We were lucky to catch up with Lily Marroquin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lily, thanks for joining us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

I’m from El Salvador and before I got into the Film and TV industry, I was a journalist. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever stop being one! But my time in that sector taught me that authenticity – being true to who you are – is what gets you far. It sounds cliché, but it’s true.

When I worked as a reporter and TV presenter at Campus TV, El Salvador’s local news station, there were many situations where sticking to my gut was the only thing that got me out of trouble.
On “dia del niño” (day of the child), I was supposed to put together a segment celebrating children. I realized that the best way of doing so was to make a montage where I contrasted happy kids with families to children with special needs, made orphaned by careless parents. I also showed other kids who had to skip school  in order to work to help their families financially.
In my experience, these kids are kind and innocent yet are forced into selling items on the street. Celebrating them felt like the least I could do.
My supervisor was not fully happy about the final result and tried to cut those “hard to swallow” parts in the segment. I did so anyway, and over the next few weeks, I watched as the social awareness of these kids snowballed, and nonprofits received more funding. Mission accomplished!

Later on, this mindset helped me survive a feature film that was being shot in “Community Colfer”, in the middle of mara (gang) territory. The producers chose that area as a filming location to make their movie as realistic as possible. The local marero’s clica had given us permission to shoot… but they added that we couldn’t tell the police anything or we would be killed.

Many members of the crew were understandably scared. I was too initially, but I found that if I just acted like my normal self and was frank with them, I’d avoid problems. For example, if a marero tried to peer pressure you into consuming illicit substances or doing something illegal with them, you could whimper out a “n-no…” and risk insulting them, you could agree and then they’ll know they can push you into doing more stuff. I opted for the option of telling them the truth: “I’m on the job, guys, thanks but I’ll have to pass.” They took no offense, were completely understanding.

Even today, whether I’m in charge of a production or doing the sound mixing, I make sure to be my usual fun self, and try to bring enthusiasm to the production. I’m happy to say this has resulted in returning clients and gigs.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a film director and have been working in the Film and TV industry in Los Angeles for over a decade, now!

I studied Documentary Filmmaking in Guatemala, Film Development in Panama and finally received my Masters in Filmmaking degree at the New York Film Academy.

At our core, all filmmakers are storytellers. In my case, as the director, I am hired by clients to bring my own style and creative vision to the table. I’m all about communication and working in synergy with all departments to make sure the project comes to life the way it needs to be.
I like telling stories where wild characters embark on awkward and funny adventures, facing the darker problems of society that are too big for anyone to face alone. 
My filmmaking style plays with close-up angles and constant camera movement through the use of dolly’s, SteadiCams, etc to help the audience connect with these characters, combined with my use of vibrant colors

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

While there’s been progress these last few years, I think more can be done to elevate the perception of the latino community. I’m so tired of actor friends of mine still only being offered the roles of “cholos” or “thugs”, or women only getting the “exotic party girl” or “cleaning lady” roles.

As a Mom, I think it’s important that our kids know they can be more than that. We have Latin-American politicians, now, astronauts, athletes… let’s see more of their stories.

I also want to address the stereotype of LGBTQIA+ members being perceived as “snowflake crybabies” by audiences, or framed as “that one hairdresser character” in media.
Most gay and non-binary friends of mine are badasses and I’d like to see characters who are more like -them-, rather than what cis writers -think- they’re like.

More importantly, I’d like to normalize the use of pronouns on set. I have a trans friend who, being an actor, kept being misgendered by the director. That affected their performance… and if you ask me, that’s basically sabotage, on the director’s part. Nobody should go through that, especially when they’re trying to bring their best to the role. As such, I do my best to ensure my sets are safe environments, in all senses of the word.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Two things:

Firstly, it’s the completion of a film. I’m on the verge of finishing the post-production of “Desaparecida,” my most recent short film. I can’t wait to start sending this film to festivals, later in the year, and reconnect with everyone who worked on the project so they can see the result of our hard work!

Secondly (and more importantly): teaching my son to be a creative too, and sharing my own filmmaking journey with him.

I was on set when I was pregnant, after he was born I’d work on set with him in my arms. He has a cameo in “Desaparecida.” Recently, for his birthday, I brought him to a screening of a short film I produced, “Parking Spot.” Seeing his reaction when he watched the credits, being on the red carpet with him… it was everything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lilymarroquin.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilymarroqueen
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-marroquin-scheib-87a338b1/
• Other: imdb.com/name/nm6265691/ https://vimeo.com/841392912

Image Credits
Yves Arispe – @gentlemanyves Naohmi Monroe – @amigastudio