Film Courage: When you’re starting a story, are you starting with an outline?
Kenneth Castillo, Filmmaker: I didn’t always do that. I actually learned how to do that recently. One of the best creative decisions I made recently was joining a writing group. I was in a bubble for a very long time but it’s also hard to find a writing group where everyone knows how to give notes and knows how to take notes. I was very lucky because what we have is very unique and people within that writing group understand that too. I’ve gotten jobs out of this writing group where we are kind of looking out for each other (there’s only eight of us).
I was the type that would just turn in pages and they would say “Well we don’t know where the story is going? Can you just outline it for us?” And I’m like “No, I don’t outline”…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
Official Kenneth Castillo Directors Reel from Kenneth Castillo on Vimeo.
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BIO: Kenneth Castillo began his writing/directing career in 1996 producing theatrical productions at the Two Roads Theatre in Studio City. After producing, writing, and directing several full and one act plays, he turned his full attention to film. In 2000, along with his producing partner (and now wife) Karla Ojeda, formed a film production company called Valor Productions. Their first venture out was a series of short films entitled The Misadventures of Cholo Chaplin. A series of silent short films shot in the style of the serial shorts of the 20’s and 30’s and set in the world of The Day of the Dead. Several different episodes went on to screen at film festivals across the country including HBO’s New York International Latino FF and the Los Angeles International Short FF. In 2007, Episode V-A Day at the Theatre was accepted and screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France and the following year won the Imagen Award for BEST THEATRICAL SHORT FILM.
That same year Kenneth was featured on American Latino T.V. as an up and coming Latino filmmaker and caught the attention of Plus Entertainment. Since July of 2008, Kenneth has written and directed six feature films, all of which have been distributed on multiple platforms such as Netflix, Redbox and Blockbuster and in retail stores such as Walmart and Target.
In 2011 he directed the boxing drama Counterpunch about a Cuban, Bi-Polar, boxer out of Miami who gets help from his family as well as his crisis counselor that featured Danny (Machete) Trejo in a good guy role. Counterpunch caught the attention of Lionsgate and was distributed across the country and in Canada.
Kenneth is currently in post-production on his 7th feature film entitled Marigold the Matador and is the first feature from his new production company Cienfuegos Productions.
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