Lorenzo Vigas
Birthday: 1967, Mérida, Venezuela
Lorenzo Vigas was born in Mérida, Venezuela in 1967. He graduated in Molecular Biology from the University of Tampa, Florida. In 1995 he moved to New York City to study film at NYU. In 1998 he return ...Show More
[on casting newcomer Luis Silva] My biggest challenge was to find a young male lead. I wanted a youn Show more
[on casting newcomer Luis Silva] My biggest challenge was to find a young male lead. I wanted a young 17-year old non-actor with a great talent. I think I found the next Edgar Ramírez. He's a natural. While at a casting agency in Venezuela, I saw the picture of a youth who was not even there to audition; he was there to accompany a friend. But I saw in his face great compassion, rage, great humanity and pain. He comes from a dangerous barrio in Caracas. I met him, we had lunch, saw a movie and I knew he was right for the role. I never did a camera test, which was quite risky. I didn't want him to meet my older male lead, the great Chilean actor Alfredo Castro, before the shoot, as I knew there would be a lot of tension in their scenes, and wanted that to register on camera.[2015] Hide
I think it began with my short Los elefantes nunca olvidan (2004), because I have an obsession with Show more
I think it began with my short Los elefantes nunca olvidan (2004), because I have an obsession with the theme of paternity. I see it as a trilogy, starting with my short; while Desde allá (2015) is the second part and the third part, will be my next film, "The Box," which I will shoot in Mexico with Lucia Films producing, and I hope Edgar [Edgar Ramírez] will be involved in it, too. As a whole, they deal with the theme of absent or terrible fathers. I don't know why I have this obsession when in fact, I had a warm and close bond with my father who is a famous painter, and passed away two years ago. He's one of the most important painters of Latin America, Oswaldo Vigas. I think it has more to do with the archetype of a father; I have a need to discuss the father archetype. (...) My lead actor never knew his father. It's a common story in Latin America. My home life was an exception. In "Elephants Never Forget" two young kids go after their father who has abandoned them. I told Guillermo [Guillermo Arriaga] my story idea who said he wanted to help me make it so I moved to Mexico to collaborate with him in 2001. These were great learning years. I wrote the short in Mexico and filmed it in Venezuela. (...) In between these two, I made a documentary about my father, which took nearly seven years to make. It's still in post and will be released next year. And I wouldn't have been able to make my feature "From Afar" if I hadn't grown in all aspects; I matured emotionally and honed my craft. Learning about my father and my ancestors was very cathartic. It plunged me into a two-year depression but I emerged much stronger... but it was a path I had to take.[2015] Hide
I have an English-language American film in development, I'm working with a writer. It's set in a un Show more
I have an English-language American film in development, I'm working with a writer. It's set in a university, about an American student and dwells on the theme of impossible love.[2015] Hide
Lorenzo Vigas's FILMOGRAPHY
as Director (1)
as Creator (1)
