PHARR — The locally produced film, “Swamp Lion,” premiered Saturday at the Cinemark Pharr Town Center and XD theater as a posthumous tribute to lead actor and Pharr native Michael Ray Escamilla, who had the vision to film the movie here four years ago.
The PSJA alum, accomplished actor, director, producer, composer and writer read the script for the movie four years ago and knew it needed to be produced in the Rio Grande Valley, considering that the obstacles characters face in the film were reflective of those faced by the people of his hometown.
The film displays the struggle of a middle class family when their only son becomes ill with a rare form of cancer. In the movie the family’s insurance will not cover the treatment their son needs to survive and begs the question, “How far would you go to save your son?”
Alan G. Frausto, the music composer for the film who hails from Guadalajara, Mexico, said he believes it’s relatable and thinks the Valley will appreciate it as he has.
“It really inspired me in many ways so the music process involved a lot of conversations about the feelings and everything that went behind the characters, but we also really took into consideration the situation that a lot of people go through in my country, which is Mexico,” Frausto said. “Health care in the U.S. has been a big issue and created tough situations for those in the Valley and close to the border to do extreme things, which is what this film is about.”
Magnus Kristiansen, producer of the movie, said the film is universally appealing but is truly telling of the experiences people face here.
The film began as Escamilla’s tribute to the Valley, but after his death earlier this year it now honors his memory.
“This is very much a tribute to the lead actor Michael Escamilla who was a Rio Grande Valley local and he sadly passed away,” Greg Tally, an actor in the film, said. “So, we are here to honor the incredible actor and wonderful soul and human being who was Michael.”
Selina Hayes, local executive producer for the film, said Escamilla was a selfless man and advocated from the beginning for this story to be told in the Valley.
“He was the one that pounded the whole idea, found the script, wanted to film it here because he said, ‘If there’s a place where there’s health issues, health insurance issues and a lack of options, it’s here,’ and that’s why the conception of it was here in the Valley.”
Throughout the night, multiple people said the movie, which was filmed in one month, was possible thanks to the local help from the people of the Valley who were more than willing to support it in any way they could.
“I think what surprised me was that there’s not a big film community here, like a big infrastructure, but that, I felt, became kind of an advantage because there was so much goodwill of producing something here,” Kristiansen said. “So, everyone wanted to chip in and help in any way they could.”
Julio Rodriguez, of Donna, was contracted as a transportation assistant, but soon began to engulf himself in the movie-making process as he helped out more on set.
The crew said they began to see more and more of Rodriguez and appreciated his hard work so much that they will be taking him to Puerto Rico for the filming of another movie later this year.
Kristiansen said in a place where there is more production, community engagement does not come without a cost. However, in the Valley, people like Rodriguez were happy to help.
The movie was filmed predominantly in Pharr and McAllen, with the majority of its actors also from the region.
Child actor and McAllen native Jack Ybarra plays the role of the son in the film.
Kristiansen said that while it was important to cast Jack, they also adopted his family being that he is a child actor. Jack’s parents Morgan and Julian Ybarra threw themselves into the film, helping in any way they could because of the project’s low budget. The two even played small roles in the film.
Morgan said she heard about the opportunity from her mother and decided to try it out. While Jack had never had an acting lesson in his life, he was a natural talent.
“We were less hesitant to jump in and help because we knew it was low budget, so it was like we gotta do whatever we can,” Julian said.
The family was lucky enough to have their time on the big screen while in the comfort of their hometown.
Swamp Lion had its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival last week but celebrated its two-year anniversary on Saturday when it premiered in Pharr.
The film will screen at the Cinesol Film Festival at South Padre Island in December.
