BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Miguel Orozco, award winning writer, director and producer, plans to tell the story of Mexico’s Mixtecos community struggles through the eyes of a 15-year-old boy named Pablo.
Pablo lives in a trailer in Oxnard and dreams of being like his futbol hero Javier “Chicharito” (little pea) Hernandez, but he must first overcome prejudice, poverty, and eventually find healing in a divided community.
Mixtecos are an indigenous ethnic population in Mexico, where they are the fourth largest minority group, after the Nahuas, Mayas and Zapotecos. Poverty has driven large parts of the Mixteco people from their homeland in southern Mexico.
“Many of them live throughout California picking strawberries. They work as field workers and their children attend school, they get bullied, they are called “oaxaquitos,” Orozco said. “I wanted to give voice to an invisible community.”
In the movie, Pablo and his friends sneak onto a soccer field and are noticed by a coach. The coach invites Pablo to play varsity soccer at an elite prep school, but Pablo doesn’t fit in because of racist attitudes toward Mixtecos, including from the coach’s own son.
In the movie, the coach is played by the legendary Mexican actor Fernando Allende.
“I’ve always focused my attention towards projects that can leave a meaningful message among the community because films usually the ones that are well done the good iconic films there’ no age, it was good when it was born and it will be good tomorrow too,” Allende said.
In this film, the role of the son is played by Adan Allende, who is also Fernando’s actual son.
“My message to all of them is that I want the people that are judging, everybody that’s bullying, I think they need to realize that differences make us interesting,” Adan said.
Orozco says that except for Allende and his son, none of the actors in the movie have any acting experience, including Pablo and his family.
Even before hitting the theaters, this film has already won three major awards in Oaxaca, Mexico City and Ojai.