‘Story Ave’ Premieres At SXSW; Luis Guzman Talks Being Deadset On Landing Role During Panel
Cast of ‘Story Ave’
STORY AVE
Section: Narrative Feature Competition
Director: Aristotle Torres
Screenwriter: Bonsu Thompson, Aristotle Torres
L to R: Luis Guzman, Kadir Grayson - ‘Story Ave’
Logline: Based on the life of Torres, Story Ave tells the story of South Bronx native Kadir Grayson (Blackk), a teen with artistic talent on the brink of finding and losing himself at once. Blinded by the grief of losing his younger brother, Kadir runs away from home. He escapes via the beautifully dark and dangerous world of graffiti. His graf gang Outside The Lines consists of street kids with minds as criminal as they are artistic. Desperate to join the gang, Kadir attempts to rob Luis (Guzman), an older Puerto Rican MTA conductor on the Story Ave subway platform. Luis offers him the cash he needs if Kadir agrees to have a meal with him. For the first time, Kadir entertains the possibility of his artistic talent being a conduit to a better life.
Sales Agent: WME / UTA / CAA
Panelists: Asante Blackk, Luis Guzmán, Melvin Gregg, and Coral Peña
Premiered: March 11, 2023
Key Quotes: Guzman: “It took a year and a half for me to get the script [for Story Ave]. I almost had to fire my agent and my manager because when I finally had it in my hands I told them, ‘I’m doing this.’ I fought tooth and nail which I didn’t have to do because I’m the boss.”
Torres: “It was an honor and humbling to make this movie, especially with [his fellow panelists]. They challenged me with the story in a way I had never thought of. And film is so collaborative but this was such a sacrifice and labor of love—a combination of limited resources and my high ambitions which made it a tough task but we did it. It feels so authentic and I’m so proud of how we all came together to make it.”
Gregg: “I feel like it’s important that these stories are told by us. They’re our stories and we understand them…Being in this community and growing up around these people, we understand the layers underneath that tough exterior.”
Torres: “I didn’t want to tell a Latin story; I didn’t want to tell a Black story; I didn’t want to tell a cool story. I wanted to tell an emotional story.”