Lonely Wolf International
Film Festival 2022
Interview
Leandro Córdova Lucas
Club Internacional Aguerridos - C.I.A.
instagram.com/clubinternacionalaguerridos
May 8, 2022
A rich kid starts making a documentary about a punk gang. At the beginning he is only a spectator, he falls in love with the leader, and becomes part of the gang. At the end everyone dies. C. I. A.
Hello Leandro, it’s great to get to talk with you, how have you been keeping after everything that’s been happening?
I been keeping strong, falling down, picking up and going forward they're is no other way.
How have you managed to stay positive and busy?
My daughter, I have to make an example of me for her. Also a radio show I have in radiote-poztlan.org Mondays and Fridays at 9pm Mexico City time, my best psychologist.
Club Internacional Aguerridos - C.I.A has picked up several festival awards, did you imagine you would get this type of response to your film?
We are very grateful for everything that has come to us. While writing it, making it and editing it we knew people would love it or hate it. We love you all.
Congratulations on being at Lonely Wolf for your film Club Internacional Aguerridos - C.I.A, what has it meant to you to get this type of recognition for your film?
We are super happy. It is great to see other people recognize the hard work and heart everyone gave to make this film possible. ¡Vamos Aguerridos!
How important are festivals like Lonely Wolf in championing and supporting indie filmmakers?
We do not have major actors or big budget, but we have heart, soul and talent and festivals like Lonely Wolf acknowledge the work and craft of the films for their merits. Thank you Lonely Wolf. Ooooowoooooo!!
Can you tell me how Club Internacional Aguerridos - C.I.A came about, what was the inspiration behind your screenplay?
We wanted to make a movie that felt like cheap cocaine and left you strong out. We took inspiration from everything we loved.
When co-writing a film like Club Internacional Aguerridos - C.I.A how important is the collaborative nature between writers?
Super important, quoting one of the screenwriters of the movie “Making a script is a job best done with several hands.” If you get block one of the other can take over, and from the begin- ning you have important discussion with smarter people than yourself and you do not end up smelling your own shit. Club Internacional Aguerridos - CIA was written by Lino “Papus” Von Saenger, Enrique Giner de Los Rios and your napkin.
"Hate changed my life for cinema. It had left me thinking for a week, and I knew I wanted to do the same thing for the rest of my life."
What is the message you wanted to convey with this film and do you think you have achieved this?
Live life with no regrets, everyone is important, be humble, have respect, be true to your word. I do not know if we achieve this, the audience will tell.
How close do you like to keep to your screenplay once you start shooting, do you give yourself much flexibility?
As far away as possible. While we were making the film we all knew the core of each scene, so if we could not get a location we wanted, or something happen, we can still film the scene on other circumstances. Our best scenes happened that way. Thank you Aguerridos.
What was the most challenging part of making Club Internacional Aguerridos - C.I.A?
Being true to story, to the crew and to listen. We only did one retake and it was because I did not listen to Israel (Omar) about a scene and when I saw it I knew he was right and we did it again.
Have you always had a passion for filmmaking?
Cinemas have always been in my life, love, breakups, changing moments, eight hour marathons six feet from the screen, sooner or later I had to stumble upon a good film. One day a friends told me I had to see this, yes or yes. So we go to the movies. The tickets were sold out. Next movie; Wall-street, buy tickets and sneaked into Hate by Mathieu Kassovitz. Hate changed my life for cinema. It had left me thinking for a week, and I knew I wanted to do the same thing for the rest of my life. So I did some awful short film and I felt alive on the set. Club Internacional Aguerridos is our first film. Please watch it.
How different was your approach to making Club Internacional Aguerridos - C.I.A compared to your other films?
I left the bullshit behind. If I did not know I will always ask for help, and that was better than what I had thought. We also did a manifesto called Solemn of Production and stud by it.
Do you think filmmakers should continue to push the boundaries of the stories they want to tell?
I thing we should all break all the boundaries of the life we want.
Are there any other themes you're looking forward to exploring with future film?
Right now I am working on three different projects. One is about the Sons of Oligarchy and the abuse of power, black comedy with the same screenwriters; Lino “Papus” Von Saenger and Enrique Giner de Los Rios. Another one is called Strollers; a girl who goes looking for life and ends up dancing in death, and last but not least a screenplay about the femicides in Mexico. If any- one will like to support any please contact us by instagram (link in the header of this interview).
What tips or advice would you offer a fellow writer/director?
Don’t listen to me, write one hour a day. Listen to the people around you, make all the mistakes, fuck it up and be true to yourself.
And finally, what would you like audiences to take away from Club Internacional Aguerridos - C.I.A?
A rush of blood to the head.