CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

CdM Filmmaker Founds Non-Profit Movie Company

Javier Reyna’s mother used to drag him to the movies back during his childhood in Mexico City. One afternoon, he suffered through a double feature of “Ben Hur” and “The Ten Commandments.” It was a long day — 432 minutes of history — but his mother loved movies, so he went along. He had no choice.

Then she took him to see “Jaws.”

“And with that,” he said, “I fell in love with motion pictures.”

Reyna is the founder of Filmworks Institute, a production company that funds independent films through donations.

But his desire to help nurture new projects by unknown talents grew out of those early days with his mother, when he was able to sneak into “Jaws” without having his i.d. checked. Soon after, he bought a cassette tape of John Williams’ soundtrack to the movie. Then he took adding machine paper and drew key scenes, threading them through a shoebox with a hole cut out to make a miniature theater.

Eventually, Reyna made his way to Hollywood.

“I learned English,” he said. “I worked at a gym.”

He thought he was too old for film school, but he began hanging around the American Film Institute campus, attending directors’ talks and programs and volunteering at workshops. Eventually, he reached out to James Honore, vice president of postproduction at Columbia Pictures/Sony entertainment.

“He was the only one willing to lend me a hand,” Reyna said. “He gave me advice, let me use equipment at Sony pictures. I learned a lot.”

He attended screenings, and he eventually became a production assistant, working on projects like Barbra Streisand’s “The Mirror Has Two Faces.” That work, he said, put food on his family’s table.

At the same time, he worked on his own projects. He tried filming a comedy — and quickly realized a good movie starts with a good script. Better films followed, including “Legwork,” which won an award at the 2003 Newport Beach Film Festival (the 2011 Film Festival is now underway) and a Platinum REMI award at the 36th annual WorldFest International Film Festival.

Reyna ended up in Corona del Mar. But other films he wanted to make seemed doomed. Twice, funding fell through for a movie he wants to make from a book, “Regionrat,” by author Richard Laskowski about growing up in the rough parts of Gary, Ind. The second time, he and the investor worked out the details over a snack at Rose Bakery and Cafe and while looking out at the ocean at Inspiration Point. They shook hands, but a few hours later the funder had a heart attack and died in his Marina del Rey hotel.

“It was so close,” he said. “That was the last nail in my coffin. I started to get a little depressed.”

But after some time, Reyna began to realize he wasn’t the only independent filmmaker with funding problems. So, what if he asked for donations? What if he set up a non-profit to fund his film, and others?

“All of a sudden, I could breathe,” he said. “What if we could make a film, what if people who loved art could make a donation to make films?”

The inspiration, he said, was attending an event at the Center For Living Peace, started by Kelly Smith, a Newport Beach philanthropist.

“They were just trying to do something good, regardless of the income, or politics,” he said. “That is when I thought I could create Filmworks. There had to be a better way to make films and not be miserable.”

In late 2010, he set up Filmworks Institute with the goal of making films that generate money to fund other struggling artists.

“Without investors, the process of making films would be more focused on the art, the creativity, and the story, and less about money and shareholders,” the Filmworks website states. All profits will be returned to the company to create more films, creating more opportunities for struggling artists, the site says.

Filmworks movies will focus on social injustice, with a portion of profits going to help charities, he said.

So far, using word of mouth and social media, Reyna’s project raised about $1,000. He’s hopeful that through lots of little donations, or maybe a few bigger ones, he’ll raise $250,000 to get started on the first project, the film “Regionrat.” “The Room Above” and “Stride” also are in the queue but would need bigger budgets, he said. Any profits, as well as future donations, will go back to making other films. Reyna also wants to create mentorship programs where students can work side by side with accomplished filmmakers.

“The truth is that we need an army of supporters who are willing to make a difference in the way films are funded,” he said. “There are lots of struggling filmmakers that have talent, but not all get an opportunity to prove it. We want to give them that opportunity. ”

For more information, or to make a contribution, visit the Filmworks Institute website.

Photo courtesy of Filmworks Institute.