Meet Felix Igori Ramos | Film Writer, Producer and Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Felix Igori Ramos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Felix, why did you pursue a creative career?
It’s the only way I could make heads or tails of this existence. Sorry, I know that sounds like a pretentious attempt at sounding profound. But it’s true, at least for me. I think without art (and spirituality) society and the individual languishes in futility. I was born and raised on the West Side of Chicago during the 80’s and I grew up seeing a lot of violence, poverty and hopelessness and it left an indelible impression on me. So much that I turned to the arts, music, literature and cinema to help me escape my realities. But more then escape, the arts helped me process and understand my condition and ultimately gave me the courage to overcome it. I feel that artistry (creativity) is God speaking through us… to us. There’s just something that happens to the soul when it hears a piece of music from Chopin, Miles Davis or Vicente Fernandez. Or when it reads poetry from the likes of T.S. Eliot, Maya Angelou or Pablo Neruda. And of course my art of choice Cinema. There’s a rustling, a reckoning in your soul when you experience the cinema of Spike Lee, Frank Capra and the great Terrence Malick. I knew at the age of 11 that this endeavor, above all, to speak to the soul was the path I wanted to spend the rest of my life on. I’ve attempted many things and have tried to be many different versions of myself in my 44 years but I always go back to the artist that I dreamt of being as a child. And I’m convinced I am nothing else but that.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a filmmaker and not a content creator. Specifically a writer, producer and director. I suppose what makes and what I hope will make my films unique is that I am interested in rejuvenating the artform of Cinema not so much by innovating with Circus like spectacle but with a return to original stories that speak to the human condition. And don’t misunderstand I am not 100% opposed to some spectacle if done well with original ideas and meaningful themes. But some of this bullshit is made only in the name of making money and that I am not a proponent of. I fell in love with Cinema as a child for the art not the dollar. How I got here? Persistance and no apparent skill at anything else is how I got here today. Ha, ha, ha. Honestly, persistence, a wonderful support system in my family and my faith in God that I was born to do this. Nothing has been easy about this journey but it has not been hard either. What I mean is when you are doing what you love there is no work to what you are doing. It is creating, it is building, it is breathing life into an idea. But don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of challenges along the way. You over come them through perseverence, through failure, through hope, through hopelessness, through joy and through agony. It’s the birthing process. When a dream or an idea germinates in your being you have to go through a process to birth it into existence. The lesson I’ve learned and am still learning is to celebrate every small victory as you push, pull and fight your way to the big victory. The reason that’s important is because its those small W’s that will carry you when you are getting your ass kicked in the ring of doubt and fear. And it’s those small W’s that will remind you that you are not alone. That you have family, friends and God Himself rooting for you to get back up and fight for this thing that is bigger then you. I want the world to know that I’m coming with a different perspective on Cinema, storytelling and a desire to meet the audience in those dark places of life that could use some compassion and hope.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m more of a homebody but, I guess I like to get out once and a while. First of all, I live in Orange County so I wouldn’t be much help with LA. So here in the County of Orange I would suggest a theme park day whether it be Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm. You’ve gotta have a beach day so I would suggest heading down to Laguna Beach and catching some sun at any number of the beautiful Coves that are down there. For some nightlife action I’d suggest hitting up Downtown Fullerton on a Friday or Saturday night. Plenty of bars, clubs and restaurants within a 1 mile radius. And over by Disneyland on Harbor Blvd. there’s lots of restaurants for dining. Such as Ruth Chris, Morton’s and my favorite Rosco’s Chicken and Waffles baby! Lots more to do down here in Orange County but I think that’s a good start.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to Shout Out my wonderful wife Jennifer. Without her support and encouragement I would have stayed on the mat after getting hit with rejection and failure several times. She has believed in me throughout this long, arduous journey even when I had lost faith in myself. Jennifer is a strong, loving and intelligent woman and it has been an honor to be her husband for the past 20 years. We celebrate our 20th anniversary on June 1st this year. There’ve been a few people I could have selected for this Shout Out but no one like my wife, my friend and my love.

Website: IMDb – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3037880/?ref_=tt_ov_dr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felixigoriramos/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/felix.ramos.5036

Other: In the Defense Against Tyranny (feature film) is being streamed on Amazon Prime – https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08LDZ9F9C/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

Image Credits
Picture 1 – BTS of “In the Defense Against Tyranny” Picture 2 – BTS of “In the Defense Against Tyranny” Picture 3 – Poster for “In the Defense Against Tyranny” Picture 4 – BTS of “In the Defense Against Tyranny”