Meet Rosario Rodriguez | Filmmaker

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

Hi Rosario, what do you want your legacy to be?
What I would like my legacy to be, would be que “si se puede” or in English, that you “can do it!” I come from a very humble background, where my father was a farmworker and my mother a house cleaner. Marvin, my older brother, and I share many of the same stories of those from marginalized, immigrant and first generation communities too. So for me, it would be about representing not only my Guatemalan community, but also my Latinx community. I want people to remember that my success is our success, that we all can dream together of the impossible and get there little by little. The legacy of navigating through adversity, challenges and triumph in order to achieve both my small and big goals. That with patience, kindness and hope we can fulfill our own expectations. I want people to remember how my films gave a voice to those unheard by sharing their story or talent and the importance behind it

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.
The art field that I am a part of is the film community. I currently have been in the film industry since 2017 when I directed my first short film when I attended that Manhattan Film Institute in Greenport, Long Island in New York. Since then I have worked as a crew member on various productions ranging from feature films, short documentaries, music videos, commercials and much more. When I am not working on set, I have my day job or freelance then I work on passion projects. In the film world, I truly enjoy more docunarritve based work that share the stories and/or talent of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community, especially if they are Latinx or more especially if they are Guatemalan. As a Guatemalan myself, we are underrepresented in almost any medium and media, so my personal goal is always to represent nuestros Chapines. I feel that film is a great way to provide a platform with exposure and knowledge, especially through storytelling. Speaking of which, if it wasn’t for Tony, Lisa and Shannon from MFI (the Manhattan Film Institute) , Captain Dave Berson, my family and friends then I wouldn’t be where I am now. Especially to the CAMP program at my Alta Mater at SUNY Oneonta. They truly helped me believe in my wildest dreams even if they were academically, socially, personally or professionally. That program helped this daughter of a farmworker and house cleaner get a high education and achieve her wildest dreams. They guided my brother and I through college, which we were the first in our family to do so. My life has been far from easy, pero con ganas (but with will) there is always a way. If one door would not open, I would investigate, ask around and brainstorm of other ways I could improve, advance and succeed. The people around me, literally anyone that I have interacted with has helped me learn something that has brought me to this moment in time. I feel like another contribute is to my family in Guatemala. Being able to go back and visit every few years, if not every year, has helped me understand in depth the amount of opportunity I had infront of me in the United States and that was to not be taken for granted. My father only made it to the 3rd grade, my mother only made it to the 8th, Marvin and I are the first to do many things and accomplish them, but if it wasn’t for the people that we looked up to then it would have taken a different path. My brand or rather my story, is one that I share with many immigrants, working class families and first generation Americans, so for me it’s about representation. Being able to represent a piece of my intersectional communities is what I want our stories to be – seen and heard. Thank you for allowing me to share a piece of that story!

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 would take them first to Guatemala, if they haven’t already been and if not internationally then my town in the East End of Long Island. I realized my favorite thing to do is to invite all my loved ones to Guatemala so they can see my life there, my friends, my family and overall just another beautiful town thats helped shape me. Especially in Latin America because it is much more vibrant, culturally rich and different and overall just a good time. We have a lake in my town in Guatemala that has exercise machines, street vendors and music. If not the lake, then a ride on the tuktuk, which is a 3 wheeled motor taxi that drives you all around town. We would eat some nice fresh corn, but with lime and salt instead of butter and salt! Latinos really love lime haha. We would get granizadas, which are essentially slurpees but with diffferent flavors and toppings. After having a carne asada, then we would head to the basketball court or play on the soccer field. There’s a ton of arts and crafts, events and holidays that we celebrate differently and more enthusiastically! If not my town in Guatemala then I would take my friends to Lake Atitlan in Panajachel, which is one of the seven wonders in the world and the old colonial town of Antigua. Now, if I’m taking my friends to visit within the USA, it would be the town of Oneonta where I went to college and the East End of Long Island.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people I would love to give a shout out to, such as, Tony and Shannon from the Manhattan Film Institute (who also now run the North Fork Art Center – NFAC), there is my brother Marvin Rodriguez whose a lead program analyst at SUNY Oneonta, David Berson with his electric boat in Greenport named the Glory Going Green, and the scholarship he provides, my best friend and film partner, Charlie Ehrman and so many more! If I could name everyone that was part of the journey, the list would wrap around the world. Mainly my friends and family and anyone who has supported the journey!

Website: www.rosariorodriguezfilm.com

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

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/rosariorodriguezfilm

Other: https://vimeo.com/893460675

Image Credits
(@ Rosario Rodriguez) (@ Charlie Ehrman) (@ Trisha Martinez) (@ Jim Morrison)