Meet Isaiah Navarro: Indie Filmmaker

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

Hi Isaiah, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As far as I can remember I have ALWAYS loved movies. I was lucky enough to have amazing parents who raised me right by introducing me to classics like “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars.” I would watch these movies on repeat until the VHS tapes burned out. It was later as I got older that I realized it was someone’s job to make these movies and that they got paid for it! It was from that moment on that I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to become a filmmaker! And be the one to create the stories that would cause people to burn out their VHS tapes too. I love how movies can make you forget about the world for a second and then completely change your mood. Movies can inspire or make you see things differently. I want to be the one to make people feel or even inspire them to make movies themselves!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
One thing about my art that separates it from others is my use of POC actors in all of my films. Being from a The Rio Grande Valley, a predominantly Hispanic city on the southern border, when I first started out I naturally would cast my close friends in my projects who are all Hispanic. I would do this not knowing how powerful this was to have a completely latnix cast, which is a rare site in media these days. As I grew older I learned the importance of representation and to this day I continue to cast POC in all of my work. In October last year I officially put out my first “Real” short film “Tune You Out,” and as of now it’s the project I am most proud of. It’s the most ambitious thing I’ve done to date and I’m so proud of my team for working hard on it despite living through a pandemic and seeing it through. AS of now my career is far from over, if anything it is just getting started. Getting here wasn’t easy. Like mentioned before I’m from a small town south of Texas, where it’s easy to get comfortable and forget about the things you really want to do. The hardest decision I ever made of choosing to leave it in hopes of making a career in film. I continued my education, worked hard and saved up money to bring my stories to life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Where do I begin?! The DFW is a beautiful place with lots to do. I would definitely take them to my favorite place I’ve discovered since my move here; Coyote Drive-In. It’s a super cool drive-in in Fort Worth that has the best food and popcorn I’ve ever had at a theater. They have so many huge screens and the best part is watching a few movies all with Fort Worth’s beautiful skyline as a backdrop. Other places would include downtown Arlington’s “Free Play,” a retro arcade/ bar and grill, Their arcade is HUGE and they have all the classic games from Pac-Man to Mortal combat. River Legacy Park, a beautiful scenic trail that’s prefect for hiking, biking or even just a peaceful walk. And of course “Caves Bar Lounge.” Just the loveliest little bar also in downtown Arlington. They have karaoke nights, movie nights and from what I hear really cheap drinks.

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?
Absolutely! The person I want to shoutout to is my High School AV Teacher: Ms. Susan Smith. By the time I got to High School me and my friends were already creating to god awful short films in our backyards for YouTube. I had no idea how to properly edit or how to light a set, I was just making videos for the sake of making them, not even caring if they made sense or not. It was until I started taking classes with Ms. Smith that really got my career started. She taught me how to properly edit, how to record sound and how to write a cohesive story. Basically 95% of everything I know about film today is because of her. And the lessons didn’t stop at filmmaking. Ms. Smith also taught me about work ethic and professionalism and that the world can be a cruel place but if you have a passion for something DO IT, even if no one is watching. Just do it for yourself.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcallenboy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/McAllenBoy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isaiah.navarro.54/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzzn-uUYhMQznOf39BD6iHg

Image Credits
Photographers include: Isaiah I. Navarro Cosette Montemayor Susan Smith