Latest news with #Prado
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How 'Uvalde Mom' director Anayansi Prado captured the heart of a town in trauma
Three years ago, an armed young man entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and killed 19 students and two teachers. Hundreds of law enforcement officials reportedly stood around the school campus for more than an hour without approaching the shooter. In the midst of the inaction, one mom — Angeli Rose Gomez — pleaded with officers to take action or let her go in to get her two children and nephew. She was apprehended and handcuffed, but ultimately talked her way out of arrest before she sprinted inside the school to grab the kids. Videos on social media captured the moments that Gomez brought her sons and nephew out of the school. The Texas field worker and mother of two was quickly dubbed a hero in national and local publications for her courage. The new documentary film "Uvalde Mom" follows Gomez after becoming nationally recognized — while examining the forces at play in the Uvalde community which allowed for the shooting to take place, as well as the aftermath of such a tragedy. "All I wanted that day was my kids to come out of the school alive, and that's what I got," Gomez says in one pivotal moment in the film. "I don't want to be called a hero. I don't want to be looked at as the hero because the only job that I did that day was being a mom." Read more: Abcarian: The pathetic lessons of the Uvalde school shooting in Texas The feature's director Anayansi Prado was "moved" and "horrified" by what had happened and felt motivated to make a film about the event after seeing members of the affected families on TV. "I saw that there were Latinos, they were Mexican American, that it was a border town, that it was an agricultural farming town, and that really resonated with me and with communities I've done film work with before," Prado told The Times. Prado began reaching out to people in Uvalde shortly after the shooting, but didn't hear back from anyone for over two months due to the inundation of media requests everyone in the city was receiving. The only person to reply to her was Gomez. Ahead of the film's screening Saturday at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Prado spoke with The Times about the process and the challenges of making her documentary. This interview has been edited and shortened for clarity. Was the idea always for this project to be a feature-length film? Or were there talks of making it a short or a series? I've always thought about it as a feature because I really wanted to dive in and understand Uvalde as a character. I wanted to understand the history of the criminal justice system, the educational system. I knew I wanted to make something that was going to be of a longer form rather than just a piece that was about Angeli or something. And a few people told me this would make a great short, but as I uncovered more about Uvalde, I was like, "No, Uvalde itself has its own history, just like a person." Read more: Families of Uvalde school shooting victims are suing Texas state police over botched response When it came to choosing Angeli, was she the first and only person who responded to your outreach? I think the people in town were oversaturated with media coverage, and Angeli was the one that got back to me. What was really interesting is that I learned on that first trip [to Uvalde] about her backstory and I learned about how the criminal justice system had failed her. I saw a parallel there of how the system failed the community the day of the shooting and how it was failing this woman also individually. I wanted to play with those two stories, the macro and the personal. Once I learned who she was, beyond the mom who ran into the school, I was like, "I have to tell this woman's story." How did you go about balancing her personal stuff and the failures that happened on a larger scale? So much of the way the film is structured is reflective of my own experience as a filmmaker. It was a sort of surreal world, these two worlds were going on: what was happening to Angeli and then what was going on outside with the lack of accountability and the cover-up. So that informed the way that I wanted to structure the film. In terms of the personal, it was a journey to gain Angeli's trust. At some point at the beginning, she wasn't sure she wanted to participate in the film, and so I told her, "You don't owe me anything. I'm a stranger, but all I ask is that you give me a chance to earn your trust." And she was like, "OK." From there on, she opened up and, pretty quickly, we became close and she trusted me. I was very cognizant [of] her legal past and even the way she's perceived by some folks. I also didn't want Angeli to come off as a victim and people to feel sorry for her, but I still wanted to tell her story in a way where you get mad at the system for failing her. What kind of struggles did you have trying to get in communication with some of the officials of the city? We used a lot of news [archives] to represent that part of the story. The [authorities] weren't giving any interviews, they were just holding press conferences. So access was limited, but also the majority of the time that we were filming, we were very low-key about the production — because Angeli was on probation and there was retaliation for her speaking to the media. We tried to keep it under wraps that we were filming, so not a lot of people knew about it [besides] her family. Obviously other folks in town [were] part of the film, like her friend Tina and family members. Outside of that, it was too risky to let other people in town know what was going on. Read more: Justice Department report finds 'cascading failures,' 'no urgency' in Uvalde shooting response Ultimately I wanted to make ["Uvalde Mome"] a personal portrait. I was just very selective on the people that we absolutely needed to interview. I'm happy with Tina, who's an activist in town, and Arnie, a survivor of the shooting and a school teacher, [plus] Angeli's legal team. I felt like those were people we needed to tell a fuller story. But we just couldn't be out in the open making a film about her and let people know. What kind of reception have you gotten from people of Uvalde that have seen the film? We had our premiere at South by Southwest, which was great. A lot of folks came from Uvalde and spoke about how, almost three years later, a lot of this stuff is still going on. Every time Gov. Greg Abbott came on-screen, people would scream, "Loser!" It was really moving to have those screenings. As was expected from the folks who are not fans of Angeli, there was some backlash. It's the same narrative you see in the film of, "She's a criminal, don't believe her." It's a town that is an open wound. I just try to have compassion for people. Ultimately, Angeli's story is the story of one person in Uvalde of many that need to continue to be told. And I hope that other filmmakers, journalists and other storytellers continue to tell the story there, especially with the lack of closure and accountability. I'm happy that the film is putting Uvalde back into the headlines in some way; that way we don't forget about it. Had you ever spent an extended amount of time in Texas before? I had been to Texas, but I hadn't done a project in Texas. Because I'm an outsider, it was very important for me to hire a 100% local Texas crew for this film. My crew was entirely Texas-based, from our PAs to our sound to our DPs. I also wanted to have a majority Texas-born Mexican American crew so that they could guide me. We began production in September of 2022 and the atmosphere was very tense. This is a story that is deeply rooted in the Latino community and the tension about the law enforcement in Uvalde. What was it like dealing with that tension and how did you personally feel that when you went into the town? When I got to Uvalde, I saw that the majority of the Latino community had been there for several generations. You would think a town with that kind of Mexican American history, and them being the majority, that they'd be pretty cemented and represented, right? It was really eye-opening to see [how] these folks are still considered second-class citizens. A lot of them are being repressed. And then you have folks that get in positions of power, but they're whitewashed in line with the white conservative agenda. So even those that are able to get into positions of power don't lean towards the community. They turn their back on it. I heard from folks that the history of neglect was what led to the response that day at Robb Elementary. And they're like, "Yeah, that's what happens on that side of town. You call the cops, they don't come. Our schools are run-down." You really see the disparity. This was a Mexican American community that had been there for a long time. It's fascinating how the conservative white community, even if they're the smaller part of the population, they can still hold the power. Get our Latinx Files newsletter for stories that capture the complexity of our communities. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
How ‘Uvalde Mom' director Anayansi Prado captured the heart of a town in trauma
Three years ago, an armed young man entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and killed 19 students and two teachers. Hundreds of law enforcement officials reportedly stood around the school campus for more than an hour without approaching the shooter. In the midst of the inaction, one mom — Angeli Rose Gomez — pleaded with officers to take action or let her go in to get her two children and nephew. She was apprehended and handcuffed, but ultimately talked her way out of arrest before she sprinted inside the school to grab the kids. Videos on social media captured the moments that Gomez brought her sons and nephew out of the school. The Texas field worker and mother of two was quickly dubbed a hero in national and local publications for her courage. The new documentary film 'Uvalde Mom' follows Gomez after becoming nationally recognized — while examining the forces at play in the Uvalde community which allowed for the shooting to take place, as well as the aftermath of such a tragedy. 'All I wanted that day was my kids to come out of the school alive, and that's what I got,' Gomez says in one pivotal moment in the film. 'I don't want to be called a hero. I don't want to be looked at as the hero because the only job that I did that day was being a mom.' The feature's director Anayansi Prado was 'moved' and 'horrified' by what had happened and felt motivated to make a film about the event after seeing members of the affected families on TV. 'I saw that there were Latinos, they were Mexican American, that it was a border town, that it was an agricultural farming town, and that really resonated with me and with communities I've done film work with before,' Prado told The Times. Prado began reaching out to people in Uvalde shortly after the shooting, but didn't hear back from anyone for over two months due to the inundation of media requests everyone in the city was receiving. The only person to reply to her was Gomez. Ahead of the film's screening Saturday at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Prado spoke with The Times about the process and the challenges of making her documentary. This interview has been edited and shortened for clarity. Was the idea always for this project to be a feature-length film? Or were there talks of making it a short or a series? I've always thought about it as a feature because I really wanted to dive in and understand Uvalde as a character. I wanted to understand the history of the criminal justice system, the educational system. I knew I wanted to make something that was going to be of a longer form rather than just a piece that was about Angeli or something. And a few people told me this would make a great short, but as I uncovered more about Uvalde, I was like, 'No, Uvalde itself has its own history, just like a person.' When it came to choosing Angeli, was she the first and only person who responded to your outreach? I think the people in town were oversaturated with media coverage, and Angeli was the one that got back to me. What was really interesting is that I learned on that first trip [to Uvalde] about her backstory and I learned about how the criminal justice system had failed her. I saw a parallel there of how the system failed the community the day of the shooting and how it was failing this woman also individually. I wanted to play with those two stories, the macro and the personal. Once I learned who she was, beyond the mom who ran into the school, I was like, 'I have to tell this woman's story.' How did you go about balancing her personal stuff and the failures that happened on a larger scale? So much of the way the film is structured is reflective of my own experience as a filmmaker. It was a sort of surreal world, these two worlds were going on: what was happening to Angeli and then what was going on outside with the lack of accountability and the cover-up. So that informed the way that I wanted to structure the film. In terms of the personal, it was a journey to gain Angeli's trust. At some point at the beginning, she wasn't sure she wanted to participate in the film, and so I told her, 'You don't owe me anything. I'm a stranger, but all I ask is that you give me a chance to earn your trust.' And she was like, 'OK.' From there on, she opened up and, pretty quickly, we became close and she trusted me. I was very cognizant [of] her legal past and even the way she's perceived by some folks. I also didn't want Angeli to come off as a victim and people to feel sorry for her, but I still wanted to tell her story in a way where you get mad at the system for failing her. What kind of struggles did you have trying to get in communication with some of the officials of the city? We used a lot of news [archives] to represent that part of the story. The [authorities] weren't giving any interviews, they were just holding press conferences. So access was limited, but also the majority of the time that we were filming, we were very low-key about the production — because Angeli was on probation and there was retaliation for her speaking to the media. We tried to keep it under wraps that we were filming, so not a lot of people knew about it [besides] her family. Obviously other folks in town [were] part of the film, like her friend Tina and family members. Outside of that, it was too risky to let other people in town know what was going on. Ultimately I wanted to make ['Uvalde Mome'] a personal portrait. I was just very selective on the people that we absolutely needed to interview. I'm happy with Tina, who's an activist in town, and Arnie, a survivor of the shooting and a school teacher, [plus] Angeli's legal team. I felt like those were people we needed to tell a fuller story. But we just couldn't be out in the open making a film about her and let people know. What kind of reception have you gotten from people of Uvalde that have seen the film? We had our premiere at South by Southwest, which was great. A lot of folks came from Uvalde and spoke about how, almost three years later, a lot of this stuff is still going on. Every time Gov. Greg Abbott came on-screen, people would scream, 'Loser!' It was really moving to have those screenings. As was expected from the folks who are not fans of Angeli, there was some backlash. It's the same narrative you see in the film of, 'She's a criminal, don't believe her.' It's a town that is an open wound. I just try to have compassion for people. Ultimately, Angeli's story is the story of one person in Uvalde of many that need to continue to be told. And I hope that other filmmakers, journalists and other storytellers continue to tell the story there, especially with the lack of closure and accountability. I'm happy that the film is putting Uvalde back into the headlines in some way; that way we don't forget about it. Had you ever spent an extended amount of time in Texas before? I had been to Texas, but I hadn't done a project in Texas. Because I'm an outsider, it was very important for me to hire a 100% local Texas crew for this film. My crew was entirely Texas-based, from our PAs to our sound to our DPs. I also wanted to have a majority Texas-born Mexican American crew so that they could guide me. We began production in September of 2022 and the atmosphere was very tense. This is a story that is deeply rooted in the Latino community and the tension about the law enforcement in Uvalde. What was it like dealing with that tension and how did you personally feel that when you went into the town? When I got to Uvalde, I saw that the majority of the Latino community had been there for several generations. You would think a town with that kind of Mexican American history, and them being the majority, that they'd be pretty cemented and represented, right? It was really eye-opening to see [how] these folks are still considered second-class citizens. A lot of them are being repressed. And then you have folks that get in positions of power, but they're whitewashed in line with the white conservative agenda. So even those that are able to get into positions of power don't lean towards the community. They turn their back on it. I heard from folks that the history of neglect was what led to the response that day at Robb Elementary. And they're like, 'Yeah, that's what happens on that side of town. You call the cops, they don't come. Our schools are run-down.' You really see the disparity. This was a Mexican American community that had been there for a long time. It's fascinating how the conservative white community, even if they're the smaller part of the population, they can still hold the power.
San Francisco Chronicle
7 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Popular Oakland taqueria moving into S.F. food hall adjacent to IKEA
Tacos El Último Baile, a popular Oakland taqueria, is gearing up to open in downtown San Francisco. Chef-owner Dominic Prado confirmed to the Chronicle that his business will be serving customers at Saluhall, the two-story food hall connected to the IKEA on Market Street. He estimates the kiosk space will begin operating at the end of June. Tacos El Último Baile began as a food truck serving the bar crowd in Oakland. The top-rated taqueria became well known for its offerings, which include smoky tacos stuffed with flame-kissed carne asada and al pastor-style pork shaved off a spinning trompo, served on corn or flour tortillas. Prado launched his first brick-and-mortar shop at Oakland's Fruitvale Public Market in 2022, but announced he was changing his model after a dispute with a landlord over construction. Now the taqueria operates as a popup and catering company, with tacos featuring coal-grilled meats and specials including smoked brisket and chile colorado. The restaurant arrives as Saluhall, an expansive dining venue, is at a crossroads. Two operators, Algerian restaurant Kayma and vegan taqueria La Venganza, have pulled out from the hall's top floor, citing low sales. Meanwhile the hall's operators retired two proprietary concepts: a vegan burger bar and a bakery. The latter were replaced with critic's pick burger shop Smish Smash and Cheezy's Artisanal Pizza, a project of Delfina Pizzeria and Flour + Water Pizzeria alum David Jacobson.
Courier-Mail
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Courier-Mail
Van Life review: Answering the call of the wild west
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. Ever felt like telling the boss to stick it and dropping out of the rat race for a while? Some people switch careers, buy a Harley, or a boat, or take up golf. But a lot of Aussies – kind of uniquely in this modern world – are getting back to basics and exploring our massive continent. I'm now of an age where it seems every second Facebook post I see is another old school chum who's pulled their kids out of school and hit the road for a #VanLife gap year. The thought of packing up and driving around this massive island is compelling, but generally it's an expensive itch to scratch, so I thought I would sample it first. Thankfully when I put out the call for a donor rig, Brisbane-based Titan Caravans and Toyota Australia were only too happy to indulge me. Toyota LandCruiser Prado VX and Titan 500 Sierra Blackhawk caravan. So before I knew it, we were packing up the kids and heading west for a fun long weekend – in a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado VX hauling a Titan 500 Sierra Blackhawk. I'd never towed anything before this trip, which is definitely not advisable, but Titan Caravans managing director James Creswick and the team ran me through everything I'd need to worry about, took me for a thorough test drive and got me set up to the point where I took off with confidence. The thought of manoeuvring a van into a spot at a caravan park – especially at this time of year – was a little too daunting for me, so we decided to go bush instead. We found a property out at Helidon, about an hour west of Brisbane at the bottom of the Toowoomba Range, where I could practice reversing (a dark art), and getting everything set up. The Titan had solar panels, massive batteries and an inverter, so we were pretty well set up for off-grid living. Titans are built for going off-road, so basically it will go anywhere your vehicle can get to. I was expecting that feature to be a challenge on the highway, but it was surprising how stable the Sierra felt behind the big Prado. The catch with having off-road clearance is the van feels bouncy when you're parked, but Titans have hard stands in each corner for levelling so that wasn't a problem. I don't know much about caravans but we were very comfortable sleeping in it for a few nights. On board we had a smart TV, aircon, a big fridge, toilet and shower and we gave the stereo system (internal and external speakers) a good workout. It is quite a novelty packing a caravan for a few nights away rather than packing bags and I can see why the lifestyle is appealing for growing numbers of people across the country. The new Prado has been making waves since its launch last year – a much better off-roader than its predecessor but with rugged modern styling and all the latest tech. Our VX, with black paint riding on big black alloys, looked great, especially with a tan leather interior. I reckon this VX, at $93,000, is better value than the cheapest big LC300, the GX, which is $104,000. The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado VX's tech-heavy and plush interior. The most controversial part is its third row, which doesn't fold into the floor due to the hybrid tech under the car. This gives you a raised boot platform with a narrow space behind. Toyota has filled this with a 60-litre utility box that doesn't really serve a purpose other than as storage for wet stuff. Still, the boot is massive and the third-row seats are usably roomy. The Prado handled the Titan easily, sitting flat and wafting down the highway. You never forget there's a big lump of caravan behind you, but it was surprisingly easy to get used to. Our van life weekend test run was unforgettable fun and never felt like we were roughing it. I know people set off having spent far less, but it's nice to know you can hit the road with everything you'll need – not just the basics – for well under $200,000. Now to email the boss… The Titan Caravans Australia Sierra 500 Blackhawk is $74,990 tow away TITAN CARAVANS 500 SIERRA BLACKHAWK Price: $74,990 tow away Dimensions: 5.1m long; 3.1m tall, max weight 2800kg Features: Off-road suspension; queen-size bed; battery management system; generator slide-out; aircon; bluetooth stereo; 360-degree outdoor LED lighting; reverse camera; 24-inch smart TV; fridge; kitchen; bathroom; grey and fresh water More info: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado VX TOYOTA LAND CRUISER PRADO VX Price: About $93,000 drive away Warranty/servicing: Five years, unlimited kilometres; Five years capped-price servicing Engine: 2.8-litre turbo diesel four cylinder; 150kW, 500Nm; 8-speed automatic Thirst: 7.6 litres/100km (claimed); 110-litre tank Features: LED headlights, 12.3-inch display, five-mode drive selector, on-board cooler box, JBL premium sound system
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spain returns artwork seized during Civil War
MADRID (Reuters) -Spain on Thursday returned paintings belonging to a former Madrid mayor that were seized for their protection during the 1936-39 Civil War and never returned under Francisco Franco's dictatorship. The seven paintings had been kept in several museums throughout Spain, including the Prado Museum in Madrid, where the handover ceremony to the family of Pedro Rico, Madrid's mayor as the Civil War broke out, took place on Thursday evening. In 2022, the Prado published a list of artworks that had been seized during the war and set up a research project to track down their legitimate owners. The government has identified more than 6,000 items, including jewellery, ceramics and textiles, as well as some paintings, sculptures and furniture, which were safeguarded during the war by Republican forces fighting Franco's Nationalists and never returned by Francoist institutions when he came to power. "It's a very important moment of justice and reparation that the Spanish government is doing for their families," said Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun. The paintings returned to Rico's family nine decades later were mainly scenes of everyday life by 19th-century artists such as Eugenio Lucas and his son Lucas Villaamil. Francisca Rico said she was very moved by the restitution of the paintings belonging to her grandfather, who was mayor between 1931-1934 and then in 1936 and who died in exile in France. "(They're ) finally doing what should have been done long ago," she said.
