Author: Hipolito Munoz

OBSERVATIONS OF A YOUNG CHICANO FILMMAKER AT SUNDANCE 2016…

Park City, Utah            …with no film to screen at the film festival—for the second year in a row. And for the second year in a row, I’m here at the festival as the contributing writer of RACK FOCUS for the online magazine Landscape Latino. My assignment is to interview breakthrough filmmakers who are screening at Sundance, but this year that’s gonna be tough compared to last year ’cause our crew doesn’t have press credentials. I’m left to my own devices to connect with the filmmakers themselves, or at least their publicists—I only know one...

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The time is always right to do what is right. – Martin Luther King Jr.

By Hipolito Munoz, Managing Editor/Publisher For a progressive humanist such as myself, it is very difficult to write about anything that would throw shade on our current president, Mr. Barack Obama. Having grown up in a black community in the 80’s I understand and appreciate the struggles he must have had to overcome just to have a successful career. I empathize with the struggle of the black community and I embrace its strength as one of the strongest voices in the struggle for human rights, for every one. So I am very disappointed and angry at his lack of disregard for the fate of the children that he is now targeting for deportation. These are children that come from environments that the US has created through its drug policies in South and Central America. Its also part of the situation created by just taking all undocumented criminals and sending them back to their country of origin without allowing those states to get ready for them. But, regardless of all that, at the end of the day, these are children and if we want to show the world what type of place the United States can be for folks looking for hope, this is not the way to do it. Wrapping oneself on the theory of the law is just foolish. The law has been used to subjugate and hurt...

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We Are All Going To Lose If We Don't Put Our Guns Down

By Hipolito Munoz, Managing Editor/Publisher On a Sunday morning, after a peaceful protest, a group of 150 armed Anglo men decided to continue their protest against the US government and took over a wildlife reserve through armed means, well the reserve was empty, no humans were hurt in the process. Many people of color and those that respect them are sort of surprised by this event, but the most flagrant evidence of unequal treatment under the law is that there are no comments being made from those politicians and pundits that had a lot to say about Ferguson and...

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"The Hateful Eight," Violent and Vulgar, Go See It…

By Hipolito Munoz, Managing Editor/Publisher So I decided to go watch Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” because I really like Demian Bichir’s work. I have met him several times and he has always been very elegant and very accessible. Well, he was no disappointment in the film and the film has made me rethink my understanding of Tarantino’s work. I have avoided films like “Django Unchained,” and many of his other films, because of the violence and language, that has always bothered me. May be because I understand why he uses it, it entertains and hooks many folks into the...

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Trump Does Understand Blue Collar Struggles, However, He Does Not Empathize…

By Hipolito Munoz, Managing Editor/Publisher The political discourse is getting violent, well, if you take into account Donald Trump’s candidacy seriously, you can say it is already violent. Many folks are in shock about his popularity and they lack understanding on why there are so many folks that are willing to follow and act upon the wishes of someone who does not appear to understand their struggles. In fact, I think he does, that is why he is able to manipulate his message and he also knows that although he understands them, he will never suffer the fate of...

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