just words vol two : no two 06.21.02 Author's Note: Another year has disappeared and the earth continues to spin in revolution. The return of slavery, corporate fascism and new wars of global conquest. It is a small world after all. Exist. Persist. Resist. These dreams are not for sale. VP 09/20/01 San Diego/Tijuana region is home to a healthy Latino independent film and digital video community read story 03/98 From Sesame Sreet to Gettysburg An Interview with Producer Moctesuma Esparza read story 03/97 "Listen to Your Own Voice" An Interview with Native American Independent Filmmaker Sandra Osawa read story poems: The Interior read Love Poem read lyrics: I Will Dare to Dream read More Than All of This read Coming Soon! Interview with Los Bros Hernandez of Love and Rockets fame, from the 1998 Comic-Con in San Diego. Click here for larger image of photo and useful Los Bros links click here email
	2/25/02 From Zappa to Zapata: Personal Visions, Class Divisions and Magical Humanism in the films of Alfonso Cuaron by Victor Payan Although his debut film "Solo con tu pareja" broke Mexican box office records when it was released in 1990, director Alfonso Cuaron is probably better known for his two Hollywood films, "A Little Princess," and the modernized adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations." While both garnered lavish praise for Cuaron and his elegantly poetic use of imagery, these two opulent films were nonetheless a visual departure from the realistic urban style of his inaugural work. With his new film, "Y Tu Mama Tambien," which was written by his brother Carlos, Cuaron strips away the romantic trappings of his Hollywood hits and presents us with an honest and direct view of life in Mexico at this edge of the 21st Century. In this story of two pleasure seeking teenagers, Julio and Tenoch, and a road trip they take with a cousin's young wife Luisa to a beach called Boca del Cielo, Cuaron presents a tale of two Mexicos and of a young generation trying to make sense of their country's social, ethical and moral contradictions, shortcomings and hypocrisies....more
	NOTES FROM THE NEW KIND OF CULTURE WAR
	1/25/02 (Published in Spring 2002 issue of El Aviso) #1: Resisting the Corporatization of Grass Roots Chicano/Latino Community Cultural spaces by Victor Payan In his introductory essay for the catalog of the Latino Arts Network's (LAN) "Hecho en Califas: The Last Decade" touring Chicano and Chicana art exhibit, longtime San Diego artist Richard Lou wrote, "the work that we create as Chicano Artists emanates and is in direct response to the love that we have for our families. We embrace the contradictions, the conflicts and triumphs, the quiet and raucous moments of the routine day, the flowering, the decaying, the markings and ceremonies that compose a lifetime all within a society that subjugates. At the core, this work and all the work I do is for them. And in that hopeful light, I am willing to take the chance that the power of the work will ultimately save my children: those significant images in the gallery we keep in our back pocket." ...more back to top © ALL WRITINGS ON THIS SITE ARE COPYRIGHT VICTOR PAYAN	1/28/02 (Published in Spring 2002 issue of El Aviso) #2: All's Unquiet on the Western Front by Victor Payan The attacks on public arts funding which occurred in the mid-nineties resulted in dealing a double blow to the Chicano/Latino arts community. First, many organizations adapted their community based missions to the new funding environment, one in which private corporate sponsors emerged as the new funding sources. Secondly, the climate of fear and anxiety begat an ideological "restructuring" which continues today and poses a more profound and lasting threat to the needs of Chicano/Latino communities throughout the U.S. In the ensuing years, new forces such as gentrification and the increased power of the corporate elite to set the public agenda have also left their mark on the cultural landscape....more Note: Since this piece was written in January, Teresa Diaz, the director of Arte Americas referred to in this article, has reportedly resigned from her position at the Fresno arts organization. (6/21/02)