Latino Festival Lauds Luna l 28 October 2007

“There's no question we've become a victim of our own success,” says Sylvia Perel, who founded the International Latino Film Festival in San Francisco 11 years ago. “It used to be, if we wanted to screen a film or invite an actor, we'd make a phone call and it was done. It's not that simple anymore.”   That was before big distributors picked up Amores Perros and Y Tu Mamá También, before Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna became international stars.   At an early festival, Perel screened El Cometa, which starred teenager Diego Luna as a documentary filmmaker during the Mexican revolution.   “It was such a sweet film, and from there you could easily see the strength of the actor in Diego,” says Perel, who invited Luna as a festival guest that year. “Diego felt so bad he couldn't make it that he sent me a video of him personally apologizing, thanking me for the honor and promising to make up for it someday.”   This Friday, November 2, the Latino Film Society will host Diego Luna as the festival's guest of honor. Luna will be bringing his first documentary film and directorial debut, JC Chavez. It screens Saturday, with a conversation with Luna to follow.   “In truth, I was never a boxing fan. I was a fan of Julio César Chávez,” Luna says in a cell phone interview from Mexico City that would cut out three times as airplanes flew over and cars honked. True to his reputation, Luna apologizes profusely for the interruptions.   Luna was practically born onstage. His British mother was a costume designer and his father a set designer for operas and theaters in Mexico City. When Luna was 2 years old, his mother died in a car accident. Left with vague memories of her, Luna grew close to his father.   “It's the most intense and important relationship in my life. My father is my best friend,” says Luna, who drew parallels between their relationship and that of the Chavezes. In JC Chavez, Luna delivers an intimate portrait of awkward moments between the two as the senior and more famous boxer pushes his son to compete.   Like any other teenager, Luna had his share of awkward moments. Many of them are on tape. By age 16, Luna decided to live on his own. He remembers the time as a low point in his career.   “I started to take on roles to pay the rent. That can be a dangerous thing,” he says. “But sometimes I felt like it was hard to survive.”   For a while, Luna struggled to land more challenging roles. The film industry in Mexico was a stagnant party, but even so it was hard to get in.   That all changed in 2001 with the release of Y Tu Mamá También, the sexually charged road movie that made stars of Luna and Bernal and made Mexico look a lot bigger on the cinematic map.   “Honestly, I haven't been able to see Y Tu Mamá También in years, and I'm really nervous to see it again and in front of an audience,” the actor says. The Alfonso Cuarón film will be part of a showcase of Luna's career, including JC Chavez and El Búfalo de la Noche, at the festival.   In many ways, the instant success of Y Tu Mamá También helped Luna avoid Hollywood stereotypes. Luna doesn't even have to think about that issue much, in large part because he still lives in Mexico and chooses his roles carefully.   “I'm not a Latino actor. I'm not a Mexican actor,” he says. “I'm just an actor. Period.” Luna considers himself to be in the most rewarding stage of his career. “I'm having fun,” he says. “I'm working with people who challenge me as an actor and I ...”   Silence.   These days, Luna's critical reception is as good as his cell phone reception is bad. With JC Chavez and the forthcoming Harmony Korine-directed Mister Lonely, Luna will undoubtedly be getting a better phone. But he probably won't be changing his number.   Taken from: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/28/PK96SS6Q1.DTL&type=movies