“BRENDA”, which opens the MIAMI FILM TRIO event.
Evelyn Jimenez is a talented actress/writer/producer. She shares her passion in three areas: stage, television and films and if you meet her, you might think she runs on non-stop batteries because she’s always coming from a finished project, while currently working on something as she is preparing herself for something new.
We interviewed her in a café on Lincoln Road as she is getting ready to hit the red carpet this Sunday December 4th, at 7:00 PM at the Colony Theatre, for the opening of the MIAMI FILM TRIO, an event that gathers three short films from up and coming local filmmakers, including “BRENDA” a film that she penned and starred.
Agatino Zurria: How did you come up with “BRENDA”?
Evelyn Jimenez: I was dating for some time this neighbor that I liked a lot, and I was a little puzzled because there were times when he completely vanished. I used to ask him “what did you do this weekend?” and he would always avoid the subject. So I started to write a story about what happened on those “times of silence”. Of course, I let my imagination run wild and had to discard a lot of cliché stories.
AZ: So, the film is based on something that actually happened to you?
EJ: Not really. But it is based on all the imagination that was created from a simple silence.
AZ: Once you had your story, what was your next step?
EJ: First I took it to Jhonny Obando, who is my producer. He read it and asked me to shorten it, because I wrote pages and pages and it didn’t quite look like a short film, which is what we wanted to produce in the first place. So I reviewed it, cleaned all the unnecessary exposition and gave it the structure of a short film. Johnny said it was perfect and we started pre-production.
AZ: How did Kamen Sway enter this project?
EJ: I had seen a film that he had just finished. It didn’t have much to do with “BRENDA”, because it is a martial arts film, but I liked the way he directed it. So we talked to him about doing this and after he read the script he was in.
AZ: how long did it take you to shoot “BRENDA”
EJ: Well, you know that budgeting a short film is very difficult. So it took us around 4 months of shooting once, sometimes twice a week, until we had completed principal photography.
AZ: So, can you tell us why did you call it “BRENDA”?
EJ: Brenda is a very interesting character that in different ways influence the lives of all the characters in the story. But, I can’t tell you what happens because I want you to enjoy it.
AZ: You have won two awards at the Miami Life Awards in 2008 and 2010. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
EJ: The first time it was a complete surprise. I was in a stage play, and I had never imagined that people would come and find my work that interesting. The next thing I knew is that I was nominated as best actress. I couldn’t even go to the ceremony because I was working. Anyway I didn’t think I was going to win until my director called me “I have your award here”. In 2010 we submitted a short film called SONIDOS DE ESPERANZA, which we made for the Fundacion de ninos con cancer, and I ended up getting the award for Best Actress. But the most rewarding thing about this is that people are watching our work. Sometimes you feel like you’re going too slow and nobody notices, but if you’re doing your best, people will see you.
“BRENDA” will open the MIAMI FILM TRIO event, this Sunday, December 4, at 7:00 PM at the Colony Theatre on Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. The evening will include a red carpet pre-show, a Q&A with the filmmakers and stars of the films and an after party.
Tickets are on sale at www.ticketmaster.com and at the Theatre’s Box office the night of the event.
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