Santo Domingo, DR
Born and raised in Santo Domingo, daughter of a woman from Higüey and a man from Franco, the actress, writer and director Gabriela Ortega is making her way into the great content industry in the United States directing the second season of the series “Lunchpad”, for the platform streaming Disney+.
Getting there was not by chance. Through her preparation, the young artist has been building the foundations of a promising career in film and television productions, both in front of and behind the camera.
From her school days, the young woman felt an inclination towards art. “The focus of the school was science and mathematics, things in which I did not shine (…), I was always as the creative of the promotion, I always had a call to the arts,” Ortega said with a laugh.
An important part of his acting training was in Dominican territory. She received improvisation and acting classes with Laura García Godoy and was one of the first graduates of Amaury Sánchez’s Academy of Artistic Training (AFA).
At the same time, he ventured into some small roles in the theater and in short films. Also, she wrote stories and poetry, a talent that he still enjoys exploiting.
Although he recognized that the world of acting and directing was not a profession that he took very seriously, Ortega explained during an interview with journalists from Listín Diario that as the years passed and he matured, he realized that this was his true passion and defined that he would like to dedicate himself to that career.
“When I saw that my interest was more mature, I was presented with the opportunity to study acting at the University of Southern California, thanks to a scholarship,” said the young woman.
On the verge of coming of age, he flew to Los Angeles, United States, and once there he began to study academically in the arts.
Ortega said that when she arrived at that university she was fascinated by its film school, which she described as “extremely prestigious.”
Some time later, he began to work in the film library of the house of studies, which, in addition to giving him the opportunity to access the great books of the seventh art, fed his curiosity and knowledge on the subject.
Training abroad was a challenge for her because she was the only Latina student in her group and she immediately realized that “there they have an idea of who you are, they label you and they underestimate you.” Knowing that reality was for her “a process to educate people regarding stereotypes (…) it was an educational journey in all senses.”
Your favorite themes
Gabriela described art as “a reflection of society”. Rooted in this thought, she expressed that she always tries to make her projects leave a message and present complicated and contradictory characters, in which it is easy for the public to scrutinize.
“I like to do things that reflect and question what is already established, I am very interested in the issue of adaptations, I would like to version Taino mythology in more modern stories,” he said.
The young filmmaker also has the dream of bringing to the big screen a story that deals in depth with the issue of migration and the implications that living in a country in which they were not born has for people.
For her, the Anglo-Saxon view of Latinos in film is still very black and white, and they want to “show the most colorful layers” of that group.
“I think that the Caribbean and Dominican culture in particular has a lot to offer, a lot to tell, and this is a great opportunity because more content is being made than ever,” Ortega explained.
Dominican cinema
The actress considered that the film industry in the Dominican Republic has all the resources to make great films, but “our stories have not yet been globalized.” However, she added that the country might take advantage of the rise of Caribbean and Dominican culture in international productions to position national ones.
“I am neither the first nor the last to say this, but Caribbean people are in fashion, when I arrived in the United States, people told me that Dominicans speak badly because we cut words and now they use our jargon (…) the truth is that we are in fashion, but we are not benefiting from it,” said Ortega.
The young woman confessed to this newspaper that in the future she wants to take her production house, “Jevita Films” to Dominican territory and thus be able to contribute her talent and skills to the Creole industry.
“I am making a space here, but I have always wanted to be a bridge between my country and this enormous North American industry, I want to take my production house to the DR,” he said.
through the big door
The big bet of her career came last year, when she received a call from the Disney + platform informing her that she had been selected as director of one of her series. The journey to get there was described by Gabriela as “a very crazy and fun experience”.
The young woman said that during the pandemic, she began to record things, to volunteer on many film sets and to prepare her own portfolio, with the help of her colleagues.
With that portfolio, Gabriela won the Rising Voices 2021 scholarship, a space that seeks film producers and directors in the United States but of other nationalities.
“From there I made the short film ‘Huella’, they gave me 100 thousand dollars to produce it, I had been doing things with practically no budget and I decided to get the best I might out of it,” he said.
This audiovisual project was presented at several festivals, including Sundance, where it won first place in its category, and was also the second Dominican to present a film at that event.
“That recognition helped me start applying for bigger projects and that’s how I found out regarding this Disney+ project,” he said.
Gabriela narrated that the platform was looking for directors from different backgrounds, once once more being the only Latina in the group. After several weeks of tests and interviews, finally, in November of last year, she was selected as the director of the miniseries “Lunchpad”.
The series began its pre-production stage in February 2022 and might premiere in the first quarter of next year. The Dominican will direct one of its six episodes.
Ortega announced that it will be available through Disney + so that his compatriots will be able to enjoy the series immediately it is released. “The script for the series was written by a Puerto Rican couple, it is a story that generated a lot of empathy in me, because it revolves around a Latin girl,” he said.
Regarding her experience in this new stage as a director, the filmmaker maintained that “this whole process has been impressive, when you work with people with your same spirit, things are super beautiful.”
multifaceted
When asked regarding which of his facets he enjoys the most, Ortega said that it depends on the project, although he confessed that although he has a very special connection when he acts, directing at this moment generates more adrenaline.
“When I am directing it is a moment of great solidarity with me and with others, it is telling the actors that you are there so that they can shine, it is a feeling that I cannot explain,” he said.
teachings
In her short but already promising career in art, Gabriela has learned that collaboration and humility among colleagues is very important.
“In this industry where there is a lot of ego, a lot of people who want to shine alone, I think we can’t believe we are better than the other because you will always be surrounded by people, you can’t underestimate anyone,” he said.
Advice
Finally, the Dominican recommended to young people who are currently in a position in which she was: dreaming without the opportunity.
“I think you have to be ready for the opportunity, so I would tell them to watch and study film, to study where the industry is going, to explore and do things with what they have,” he said.
At the same time, she stressed that to get to Disney she had to make more than five documentaries alone and without resources, using only her cell phone and one of those documentaries was “Papi”, which was acquired by HBO this year.
He also invited young people to do projects with themes that really matter to them. “People notice when you do things with love,” she added.
“If you find someone to share your passion with, you will always find a way to achieve it, if you surround yourself with the right people,” Gabriela pointed out.