Alonso Mayo

Last updated
Alonso Mayo
Alonso Mayo Irvine Fim Festival.jpg
Mayo at 2013 Irvine International Film Festival
BornDecember 30, 1978
Lima, Peru
OccupationFilm director, screenwriter
Education Lawrence High School
Alma mater University of Lima
AFI Conservatory
Notable works The Story of Luke

Alonso Mayo (born December 30, 1978) is a Peruvian film director and screenwriter best known for his independent film The Story of Luke (2012). He has won a Student Academy Award (for Wednesday Afternoon). [1]

Contents

Early life

Mayo was born in Lima, Peru, and grew up traveling back and forth between Peru and Lawrence, Kansas, while his mother, special education teacher Liliana Mayo, did her post-graduate studies at the University of Kansas. Mayo graduated from Lawrence High School. [2]

Mayo received a B.A. from University of Lima, where he majored in film and journalism. [3] He received a M.F.A. in film directing from the American Film Institute Conservatory. [4] His thesis film Wednesday Afternoon, starring Jose Yenque and Jeffrey Licon, [5] was official selection of the Deauville American Film Festival, [6] Camerimage Film Festival [7] and won a Directors Guild of America Student Award [8] as well as the Gold Medal in the Narrative category of the 2005 Student Academy Awards. [9] [10]

Career

Mayo co-directed the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance documentary Viva La Causa, about the life of Cesar Chavez, [11] [12] [13] which was shortlisted for the 2008 Academy Awards. [14] In 2010, Mayo directed the dramatic web series Untitled Fiction Project about the aftermath of an affair. The 13 episode series was shot using structured improvisation. [15] The storyline was later continued in 2013's Untitled Murder Project 2.0, a 36 episode experiment in nonlinear storytelling. [16] [17]

Mayo directed his first feature film in 2011, the comedy-drama The Story of Luke about a young man with autism on a quest for a job and a girlfriend, starring Lou Taylor Pucci, Seth Green, Cary Elwes and Kristin Bauer. [18] [19] [20] The film was inspired by Mayo's experiences with young men and women on the autism spectrum at Centro Ann Sullivan del Perú as seen in his research documentary Just Like Anyone. [21] [22] The Story of Luke premiered at the 2012 San Diego Film Festival, where it won Best Film. [23] It went on to win over 20 film festival awards and was released theatrically and on demand in 2013 by Gravitas Ventures. [24]

Mayo teaches film directing and screenwriting at New York Film Academy's Los Angeles campus. [25]

Filmography

YearTitle Director Producer Writer Notes
2004Wednesday Afternoon (short film)YesNoYes
2008Viva La Causa (documentary)YesNoNo
2008Just Like Anyone (documentary)YesNoNo
2010Untitled Fiction Project (web series)YesNoNo
2012 The Story of Luke YesNoYes
2013Untitled Murder Project 2.0 (web series)YesNoYes

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References

  1. "Road to Hollywood: Student Academy Award accelerates Lawrence director's cinematic career". Lawrence Journal-World. 10 June 2005.
  2. "Life story: Lawrence native's film opens across U.S." Lawrence Journal-World. 4 April 2013.
  3. "Alonso Mayo realizes filmmaking dream". The Herald-Mail. 5 April 2013.
  4. "2005 AFI Alumni and Fellows Awards & Honors". AFI Conservatory. 2005.
  5. "Wednesday Afternoon (2004/I)". IMDb. 2004.
  6. "Deauville Film Festival Awards for 2004". IMDb. 2004.
  7. "CAMERIMAGE 2004". Camerimage. 2004. Archived from the original on 2014-01-09. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  8. "DGA Announces Winners of 10th Annual Student Filmmakers Awards". Directors Guild of America. 19 October 2004.
  9. "AMPAS Names 32nd annual Student Academy Awards Winners". Indiewire. 14 June 2005.
  10. "Student Film Award Winners" (PDF). Student Academy Awards. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-29.
  11. "Viva la Causa in Production". Southern Poverty Law Center. 11 July 2008.
  12. "Academy's Contemporary Docs Series Examines Fiscal Responsibility and Farmworkers' Rights". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 12 May 2010.
  13. "Viva la causa (2008)". IMDb. 2008.
  14. "8 Doc Shorts Shortlisted for 2008 Oscars®". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 8 October 2008.
  15. "Untitled Fiction Project Ditches the Script for Weekly Series". GigaOM. 10 October 2010.
  16. "A NEW WAY TO TELL STORIES: LET THE VIEWER CHOOSE THE STRUCTURE". Film Independent. 10 October 2013. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  17. "Untitled Murder Project 2.0 – interview with creator of interactive web series". BZFilm. 15 October 2013.
  18. "Seth Green On 'The Story of Luke,' Autism, 'Star Wars' & More". The Daily Beast. 6 April 2013.
  19. "EXCLUSIVE: Seth Green and Lou Taylor Pucci Talk The Story of Luke". MovieWeb. 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  20. "Luke tells his story at Shadows". The Sault Star. 1 March 2013.
  21. "Seth Green to Star Opposite Lou Taylor Pucci in 'The Story of Luke'". The Hollywood Reporter . 17 August 2011.
  22. "Autism Gets Hollywood Treatment In 'Story Of Luke'". Disability Scoop. 4 April 2013.
  23. "'THE STORY OF LUKE' TAKES TOP PRIZE AT SAN DIEGO FILM FESTIVAL". UTSanDiego. 6 October 2012. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013.
  24. "'The Story of Luke' Team Goes for the Humor". Variety. 3 April 2013.
  25. "NYFA Instructor Wins Big at San Diego Film Festival". New York Film Academy. 1 October 2012.