We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mon Castro. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mon below.

Mon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I recently produced a short film that is very meaningful to me. It is a supernatural drama titled “Bajo La Tierra”. Besides it being my last AFI project, I connect quite deeply to it. In our story, a young pottery maker in 1845 goes to unhealthy measures to drown her grief with work.

I gotta admit I have trouble balancing my professional and personal lives, to the point where the line between the two is very blurry. I tend to give my everything to my work. It’s not even a question for me, I do it joyously. But it’s also true that I put myself last. Work is also my coping mechanism to any pain, I completely lose myself in it. Sometimes I even forget to eat.

I have spent less time with family and friends in order to pursue my dream. I wouldn’t change a thing and I’m really proud of where I’m at, but it doesn’t mean it’s always easy.

By producing this movie, I get to release a little bit of that pain and put it into the screen. It is definitely therapeutic. Making movies is an amazing way of using feelings to create art. Hopefully someone will be able to connect with it and feel seen, as I have.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a Mexican producer, director, and writer based in Los Angeles. I graduated from Centro de Diseño, Cine y Televisión with a degree in Film and Television, and I’m currently finishing my MFA in Producing at the American Film Institute Conservatory. I hold a special affinity for all things horror and camp. I am also interested in feminism, LGBTQIA+ stories, activism for animal rights, and history.

I am such a passionate person that it was easy for me to choose a career path. Even before realizing there was a word for it, I found myself producing the school plays. I just knew right away I want to be a producer.

The environments I started working in were always heavily male-dominated. I was the only woman in the production company I was an assistant for before moving to LA, and I often dealt with misogyny and microaggressions- it really wasn’t easy. My passion has been constantly looked down over the years. Specifically, I have heard multiple times how horror is “not for women”. I know this couldn’t be further from the truth, but it still surprises me how many people think this way. Women in the industry are constantly overlooked by their male coworkers and don’t get the credit they deserve. Being a producer, I want to fight to change that.
Looking up to other women in the industry has been key for me to keep being persistent and motivated.

Despite coming from a background more focused on physical production, during my time in AFI I’ve found that my real passion is developing. I love working closely with writers and being heavily involved in the creative decisions. My dream is to produce my own scripts as well. I am currently developing two feature films and a television series.

Doing activism through my work is extremely important to me. I am mostly interested in telling stories about women and the LGBTQIA+ community, which I’m part of. The topic that keeps coming back in most of projects is acceptance. I love movies about learning to love yourself exactly the way that you are, and being able to find a safe space where you belong. My goal is to become that safe space for queer and female filmmakers.

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

One of the reasons I love producing so much is seeing ideas materialize. Following a story from the very beginning of development to its final form is extremely rewarding. Every time a piece of the puzzle comes together, it’s a small win for everyone. It’s a lot of moving around, but there’s nothing better than seeing everything click and becoming something tangible.

Also, the possibility of my art having an impact on people means a lot to me. My projects have had positive reception overall. For example, I remember clearly how in a film festival last spring, a member of the audience stopped me on my way out to tell me how much my movie meant to her. Films have helped me feel seen, and I really want to create that feeling for someone else.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

There’s this judgment in society that some careers are “worth more” than others. Growing up knowing I wanted to be in the arts, people constantly looked down on me and told me I was “wasting my potential” for not choosing a career in STEM. I lost some friendships because of it. I really don’t get it. All careers should be treated with the same amount of respect. Arts serve a very important purpose in life. They connect, speak out, teach, entertain, nourish, create feelings, help us find community, and are one of the things that make us human. By removing judgment to the different lifestyles that artists often have, I’m sure that the amount of opportunities we have would open, and people would start seeing us as equal.

Contact Info:

• Website: mon-castro.com
• Instagram: @moncastrob
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/mon-castro-1896a3228
• Other: IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm12415460/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Image Credits
Angelica Rivera