HOLLYWOOD, CA -- Actor Julian Scott Urena (The Shield) teams up with auto mechanic-turned-writer & director Mark Christensen to make a controversial feature film; "American Flyer" (aka: North by El Norte). Mr. Urena plays leading character "Gonzales", the Chief of Police for Tijuana, Mexico. This cop is a character with an opinion about his Mexican brothers that many will find refreshing and others will find outrageous. Mr. Christensen has written a screenplay that, on the surface, feels like an offbeat action/comedy, but has a much deeper soul. And - a home-made flying contraption that actually worked.
This story has been told - immigration and borders - and the suffering that is often endured by Mexicans and others trying to cross those borders. But Mr. Christensen has a completely different take on this theme. He manages to infuse a new energy to the narrative, making it relevant and wildly entertaining at the same time.
Mr. Christensen had always wanted to make movies, but life had other plans for him, he was gifted with a talent for fixing cars and so he did. Fortunately for us, the dream never left him. After years of work he saved enough money to make his film. Mr. Christensen, like his main character "Bondo", is quite resourceful. He wrote the screenplay, built a flying machine, assembled a crew and a cast of actors including; Douglas Spain (Star Maps) and Danny Trejo (Machete). He rolled up his sleeves, scrubbed his hands clean and headed south to make AMERICAN FLYER.
According to Urena: "It was a tough shoot, but worth every drop of blood spilled. This is a completely different take on what it means to be an immigrant - my character is Mexican - and proud of it. He is offended that anyone wants to flee his country. He is ferocious and relentless. But is he really a bad guy? I think viewers might sympathize with my character more than they want to admit." Urena is proud of his unique character in this unusual spin on a familiar story. "I see Gonzales as doing what the movie does as a whole - turning your perceptions inside out. As Gonzales would say: Value is as valuable as the evaluator".
After much work and dedication, AMERICAN FLYER was completed this spring and is being distributed by
Arc Entertainment. It will premiere July 1st, 2011 at The Downtown Independent Theater in Los Angeles, CA.
For more information or to schedule an interview contact:
Larry Metzger
GSK Talent
323-782-1854
larry@gsktalent.com
