Meet Eduardo Salas | Writer & Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eduardo Salas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eduardo, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Choosing a creative career wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision I made–an innate need to storytell and voice a repressed side of me was an itch I had to scratch. I stumbled across the realm of filmmaking in my formative years of high school where I eventually learned the basics of storytelling. Needless to say–I didn’t quite fall in love with it at first.

I found myself coasting by project-to-project across the bay area until I asked myself one evening, “Why are you discontent?” It wasn’t until I defined my own tastes, experiences, and visual point-of-view into writing where I realized my dissatisfaction about this creative path wasn’t the medium of film itself, but rather the stories I saw being built around me never amounting to my own experiences that I so desperately sought to be reflected.

Upon this realization, I considered quitting altogether–confronting the stories rooted in my chicano identity was one thing but my queerness felt like a much lonelier path. I followed my gut and anchored myself in the belief that, as an artist, my stories are simply worth telling. No questions asked. In the pursuit of reclaiming agency over my own narratives and the poignant experiences that defined much of my adolescence–I gave it all-or-nothing into my creativity in the hopes of reappropriating what love can look like for my communities.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I spent much of my time living in the East Bay while traveling back and forth to my parents hometown in Mexico in the early to mid 2000’s. My father’s El Camino, a 67’ Camaro, and a VW Beetle alongside my mom’s hair salon–a heavy culture that I grew up with right in my own backyard. On the other side–streets lined with stained-glass windows and lace curtains accompanied by the smell of tortillas, agave, and gas from my grandpa’s old jeep cherokee.

Much of my work reflects what I’ve experienced within these moments of world-switching. I found a drive to fixate on the aesthetics around me and channel it into drawing, writing, and eventually film.

I attended UCLA’s Film & Television program where I recently graduated with a concentration in Narrative Directing and a Minor in Chicana/o Studies under my belt. I wrote and directed my short film Enamorado created out of the need to express my own personal experience with lovelessness–now making its LA premiere at Outfest Fusion on April 1st! I’m very excited about its film festival run!

Through this current work of mine I attempt to uplift the parts of me I repressed for so long. At the focal point of my artistry, I approach queer love as a gift in itself. We do not necessarily feel love out of the need to reproduce–we simply love one another for the sake of love itself. This, among many, is the narrative I so fervently seek to reflect in my own work and within my career.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Without a doubt, I take every friend of mine to my local pupuseria (El Amanecer). I love Koreatown and the eclectic mix of Oaxacan, Korean, and Salvadorian food all within a minute’s reach of each other. Picnic at Echo Park and a small local art show is also a must.

I like the little things even if they’re a little uneventful. I’m a big fan of just hanging out with friends out on my fire escape or rooftop where we can just eat, drink, and catch up with one another. I also love cruising in the car and blasting music with the sunlight hitting right. Ever since they’ve opened up the 6th street bridge that’s all I’ve been up to on that side of town.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Even through the turbulent times of my life, I have my family to thank for their unwavering support. They don’t necessarily always understand why I do what I do or why I’ve made the choices I have–but they don’t have to. Their presence is enough and it’s all I’ll ever ask for.

I want to thank the communities that raised me and transformed my individuality. From the diverse east bay area, to my familial lands of Atotonilco, and the bonds I’ve made in Nicaragua along the way.

Website: www.eduardorsalas.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/eddyelalto

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/eduardoriverasalas

Twitter: www.twitter.com/eddyelalto

Image Credits
[Cover Photo] Luz Thomas, [UCLA] Julian Angat, [BTS] Angel Hernandez, [DOP] Maya Gonzales