, we should embrace it!

At work I was talking to two of my co-workers: a Mexican and a Venezuelan. I was pointing out the color of a hat that was brown. The color brown in Spanish is "carmelita" at least that is what the Cubans say. The Venezuelan corrected me and said that the color was "marrón" then the Mexican corrected both of us and said that the color was "café" and we were all right. We all speak Spanish but sometimes may face a lost-in-translation moment because one word may mean something else in a different country. I literally said out loud (once we argued about the correctness of the word brown): "Ay! The three bilinguals!" We speak Spanish and we don't even understand each other." And that is where the root of the idea came from and the title.


Tell us about you.
I have always had a passion for storytelling since I was a child - and one hell of an imagination. I would always cast my brother in all of my ambitious childhood projects and made him act, sing, and dance too. He would always give into my creative ideas because if not I'd tell him that the wicked witch of the west would come and take him...LOL. I was kind too because I'd play ninja turtles, He-man and Transformers with him, but in return he must play Barbie and teacher with me. As a child I always got lost in my imagination, and now as an adult I do too.

I was also always actively involved in the arts: painting, dancing, acting, modeling, etc. I became very active with acting and theatre my freshman year in high school; I was one of a few who made it into the very-exclusive drama team. That day changed my life! I competed in drama tournaments and at the same time I would be performing on stage in a theatre. I also started teaching acting while putting up shows that I wrote and directed for the theatre.

Acting has always been a part of my life and it still is. I remain active in performing and taking classes. It is important to me that I know acting because it helps me as a director to understand actors and help guide them in a role. In Los Angeles I became active in writing and directing for film which is also a passion. "The Three Bilinguals" is my sixth and most ambitious short film. Other films include "The Dance of Death," "Domino," "Borderline," and my award winners "The Lady and the Magic Wand," and "Havana-Gila." 

"Havana-Gila" and "The Three Bilinguals" are currently in development to take the big step of being made into features. What I do is not easy, putting a movie together can be a challenge but my passion and love drives me to get lost in this world of creation, imagination and inspiration which I very much enjoy!


Tell us about the main character(s).
"The Three Bilinguals" is an ensemble piece. The quirky characters I created Julio the Mexican, Jessica the Cuban, and Jacinto the Puerto Rican are siblings that meet for the first time at the reading of their father's will. They must live with their new step mom Josephine in harmony and get to know each other in order to receive this inheritance. 

Their Spanish father Juan was a naughty ladies man and a shoe maker who spoke of course Español.  The "tag line" for the film is: Shoes, Sex & Español. This connects all three of them to their deceased father. They all have a fetish for shoes, they love sex and they speak the Español from their native countries.  In the film a lot of their conflicts not only arise from their differences but many from their similarities too. They are fun characters that I hope the audience gets to like and enjoy.


What have been some obstacles you have faced on production of this film?
Who doesn't face obstacles in any production? Making a film is not easy it takes a lot of planning during the pre-production stage. Once you're ready for production and everything is very well planned, you have to shoot within a certain amount of hours and you have to stay within budget at all times while working on an indie micro-budget film.

I would say the biggest obstacle we faced during production is having to change locations in the same day three different times. Changing locations was a challenge but we kept it calm and cool so no one will freak out. As a leader you show a good example and others will follow!

Regardless of the obstacles we faced, the cast and crew was very cool at all times and there was never a dull moment; we cracked jokes and made the work environment as cool and entertaining as possible. 


Working on anything else?
I am always working on something whether it's my own project or not. I keep very active in what I love to do! My next big project will be a feature. I am doing a lot of writing and a lot of planning. I also have some other big ideas in the works. 

I have been developing and putting together my production company, MayCal Productions. I want to help other filmmakers develop their films. My production company focuses on Diversity so any film that goes through me needs to implement a diverse cast and crew. Diversity is what I will continue to push to help make a positive change in the industry. 

I love creating so I will always be active in acting, directing, and writing. I will also be very active in producing my work and the work of others. I am aiming to be the Latina Harvey Weinstein. 


Where can we find out more?
The social network, Facebook! Please visit our page "The Three Bilinguals" hit the word LIKE and you can get updates on the film. We have been posting some cool production stills and will keep you up to date with the post production process. I am looking forward to sharing my work with you and I like to help inspire other talented creative minds to make work happen too! In the meantime surround yourself with good energy, get creative, inspire and be inspired. Be Bilingual Baby.

Maylen's film will premiere on June 26 and you can bet you will see me there. Congrats, Maylen. I look forward to your hilariously crass film "The Three Bilinguals."

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Okay, it's a little cheesy, I'll admit, but the urge to play host to a film festival was just too strong. So humor me if you will as I try to channel my inner Ryan Seacrest.This day, I went with my boyfriend and a few others friends to see a movie called "The Future" by Miranda July. You may know this film maker from her last movie "Me and You and Everyone We Know". If you haven't already seen either of these films , you should. July, is both an actor and writer/director for these films for which have a subtle humorous look at human idiosyncrasies.

In "The Future" Sophie and Jason give themselves 30 days to venture into what they really want to do instead of what pays the bills. The window of "opportunity" opens when their cat is hospitalized and they realize once she's back, they'll need to return back to normalcy (a real when the cat's away the humans come out to play). But as life usually has it, nothing goes to plan, and before long Sophie and Jason change their paths completely and lose sight of the passion they began with.

This movie really puts in focus the "what if" hypothetical we always seem to ponder: what if I changed my course in my youth, if I could go back in time. And what may just be the easiest pill to swallow is that no many how many times you try to play it or how differently, at the end you'll always be you and whether through fate or God or Universe, the "you" in the equation may have put you right where you are presently. Or so movie subtly begs the question. 

"The Future" will be in select theaters on July 29th.


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It's my favorite time of year; mid-June means my upcoming birthday, summer fashion, and of course the Los Angeles Film Festival. It's the time when all us filmies get together and talk scripts, acting and BUDGETS. And if you're in the industry, you already know how "budgets" are central to the outcome of a movie. 

So in honor the film festival, I will be telling you about the film projects that are currently in production or pre-production, with low budgets yet really high talent. 
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The first of these is a web series. The artist who is my friend Jayme Roxann Wright wrote a short called Hearts on the Knees. She is both writing and first-time directing this series. 

Witchy Ways is about a girl from a small-town in Missouri who comes to Los Angeles after her mother dies. She discovers through her late mother's letters and belongings, that she is a witch. The comedy episodic will star Brooke Vallone, who also starred in Hearts and will showcase her vocal talent in the series.

I interviewed my friend Roxanne (Roxy) who is the writer and director for "Witchy Ways", so she could tell you what you can expect from the beguiling series.

FC: What was the inspiration for starting this project?

JRW: I have always wanted to do an extension of Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic. A telling of the pagan craft or way of life that is sometimes termed Wicca, Magick, or Witchraft. I have studied the Craft since I was very young and really wanted to show what it would be like for someone who doesn't know anything about it to go through the steps of training while trying to adjust to living in a new place etc. 

FC: Tell us about "Witchy Ways".
  
JRW: "Witchy Ways" is a web series that will be viewable free for the first three episodes then will move to a pay per view download site from there. We have a great cast mixed with several levels of talent. We will showcase some great bands, the lead Brooke Vallone will be singing alot, and it has a very relevant story line. The key will be to showcase the craft in a somewhat more realistic and quirky way than being all serious with VFX and dark sinister overtones. Think The Craft before everyone went bonkers. 

FC: What has been your greatest challenge with the film?

JRW: The greatest challenge has been making sure that we have a high production quality while keeping the costs low. I have a great cinematographer that works with me and some really great sound and lighting crew as well. We don't want this to feel staged or amateur but we are doing it on a minimal budget.

FC: Who is your main character?


JRW: The main character is Esmeralda, a young woman who moves to Los Angeles after her mother dies. She is somewhat sheltered from a really small town named Nixa, Missouri. When she arrives she discovers through a letter from her mother nestled in her belongings that she is a witch and that she must learn that way of life because it will be imperative for her future. Aside from dealing with nosey neighbors, visions, some small attempts at telekinesis, and the fact that her estranged brother dumps her equally gifted niece on her doorstep, Esme is also navigating a new city, trying to figure out the craft, and has the sneaking suspicion that something very bad is heading her way.


FC: Tell us about you. 





JRW: I am a writer first and foremost, but also a producer. This is my first directing project. I currently run my own very small production company and am partnered in another two production companies, as well as a film developing and packaging firm. I ghost write and am still working on my lifelong dream of being a novelist. I pretty much write everyday. As a single mother of a 7 year old, I do everything from home for the most part. I really love film and television, but with film am waiting for the day that the writer is revered instead of treated as a persona non grata in the industry. My goal is to maintain a  vision from inception to production that doesn't betray itself.
FC: What do you think people would appreciate about your series?

JRW: I think people will love Esme the lead characters quirkiness, her heart, and her singing. I have brought in some really colorful characters to antagonize her, and some really great friends to help her along her way. In light of the extreme version of witches that are accompanying the vampires and werewolves on tv now, we wanted to give a different approach but one that might still address the same fan base.




This crafty web series will the talk of the town once its out there, so jump on the broom, er bandwagon early by visiting their Kickstarter or Facebook page. 

How do you feel about a web series with witches set in LA? What kind of indie series or film are you waiting for?
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