IT’S ABOUT TIME: A Reflection of Life. An interview with filmmaker Miguel LaCruz

By Van Dirk Fisher

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression:  “What doesn’t kill you in life will only make you stronger.”  There’s something liberating about that---the circle of life---the evolution of life.  A seed is planted.  A flower grows.  It endures changes in the weather conditions and eventually dies, but there is a rebirth and another seed is planted and the cycle continues.  Through time man has discovered that in the end everything will be all right.  Life goes on.

Filmmaker Miguel LaCruz, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, who has been living in Brooklyn for the past 5 years remembers always being really interested in still pictures.  “For me the idea of freezing a moment in time, its magic,” says Miguel.  “In high school I had the opportunity to make a fiction short film and from that moment I fell in love with video/film making.”

A graduate of Santa Maria University in Caracas, Venezuela, Miguel received a degree in Social Communications.  In New York, he attended The School of Visual Arts to take a course in “Creating A Documentary Film.”  I asked him where does he get his inspiration to make films and he said, “My inspiration usually comes from life itself and its injustices.  I love the whole idea of documentaries.  Some of my favorites that have inspired me are:  FOOD, Inc, Gas Land and Dirt, The Movie.”

Every job experience has shaped the type of filmmaker he is today; from the technical aspects to the human side of his career.  Working on the Video Diaries Project has been exhilarating for Mr. LaCruz.  He’s no stranger to making documentaries, but this is the first time he has had the freedom to make all of the decisions.  What drew him to work on the VDP is his desire “to look deep into the life of this group of young artists rehearsing the play IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING by Liz Magee, and to show their personal life from another point of view.”  Would he do it all again?  You bet!  “It was a great experience,” says LaCruz.  “The relationship between the cast and me was very organic and the flow of the production was amazing.”

That’s the beauty of it all---the process.  Sometimes we can miss out on the little things in life by not living in the moment and relishing the experience from beginning to end.  When the film is over and the credits have rolled, LaCruz hopes to leave his audience “with mix feelings; this documentary it’s a reflection of life,” says LaCruz.  “When you go through beautiful moments, but also very sad ones.  But the most important message is that every situation you confront in your life makes you stronger.”  And I’m sure we will all agree after seeing his film it was well worth the journey.

IT’S ABOUT TIME A Short Film by Miguel LaCruz
Featuring:  Liz Magee, MIchael Kinnan, Brittany Molnar, Sam Finger, Courtney Macneil and Thomas Heddrick.
Screenings:

February 22, 2012 at 8PM - FREE The Launch Party for the Strawberry One-Act Festival Ripley Grier Studios, 520 Eighth Avenue, 10th Floor, Studio 10D, NYC RSVP for Tickets at RiantTheatre@gmail.com

 

March 3, 2012 & March 4, 2012 at 9PM Tickets: $15 Hudson Guild Theatre, 441 West 26th Street, NYC Between 9th & 10th Avenue For tickets go to http://www.therianttheatre.com/index.php?n=the_video_diaries_project:_a_series