Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizette Barrera.
Lizette, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It started with me recording family gatherings with a DV camcorder my father had bought. Every New Years, I would attempt to edit a montage piece to show the family of all the things that I had captured over the year, but I could never get Windows MovieMaker editing software to work on how I wanted to! And it took longer than I expected!
I am a visual storyteller and filmmaking is the path I chose, or instead, it chose me. Being an only child, one goes thru a special kind of imagination and it soared to all different places. I had a journal where I would write/create characters, backstories, and storylines and use my Barbie dolls to enact them. I also would write stories to the backdrop of WAR (Band).
Today I am a filmmaker, educator, and represented by LA company Inclusion management.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There’s the adversity that you can’t control. I am young, Latinx, and a woman. It is hard for people to want to listen or respect you. I have been told to follow “blindly” and been discourage from speaking up or trying to challenge a decision.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I specialize in writing, directing, and editing films. I am most proud of my short film, Mosca (Fly) and when it got picked up by HBO, thanks to my sales agent Sandra Avila and my co-producer Rebecca Jackson Morelo. I think what sets me apart is my attention to detail when I tell stories, the research I do, and my attempts to represent the stories as best as possible.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am lucky, and I am privileged. I grew up in a family that has always supported my endeavors who believe in me to pursue what I feel I was born to do, to tell stories.
The people who have helped me on my journey and continue to inspire at foremost are my parents Gloria and Enrique Barrera, my mentors Ya’ke Smith, Bart Weiss, Mary Beltran, Andy Garrison, and peers/colleagues Huay Bing-Law, Rebecca Jackson Morelo, Adolfo Mora, Artemis Anastasiadou, Andres Felipe Torres, Katy Atkinson, Antonio Torres, Alex Rosales, Josh Gallas, my other halves Iveth Gonzales, Austin Morales, and Rijaa Nadeem, and for those who saw potential and believed in me Justina Walford, NALIP, and Sandra Avila.
Contact Info:
- Website: vimeo.com/lizetteb
- Email: Lizettebarrerafilm@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/_lizette_barrera_/
- Facebook: facebook.com/lizette.lizette
- Twitter: twitter.com/lizettebarrera_
Image Credit:
Austin Morales, Caitlyn Adkins, Mireydi Van Mendieta Nuñez, Antonio Torres, Rijaa Nadeem
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