Creating Queer Comfort Media with Luigi Gonzalez
Luigi Gonzalez
In this profile series, Revry is highlighting authentic contributors to the queer media and entertainment community. We ask questions to find out who they are and where they are going in the future. The questions remain the same but the answers tell their unique story. It’s time to explore and celebrate true representation beyond the limits of Hollywood.
Luigi Gonzalez (He/Him) is a screenwriter and filmmaker from the Philippines, currently based in Los Angeles, CA. He frequently collaborates with his straight best friend, director Gino Jose, and their short films have screened and won awards in film festivals all over the world. In 2015, Luigi’s most popular short film BASAAN won the Coup de coeur du jury prize at the Courts des îles Festival in Tahiti. In 2017, his short film WAIVERS won Best Storytelling at Festival Angaelica. His most recent short THE INTERVIEW is the first one he’s made since moving to America.
What are you best known for?
I'm best known for my short film BASAAN, about a closeted guy who learns self-acceptance at a Filipino fiesta. I made it with the intention of making something rewatchable, so gay Filipinos can have their own comfort viewing too. To this day, I am still feeling the love from people who felt seen by the short. There's even BASAAN fanfiction out there.
What is the first thing you worked on professionally?
The first thing I worked on professionally in America was an Asian-American food-and-travel show called FAMILY STYLE from Stage13, where I assisted the showrunners, Marie Jamora and Jason McLagan. It is shocking how much writing goes into making an unscripted show. I learned a lot and had a blast doing it. I even got to write one of the animated segments, "The Tale of the Donut King."
What are you working on that no one knows about yet?
I just finished writing my first feature, a Filipino-American gay romantic comedy. My best friend and creative partner Gino Jose is attached as director, with Marie Jamora and her production company, Indie Pop Films, as producers.