John
Francis Estrada
John Francis Estrada
is an American-Irish-Mexican working in the entertainment industry,
and seeking to establish himself as a creator, producer and director
in motion picture and television production. Born and raised in Los
Angeles, educated at Loyola High School and earning a B.A. in History
from UCLA, John has worked in the Enterprise Information Systems Group
at Universal Studios since 1997. He is now working towards establishing
his own production company to bring his style of entertainment to
movie and television audiences.
A boyhood fascination with movies and special effects blended with
his imagination and desire to succeed, pushed John to seek out opportunities
in the motion picture industry after graduating college in 1991. His
first credit was as a production assistant on the American Playhouse
telepicture entitled, La Carpa, directed by Carlos Avila (Telenovelas).
He parlayed this experience into PA work on other low-budget productions,
including a music video, and several dramatic shorts. However, it
was his reputation for reliability and hard work on the production
side which landed him a job on a major Paramount Studios feature.
The movie was Clueless, and was a box office success and an invaluable
learning experience for John in comprehending the skills and protocol
of studio production. His second major production job came with the
television show, Rescue 911, produced by Arnold Shapiro. Initially
starting as a Production Assistant, he was soon promoted to Production
Coordinator and stayed on until the show's cancellation in December
of 1995. Soon after were production jobs on the Paramount feature,
Mother, directed by Albert Brooks and produced by Scott Rudin, and
Uncommon Heroes, a pilot produced by Arnold Shapiro. During all his
production experience, John cemented his reputation as a valuable
and committed employee.
In November of 1996, John was married to Sandra Chavarria in San Antonio
Pajonal, located on the border between Guatemala and El Salvador.
Nearly two years later on June 26, 1998, Kealan Thomas Estrada, their
first son, was born. Despite the constant challenges of finding consistent
production work in such a highly competitive industry, John and Sandra
have created a shared world for themselves providing inspiration and
commitment. Such positive values are what John believes will bring
accomplishment and lifelong success.
The challenge of writing, producing and directing his own movie became
the next major project John undertook. With the support of his mother,
Sue Welsh, and the superb creative and technical skills of his younger
brother Kieron, John began writing and developing The Liberation of
Filiberto Garcia. John and Kieron knew they had limited resources,
so the choice was made to shoot in digital video. In April of 1998,
production for this non-union feature began with an outstanding and
dedicated cast of Mexican, Cuban, and Guatemalan actors. Shooting
almost entirely on weekends, a scheduled six weekend production became
a 16 month project, with the cast and crew finally wrapping in August
of 1999. John and Kieron are currently editing and working with several
groups to provide music. A 3 minute trailer of the movie was accepted
as part of the Latin Heat Conference 1998 Mini fest Screening Room,
and most recently played at the 5th Annual East LA Chicano Film Festival.
John hopes to begin submitting the finished movie to film and video
festivals in the Year 2000 and looking to broadcast on Spanish language
television. With the anticipated success of this initial feature,
John is writing several screenplays to shoot and produce with his
brother Kieron, and is also working with other talented collaborators
in building a network of artists and producers. The future of Latino
movie making is here, and John is proud to be a part of it now with
the completion of The Liberation of Filiberto Garcia.
SYNOPSIS: THE LIBERATION OF FILIBERTO GARCIA
The Liberation of Filiberto Garcia is based on a true story. It is
a tale of confrontation and courage, a tale of two men and two cultures
brought together not only by chance, but by history. It tells the
story of what happens to Filiberto Garcia, a young Mexican immigrant
who accidentally wanders into the house of an established Irish American
family. He is taken off to jail, threatened with deportation, and
burdened with the trouble he has caused his humble family. However,
Filiberto is visited by the spirit of a mysterious Aztec warrior who
promises revenge against the gringo family and salvation from jail
time. However, John Sullivan, the young man who first encountered
Filiberto, is struggling also. He suddenly is reexamining the way
he handled the whole situation, as well as realizing his neighborhood
has changed. And when Filiberto's brothers contact the Sullivan family,
both John's aunt Clara, and his mother Catherine, encourage him to
reach beyond his stereotypes and get involved. While Filiberto is
beaten and harassed in jail, John is summoned to testify in court
against Filiberto. The Sullivan's and the Garcia's meet the night
before the court date and a tragic story is revealed which seems to
explain why Filiberto got into this accidental trouble. But it is
up to John to decide what actions he will take as he steps up to the
witness stands and is sworn in...
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