PHILLIP RODRIGUEZ, PRODUCER / DIRECTOR

Phillip Rodriguez is from a generation of new content providers to PBS. A documentary filmmaker and a Los Angeles native, he is driven by a desire to chronicle and translate the dramatic cultural changes occurring in the western United States.

Rodriguez grew up in Los Angeles, while the city was still in the thick of its Anglo Century. He has witnessed the dramatic demographic and cultural change that his city has undergone in the past two decades. The Los Angeles of today is a brown city.

His latest film Los Angeles Now is a feature-length HiDef documentary that examines the implications of this city’s post-Anglo future. It includes conversations with major Los Angeles figures ranging from Salma Hayek and Eli Broad to Richard Rodriguez and Cardinal Roger Mahony.

Los Angeles Now is a rare, thoughtful and beautiful evocation of a city. Rodriguez set out to make a film that not only describes the city, but also replicates what the feels like the city.

Phillip Rodriguez with Phil Jackson

I want to keep the documentary alive for new generations of viewers. Today's audiences are increasingly aesthetically discriminating and visually insatiable. The socially critical documentary, on the other hand, has become a slave to journalistic conventions and a milquetoast aesthetic. Fortunately, the digital age has ushered in an era of great possibilities for the documentary. My work aspires to integrate these new technologies, changing demographics and new cultural configurations to help reinvigorate the form.

Phillip Rodriguez with Renán Almendárez "El Cucuy"

Rodriguez is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and has an M.A. in Latin American Studies and an M.F.A. in Film and Television from U.C.L.A. He also studied Art History and Spanish Literature at Universidad Cumplutense de Madrid. He is Senior Fellow for Documentary Filmmaking at the Institute for Justice and
Journalism at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication.

Rodriguez’ other documentaries include; Mixed Feelings: San Diego/Tijuana (2002), Pancho Villa & Other Stories (1998), and Manuel Ocampo: God is My Copilot (1990



CLAUDIO ROCHA, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Claudio Rocha is one of the most talented young cinematographers and animators working in independent cinema in the Americas.



He has photographed numerous award-winning American and Mexican films.
Mr. Rocha’s credits include:
The Maldonado Miracle, starring Salma Hayek. The Velocity of Gary, starring Salma Hayek. Skipped Parts, starring Drew Barrymore. Picture Bride starring Youki Kudoh. The Whole Wide World, starring Renee Zelwinger. Principio y Fin, Directed by Arturo Ripsten. Bajo California: Limite de Tiempo, Directed by Carlos Bolado. Ancient Cities of Mexico, a documentary series produced by C/Producciones in cooperation with the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

Rocha has also collaborated with Rodriguez on both Mixed Feelings: San Diego/Tijuana and Los Angeles Now as the Director of Photography and Cinematographer.