On the Red Carpet and Onstage with 'El Mariachi'

Last week the Austin Film Society hosted a special screening of cult favorite El Mariachi as a benefit for the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund (TFPF), with special guests including a live performance by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's band Chingon. Antoinette Alfonso Zel, CEO of Rodriguez's general entertainment cable channel El Rey Network -- seen above on the red carpet with Rodriguez -- was in attendance, as well as El Mariachi stars Carlos Gallardo (Desperado, Bandido) and Peter Marquardt.

The event took place the day after the 2012 TFPF recipients were announced, with over $89,000 in cash grants bestowed to 16 projects from emerging Texas filmmakers. I spoke to AFS Executive Director Rebecca Campbell about the significance of the screening as a TFPF fundraiser, and she stated: "Here we are giving out grants to help the next generation of emerging talented Texans, and maybe some of them will go on to have a successful career and keep it in Texas -- just like Robert did." 

Find out more about the special event and see more photos after the jump.

After the El Mariachi screening, Rodriguez was joined onstage for the Q&A by AFS co-founder Charles Ramírez Berg (read his notes about being Rodriguez's professor at UT) as well as property master and weapons designer Steve Joyner, who gifted Rodriguez with a guitar case labeled "El Mariachi" that had been outfitted for still cameras. Rodriguez related the story of how Joyner had auditioned as a prop guy for From Dusk Til Dawn by bringing in a guitar case full of guns that he had made on other movies to demonstrate his work -- and was hired on the spot.

After the Q&A, which also included Gallardo and Marquardt, Rodriguez was joined onstage by members of local favorite Del Castillo for a performance of songs synchronized scenes from corresponding Rodriguez films -- as seen above -- including El Mariachi, From Dusk Til Dawn, Sin City, and more.

I had a chance before the screening to speak to Marquardt, Gallardo, and Rodriguez on the red carpet, and here's what they had to say:

Slackerwood: What's it like to reflect on El Mariachi 20 years later?

Rodriguez: It was a lot of work, I remember when there was a bleak moment that we wouldn't be able to sell it to Spanish video. I thought, "You know what? We aren't even going to try and make another one." I decided to stay here. I love being in Austin. It's a really creative place. I can't believe that it was actually 21 years ago that we actually shot El Mariachi.

Peter Marquardt: I don't believe we knew that it was going to be what it was.

Carlos Gallardo: Robert and myself had been doing films for eight years before. I think that he's a genius, and I love him. It's just amazing, his creativity is out of this world. We didn't know what would be the outcome. It was great to work with Peter as well, we had a blast. I remember so many jokes and pranks we would do to each other.

What about the current state of Texas film industry, and funding availability?

Rodriguez: As long as the filmmakers keep making movies, the industry grows and shrinks with that. It's really something that's dictated by what the talent wants and what the creators want to do. I keep shooting here, but I built the industry around myself because I wanted to stay here.

Marquardt: I've been in the computer game industry since 1995. I've applied for state matching funds for computer game production, which is the same division of the state that finances the subsidies for Texas filmmaking. They are great people and I'm glad they do it, sometimes it's a little tedious to work with.

Gallardo: Sometimes it's a lot of paperwork, but hopefully they keep encouraging and supporting film in Austin. At the end of the day, we want people to be supportive of many other films.

What are your thoughts on the Austin City Council's decision to include Austin Studios funding in Proposition 18?

Rodriguez: It's just part of our history, part of our culture, part of what makes Austin what it is. It's such a great community of film lovers. I've been all around the world, and people know that Austin is known for film, and we want to keep that going.

More photos on Flickr here.

[Photo credits: "Antoinette Alfonso Zel and Robert Rodriguez of El Rey Network," "Rodriguez and Chingon onstage at the Paramount," "Peter Marquardt, Carlos Gallardo and Robert Rodriguez on the Red Carpet" by Debbie Cerda for Slackerwood, all rights reserved]