By Reynaldo Mena
His voice is confident, transparent, friendly.
If anyone sees the photos of the artist Juan Escobedo, they might feel intimidated to start a conversation with him. His image, just like his photographs, films, and documentaries, commands respect.
“Your life seems like the script of a movie,” I told him in the middle of our conversation.
He laughs and tries to understand why I say that.
However, the images he conveys to me about his life lead me to that comperison, to a movie.
As a child, he traveled between San Diego and Zacatecas and Jalisco in Mexico on trains.
“I loved it; I remember sticking my head out to feel the breeze, arriving covered in dust,” says Escobedo.
His passion for Mexico is evident and can be seen through his art. Currently, he travels to the state of Oaxaca at least twice a year, a place that deeply captivates him.
“My mom was riding a bicycle through the streets, and my dad couldn’t take his eyes off her.” (Juan Escobedo)
“I was born in San Diego, my mom is from Jalisco, and my dad is from Zacatecas; they got married very young and met in this country,” recalls the artist. And if anyone still doubts the plot of his life, he adds, “My mom was riding a bicycle through the streets, and my dad couldn’t take his eyes off her. He said to himself, ‘She’s going to be my wife,’ and he achieved it. My dad was one of those people who set their minds to something and did it; he was very determined,” Juan adds.
The story of his parents holds a special place in his life.
“My mom used to call him ‘fello‘ (ugly, affectionately). My dad called her ‘mi japonecita’ because she looked Asian,” he says.
Juan Escobedo was the first of five children. He grew up in Solana Beach, “back when there was nothing,” he says. Later, he moved to the Logan Heights neighborhood. Escobedo has a degree in Theater Arts with an emphasis on Directing from Cal State LA. He is the founder of The East LA Society of Film and Arts (TELASOFA) and The East LA Film Festival (ELAFF) with the mission of “Provoking Thought and Inspiring Solutions” for youth, emerging artists, filmmakers, and photographers.
“My mom always took photos. I don’t know where she got that from, but I always saw her with her camera in hand, documenting our entire life.” (Juan Escobedo)
His recent film, Marisol, has won several awards, including “Best Dramatic Short Film” at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. Marisol was also Oscar-qualified, and the script was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Margaret Herrick Library.
His childhood and adolescence were confusing times. He would go to Mexico with his grandparents and forget English, then come back to California and forget Spanish. But that confusion was an adventure for him.
“My mom always took photos. I don’t know where she got that from, but I always saw her with her camera in hand, documenting our entire life. During one of my recent visits, I found a huge number of photographs, and I mentioned it to her. She said, ‘Where do you think you got your talent for photography from?'” he says with laughter.
He attended La Joya High School, but in his youth, he was never interested in joining gangs.
“I had all kinds of friends,” he says. “Many surfers, some gang members too. But what interested me was ‘prison art,’ counterculture, observing how women styled their hair, how men dressed. I was very interested in observing them; it seemed like an artistic phenomenon to me.”
“I was very ‘chismocito’,” he adds. “I was interested in everything and wanted to know about everything.”
The defining moment came when he watched the movie “La Mochila Azul” with Pedrito Fernández. He was surprised by Pedrito’s youth and the impact he had on people.
“I was very ‘chismocito’,” he adds. “I was interested in everything and wanted to know about everything.” (Juan Escobedo)
“I realized I wanted to be an artist, but I didn’t know what to do or how to do it,” Juan Escobedo says.
He started his studies in Business, but it didn’t suit him; he wasn’t a very good student.
“I was getting all Fs; it frustrated me. But the thing was, I didn’t like it,” he decided to redirect his life.
Then he started his studies in theater and acting, and that filled his life.
“I transformed myself; if one thing didn’t work, I tried something else. I knew the ‘show must go on,'” he adds.
“I always struggled with the issue of identity. My friends always wanted to change my name. They wanted to call me Johnny or John. They made me doubt whether I was American or Mexican. Until one day, I asked my dad. And he confidently said to me, ‘You are Mexican, you are American, and your name is Juan Escobedo.’ That gave me a lot of confidence,” he says.
Juan Escobedo did a lot of theater and played small roles in movies. Then he decided to take another step and enroll in Film School. If he didn’t get good roles, he would write his own scripts for his films. New, less elaborate, and much cheaper cameras arrived to the market, and he began to experiment.
“But I had to eat and pay my rent. So, they hired me to make short documentaries, mainly with prostitutes. They were about HIV prevention, the use of condoms, contraceptives, and syringes for those addicted to heroin. Working with these women has taught me a lot,” Escobedo adds.
For this filmmaker, art must be committed to achieving social change, influencing social issues. So, he realized that many organizations need this kind of work to spread their message. Since then, he has taken it upon himself to contact them and offer this new perspective to make an impact on communities.
“Many organizations have funds to work with gang members, teenage pregnancies, mental health; what we need is to be creative. A short film can have an impressive reach that travels around the world,” he adds.
It has been years of hard work, and finally, they are seeing the fruits of their labor. He has recently been awarded an artist residency grant by the California Arts Council’s CA Creative Corps Fellowship.
“I think I know why you’re asking me that. I believe the character is an extension of the art. There are many very talented artists who are never known.” (Juan Escobedo)
This is what they wrote about him: “Juan Escobedo believes art, film, and photography can serve as mediums to educate and heal families. For the past 20 years, he’s developed lasting relationships with families and nonprofits in Boyle Heights and East LA communities that have helped inform his work. Juan’s OSCAR qualified short film Marisol was based on a true story about a family in East Los Angeles experiencing domestic violence and child abuse. The film was produced with the help of families and nonprofit health organizations from East LA. The script was eventually acquired by the OSCARS library in 2018.”
“I want to make a film about health promoters during the Covid era, everything they faced,” he says.
At the end, I ask him: “Which comes first, the character or the art?” and he bursts into laughter.
“I think I know why you’re asking me that. I believe the character is an extension of the art. There are many very talented artists who are never known. Maybe you see my photos and think I’m a very elaborated character, with all those hats I wear. The truth is, I don’t have hair. I used to go to meetings, and my head was very dry, red from the sun. So, I started wearing hats or caps. You create a uniform for yourself. Now, if I like something, I buy three or five of the same items,” Juan Escobedo concludes.
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