Wednesday, November 6, 2019 at 7PM
JOHN LEGUIZAMO's ROAD TO BROADWAY by Ben DeJesus
Bronx Film Wednesdays
Latin History for Morons: John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway captures John’s quest to cram 3,000 years of history into 90 minutes of stage time and bring a whole new set of historical characters back to life as one man. Infused throughout the documentary is John’s special brand of humor and openness. The road to his ultimate goal —his next Broadway hit— unfolds in a fun, intriguing, and poignant adventure that not only offers an intimate look into the journey of a passionate artist, but also shines a light on the rarely-told stories of Latino heroes who made their mark on America. Featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the one-man show taking shape, the film follows John’s riveting process —from his early inspirations and research to his first-ever comedy club tour, through workshops of the show— before culminating in performances at the historic Public Theater as he aims for a Broadway run. Along the way, John navigates the challenges of writing (and re-writing) history lessons meant to enlighten and entertain. Featuring interviews with John himself plus Rita Moreno, Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke, Ruben Blades, and more.
As an award-winning documentary filmmaker, episodic TV director, and music video veteran, Ben DeJesus has been at the helm of over 100 hours of content including television, non-fiction, branded, and digital content—and has spent more than 15 years as a director and producer in the U.S. Latinx, urban, and youth markets. He began his career as a stage actor, before moving onto MTV Networks where he produced and wrote for the iconic MTV Cribs, followed by credits for MTV News, VH1, Mun2, Telemundo, and Nick at Nite. A passion for pop culture, music, and theater has fueled his work since. He was one of only 10 directors in over 1,000 applicants to earn a spot in the ABC/Disney Episodic Director’s Program, and is now a director for Bunk’d, the top-rated sitcom on Disney. His music video credits include work with Romeo Santos, Don Omar, Machine Gun Kelly, Noreaga, Chino y Nacho, Prince Royce, Fat Joe, and Sean Kingston, among others. Ben was a producer of the hit John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons on Broadway, and this month’s BxFW-featured doc on the subject premiered nationally on PBS Great Performances.
“★★★★ Insightful, funny, topical. #LatinoLivesMatter” – Chán André (Mubi)
“John has changed the American theatre landscape.” – Oskar Eustis (The Public Theater)
John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway
Director: Ben DeJesus
USA
60 min
7PM Film Screening
Accompanied by winning shorts from the 21 Islands International Film Fest.
Screening followed by conversation with Ben DeJesus, Director, and Cionin Lorenzo, Story Producer, of John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway and seasoned specialist in unscripted media content. The conversation will be facilitated by Louis E. Perego Moreno, aka Tío Louie, of Prime Latino Media.
Bronx Film Wednesdays (BxFW): Curated by film and media artist Melisa Ramos, this series screens new, little-seen, and standout indie films that you will love! Travel the world and open your mind to stories as wild and from as far as the imagination can go — romance, comedy, action, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, thriller, drama, music, sports, animation, documentary, and more! Carefully selected to illustrate cultural, aesthetic, and geographic diversity, each night includes specially selected features and winning films from our Bronx-based 21 Islands International Short Film Fest. BxFW is co-presented with Prime Latino Media, the largest network of Latino multimedia-makers and actors on the East Coast.
CIONIN LORENZO is a Development Consultant and Story Producer specializing in unscripted content. She worked at MTV Networks for over 15 years on programming for MTV News & Docs, Latin America, International, and MTVtr3s. While at the network she: directed and interviewed numerous artists such as Kim Kardashian, Ben Affleck, Moby, and Ice T for various programs; was the Director, Cinematographer, and Producer of two half-hour documentaries on Shakira for the hit series Diary; was one of the Directors of MTV Cribs for 5 years, during which she filmed 50+ actors, musicians and athletes in their homes. Later, as Supervising Producer, she oversaw a team of 40+ and budgets in the 8-digits, and on the spin-off Teen Cribs, was showrunner on the production of 70 episodes within three years. Afterwards, she worked as the Managing Director of the New York International Latino Film Festival, and then as the Senior Production Coordinator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she was the liaison for production companies and photographers vying to film at the museum from Hollywood films to international news and travel shows with the likes of Alec Baldwin, photographer Mary McCartney, and luminaries of the art and fashion worlds. Most recently, she was the story producer on the documentary John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway for the PBS Great Performances series. Currently, she has a slate of TV, film and documentary projects she is developing and consulting on.
This program is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Southwest Airlines is the official airline of Pregones/PRTT. For a full list of our funders, visit www.pregonesprtt.org.
PREGONES THEATER
575 Walton Avenue (b/w 149 & 150 Streets)
The Bronx, NY 10451
Subway #2, 4, 5 to 149 Street & Grand Concourse
We’re just one short block away from the station!
For more information call us at 718-585-1202.
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Event Details
Location
Pregones in THE BRONX
Date & Time
November 6, 2019 at 7PM
Bronx Film Wednesdays
FEATURED DIRECTOR:
Ben DeJesus
SPECIAL GUEST:
Cionin Lorenzo
Latin History for Morons: John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway captures John’s quest to cram 3,000 years of history into 90 minutes of stage time and bring a whole new set of historical characters back to life as one man. Infused throughout the documentary is John’s special brand of humor and openness. The road to his ultimate goal —his next Broadway hit— unfolds in a fun, intriguing, and poignant adventure that not only offers an intimate look into the journey of a passionate artist, but also shines a light on the rarely-told stories of Latino heroes who made their mark on America. Featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the one-man show taking shape, the film follows John’s riveting process —from his early inspirations and research to his first-ever comedy club tour, through workshops of the show— before culminating in performances at the historic Public Theater as he aims for a Broadway run. Along the way, John navigates the challenges of writing (and re-writing) history lessons meant to enlighten and entertain. Featuring interviews with John himself plus Rita Moreno, Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke, Ruben Blades, and more.
As an award-winning documentary filmmaker, episodic TV director, and music video veteran, Ben DeJesus has been at the helm of over 100 hours of content including television, non-fiction, branded, and digital content—and has spent more than 15 years as a director and producer in the U.S. Latinx, urban, and youth markets. He began his career as a stage actor, before moving onto MTV Networks where he produced and wrote for the iconic MTV Cribs, followed by credits for MTV News, VH1, Mun2, Telemundo, and Nick at Nite. A passion for pop culture, music, and theater has fueled his work since. He was one of only 10 directors in over 1,000 applicants to earn a spot in the ABC/Disney Episodic Director’s Program, and is now a director for Bunk’d, the top-rated sitcom on Disney. His music video credits include work with Romeo Santos, Don Omar, Machine Gun Kelly, Noreaga, Chino y Nacho, Prince Royce, Fat Joe, and Sean Kingston, among others. Ben was a producer of the hit John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons on Broadway, and this month’s BxFW-featured doc on the subject premiered nationally on PBS Great Performances.
“★★★★ Insightful, funny, topical. #LatinoLivesMatter” – Chán André (Mubi)
“John has changed the American theatre landscape.” – Oskar Eustis (The Public Theater)
John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway
Director: Ben DeJesus
USA
60 min
7PM Film Screening
Accompanied by winning shorts from the 21 Islands International Film Fest.
Screening followed by conversation with Special Guest Cionin Lorenzo, Story Producer for John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway and seasoned specialist in unscripted media content. The conversation will be facilitated by Louis E. Perego Moreno, aka Tío Louie, of Prime Latino Media.
Bronx Film Wednesdays (BxFW): Curated by film and media artist Melisa Ramos, this series screens new, little-seen, and standout indie films that you will love! Travel the world and open your mind to stories as wild and from as far as the imagination can go — romance, comedy, action, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, thriller, drama, music, sports, animation, documentary, and more! Carefully selected to illustrate cultural, aesthetic, and geographic diversity, each night includes specially selected features and winning films from our Bronx-based 21 Islands International Short Film Fest. BxFW is co-presented with Prime Latino Media, the largest network of Latino multimedia-makers and actors on the East Coast.