Moctesuma Esparza facts for kids

Moctesuma Esparza (born March 12, 1949) is an American producer, a leader in the entertainment world, an entrepreneur (someone who starts businesses), and a community activist (someone who works to improve their community). He is the main boss of Maya Cinemas, a chain of movie theaters that serves Latino audiences in the United States. He also works with Carolyn Caldera in a company called Esparza/Caldera Entertainment. In 2007, he started his own film company, Maya Entertainment, which makes and distributes movies.

Moctesuma Esparza is known for promoting movies about Latino culture, especially those focusing on Chicano themes. Chicano refers to people of Mexican descent living in the United States. He has produced over twenty films, including many for television, and has won more than 200 awards for his work.

He was part of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, which fought for equality for Mexican Americans. Today, he continues to work with groups that help educate Latinos about how to work in media production.

Early Life and Education

Moctesuma Esparza was born and grew up in East Los Angeles, California. His father came to the United States in 1918, escaping the Mexican Revolution. His father taught him a strong sense of social justice, which means fairness for everyone. As a child, Moctesuma loved watching Spanish-language films in Los Angeles. In high school, he studied theater, acted, played the saxophone, and enjoyed movies.

He went to the School of Theater, Film and Television at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He earned his bachelor's degree in 1971 and his master's degree in 1973. During his second year at UCLA, Moctesuma created a special program for film students. He wrote the plan and designed the classes. This led to the first multicultural film program in the United States, and he was one of its first students!

In the 1960s, he joined the Chicano Movement. This movement worked for the civil rights of Mexican Americans. He helped organize the 1968 Chicano Blowouts. These were protests led by young people, inspired by teacher Sal Castro. Mexican-American students demanded better education. Moctesuma's job was to talk to the press, which made him interested in media. His 2006 HBO film Walkout tells the story of these protests.

A Career in Film and TV

Starting in Media

Moctesuma Esparza's first film projects helped the Chicano Movement. He filmed a speech by Reies Tijerina at UCLA. He also filmed the 1970 Chicano Moratorium, a protest against the Vietnam War. This footage became his first documentary, Requiem 29. He also helped organize student conferences and a committee that looked at how media affected minority communities. They encouraged people from these communities to go to film school.

Becoming a Producer

After finishing UCLA, Moctesuma worked for the children's TV show Sesame Street. He helped create parts of the show that were in two languages. Soon after, he produced the first episode and the first season of the PBS show Villa Alegre. This show won many awards. He also worked as a producer and writer for NBC in Los Angeles, making documentaries.

After Villa Alegre was a success, Moctesuma became an independent producer, making his own documentaries. He also filmed a show by the comedy group Culture Clash, called A Bowl of Beings. His big break in Hollywood cinema was the movie The Milagro Beanfield War. He was a partner at Esparza-Katz Productions. There, he also helped produce famous movies like Selena and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.

Maya Cinemas: Building Movie Theaters

In 2005, Moctesuma Esparza opened the first Maya Cinemas theater. It was a large movie theater with 14 screens in Salinas, California. Since then, he has opened 16 more theaters in California. He also plans to open 26 more in Texas. Maya Cinemas mostly shows new Hollywood movies. Sometimes, these movies have subtitles in Spanish. They also show foreign and independent films. The snack bars in Maya Cinemas have Mayan designs, reminding Moctesuma of the Los Angeles theaters he loved as a child.

In 2007, Moctesuma left the board of trustees for the California State University system. He had planned to open a Maya Cinemas theater at a university project. Another landowner who also wanted to open a cinema said that Moctesuma had a "conflict of interest" because he was on the board and developing a project. Even though the university said there was no conflict, Moctesuma resigned. He said he did it out of "respect" to avoid even the appearance of a conflict.

Awards and Recognition

Moctesuma Esparza has won over 200 awards and honors. These include an Emmy Award, a Clio Award, an ALMA Award, and a CINE Golden Eagle Award. He has also been nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) and a Golden Globe. In 1994, he received the Professional Achievement Award from the UCLA Alumni Association. In 2008, The Imagen Foundation named Moctesuma one of the 50 "Most Powerful and Influential Latinos."

Filmography

• Taco Shop (2012) (executive producer)
• Mosquita y Mari (2011) (executive producer)
• Without Men (2011) (executive producer)
• Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright (2010) (executive producer)
• Harlem Hostel (2010) (executive producer)
• One Hot Summer (2009) (made for television) (executive producer)
• Moe (2008) (executive producer)
• The Startup (2007) (executive producer)
• Walkout (2006) (HBO)
• Gods and Generals (2003) (executive)
• Price of Glory (2000)
• Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) (executive, made for television)
• Selma, Lord, Selma (1999) (executive, made for television)
• Butter (1998) (executive, released on video as Never 2 Big)
• Rough Riders (1997) (TV) (executive)
• The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca (1997)
• Selena (1997)
• The Avenging Angel (1995) (made for television)
• The Cisco Kid (1994) (TV) (executive)
• Gettysburg (1993)
• The Ambulance (1990)
• The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)
• The Telephone (1988)
• Radioactive Dreams (1985)
• The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) (made for television)
• Agueda Martinez: Our People, Our Country (1977) (producer)
• Only Once in a Lifetime (1979)
• Villa Alegre (1973) (producer- season 1)
• Selena: The Series (2020) (producer)