About Us
Director’s Note
At the end of 2007 I was invited to the very first meeting of a group of Venezuelan filmmakers; Venezolanos in Hollywood. As I looked around and realized the many different talents that surrounded me, I knew I no longer had an excuse to postpone my now overdue goal to direct with a camera. So, “La Nochebuena de Paco y Manolo,” is the collaborative effort of this group of people who lent their talent and time to create a piece that is permeated by the nostalgia that we feel for a time and place that are no longer there.
Trivia
1. One of our production assistants, Erika Olmos, is the niece of Edward James Olmos who directed Manolo in two movies.
2. Hernan De Beky, who co-wrote and sings the gaita, was originally a character in the film.
3. Ignacio Piñerua lent a helping hand with the editing and is a relative of Luis Piñerua, a presidential candidate of Venezuela in the ’70s. Whenever his last name is mentioned, Paco and Manolo have to resist the temptation to say “Correcto!”
4. Praxedes Rivera, one of our associate producers, once lived in the apartment below Paco’s dad in Venezuela, unbeknownst to either Paco or his dad…or Praxy, for that matter.
5. Carlos Gonzalez, the director of photograpy, once spent the night at Manolo’s parents’ house when he was a child. Manolo thinks he was either in summer camp or a canoeing trip with his dad and brother in northern Saskatchewan during that time so their paths may have never crossed.
6. Diego Velasco and Carolina Paiz, who get special thanks in the film, are shooting a film in Venezuela this summer. Paco and Manolo are acting in it and Alex Mora, one of our camera operators, will be second A. D.
7. When Paco was in high school, he once got his ass kicked during recess by two of our associate producers, Jorge Zighelboim and Carlos Moscol
8. Jesus Florido, the composer, has an aunt in Venezuela who was childhood friends with Manolo’s mom.
9. The crew was made up of over 25 Venezuelans.
10. The bar that the film was shot in also appeared in the film Swingers and the show The Closer.
11. The bartender is the actual bartender and owner of the bar.
12. The girl that hits on Manolo is his real-life wife.
13. The boom operator was Manolo’s cousin who was in the states on “vacation”.
14. The skinny girl’s great uncle invented the Ice-cream scoop.
15. Paco was dating the producer at the time of filming.
16. The blond guy that the girls left with was the Art Director.
17. The other guy in that scene was a camera operator and an editor on the film.
18. The producer’s father was a famous venezuelan soap star.
19. Production was shut down and a fake insurance document was prepared at last minute to proceed.