Joseph Vasquez
Born
Joseph B. Vasquez

(1962-06-08)June 8, 1962
New York City, U.S.
DiedDecember 3, 1995(1995-12-03) (aged 33)
Chula Vista, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Writer, Director, Actor

Joseph B. "Joe" Vasquez (June 8, 1962 – December 16, 1995) was an American independent filmmaker.[1]

Early life

Vasquez was born in the South Bronx on June 8, 1962 to his parents, Dolores and Fermin Vasquez.[2] His father was Puerto Rican and his mother was African-American.[3][4] due to his parents being heroin addicts, Vasquez and his older brothers Tito and Tony were given to Bertha Vasquez, their paternal grandmother, He began making his own films at the age of 12 with a super 8 millimeter camera, often recruiting friends from the neighborhood to play the roles, and he would later show them at his Grandmother’s apartment. He would shoot about 30 or 40 films[5][6]

In 1983, he got accepted into the film department at City College of New York, later earning a filmmaking degree.

Career

After completing his studies, Vasquez embarked upon his first feature film in 16 mm, made on a budget for $30,000, Street Story (later known as Street Hitz in a home video release), Vasquez wrote, directed, edited, produced the film, and even managing to get the film distributed.

In 1989, he released his second film The Bronx War, which he wrote, directed, and starred in, being shown at a few film festivals, the film was not entirely successful, but it did catch the attention of several film studios, New Line Cinema became interested in Vasquez and wanted to distribute his next project.

Going three days without sleep, he quickly produced a script that had been in his head for years, a semi autobiographical coming-of-age tale of one night in the life of four friends in the south Bronx, the resulting film was Hangin' with the Homeboys a buddy comedy in the tradition of American Graffiti and Diner, the film earned him critical acclaim.

In 1994, he got an offer to make a film in Puerto Rico, "Rice, Beans and Ketchup, later retitled "Manhattan Merenge!" was Vasquez’s attempt to cross the dance musical genre with an immigrant love story,[7] while sold to home video markets in Europe, the film was never released theatrically in the United States, appearing only at film festivals. Having been arrested for running naked through an apartment building, he was later diagnosed as manic-depressive.[8]

In March 1995, Vasquez attempted to direct a horror film he had written, despite raising money, and shooting a few days worth of film, the project soon shut down after the crew deserted the set.

Death

On December 16, 1995, Vasquez died as a result of AIDS-related complications in Chula Vista, California, aged 33.[9][10][11]

After his death, one of his stories "Caught in the Fever" was posthumously used as a segment in the 1997 television film Riot.[12][13] Another unproduced script was made as the 2013 film "The House that Jack Built".[14][15]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Writer Producer Director
1989 The Bronx War Yes No Yes
1991 Hangin' with the Homeboys Yes No Yes
1992 Street Hitz Yes Yes Yes
1995 Manhattan Merengue! Yes No Yes
1996 Riot Yes No No
2013 The House That Jack Built Yes No No

Unmade projects

  • Hangin' with the Homegirls, A follow up to Homeboys which would’ve taken place on the same night, but would’ve focused on several young women in the Bronx.[16]
  • Writing on the Wall, a script by Seth Zvi Rosenfeld based on his own play about three racially mixed teens who must confront their own prejudices because of a homicide.[17]

Acting credits

Year Film Role Notes
1982 Losing Ground Student Cameraman
1989 The Bronx War Tito Sunshine
1990 On The Block Joey

References

  1. ↑ "Joseph B. Vasquez Filmography". www.tcm.com. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  2. ↑ Kennedy, Dana (February 9, 1996). Remembering Joe Vasquez. Entertainment Weekly
  3. ↑ Salzberg, Charles (1991-05-19). "FILM; How the 'Homeboys' Got That Way". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  4. ↑ Harris, Mark (1991-06-07). "South Bronx Story". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  5. ↑ "Director Joseph Vasquez on His Latest Film About the South Bronx". freshairarchive.org. 1991-06-17. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  6. ↑ "Joe Vasquez - Filmmaker Visits CCNY". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  7. ↑ "This Is 'Like Water' for Real : Movies: Those love scenes were more than acting in hit Mexican film. The two stars found romance and now share a small flat in Hollywood". www.latimes.com. 1994-10-17. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  8. ↑ "Joseph B. Vasquez Filmography". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  9. ↑ Associated Press (December 22, 1995). Joseph Vasquez, 33; Directed 'Homeboys'. New York Times
  10. ↑ "Joseph B. Vasquez; Award-Winning Filmmaker". The Los Angeles Times. 1995-12-20. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  11. ↑ Coleman, David (2014-07-08). The Bipolar Express Manic Depression and the Movies. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9780810891944. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  12. ↑ "Riot". www.variety.com. 1996-09-30. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  13. ↑ "Ready for L.A. Riot, the Movie? : Four Years Later, a Showtime Film Is the First to Look at the City's Unrest". The Los Angeles Times. 1996-02-20. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  14. ↑ "LatinoBuzz: The House That Joseph B. Vasquez Built". sydneysbuzz.com. 2013-05-15. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  15. ↑ "Screenplay From Late 'Hangin' With the Homeboys' Filmmaker Joseph B. Vasquez Goes Into Production". www.indiewire.com. 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  16. ↑ "New Line, Vasquez Pact". www.variety.com. 1991-01-27. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  17. ↑ "Hanging out with Joseph B. Vasquez". www.ew.com. 1991-06-07. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  18. ↑ "Leaders of the Black New Wave". www.ew.com. 1993-07-23. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  19. ↑ "Disney-based pair to split up". www.variety.com. 1993-03-05. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  20. ↑ "A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : HUH? : In the Dubious Distinction Mode". www.latimes.com. 1992-01-26. Retrieved 2023-08-31.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.