Blind Brook alum to film family’s vintage love story
March 28, 2024 at 1:35 a.m.
Guillermo Prieto IV has watched a lot of movies in his 21 years of life. “I have seen too many,” he laughed. Using an app to keep track and review them, his list has hit 2,600 and is still climbing.
“During COVID, I would watch two films a day, it was probably unhealthy,” he said. “You can ask me about any film, and I’ve probably seen it.”
While the former Rye Brook resident has spent countless hours in front of the silver screen, he has more of an interest in making movies than watching them.
Prieto, a Blind Brook High School Class of ’20 graduate, has spent the last four years at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in film and television production.
His time at the school has allowed him to build a skillset that enables him to fall into any role necessary.
“I’ve been acting, producing and directing,” he said. “And on-set, I’ve been a sound mixer, a gaffer, assistant director and assistant camera operator.”
With multiple short films under his belt, he’s currently tackling his biggest project to date: his senior thesis. But before he can get the camera rolling, he asks for help from the community.
A story close to home
“It’s a period film based on how my grandparents met in the 1960s in Mexico and Boston,” Prieto explained of his aspiring movie “El Pumita,” which translates to “the little puma.” The piece will tell the story of Guillermo “Memo” Prieto II as he pursues a relationship with Concepcion “Conchita” Dominguez.
The title is also a reference to the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the school Memo played American football for. The school’s mascot, Goyo the puma, is widely recognized among the Mexican community, as it represents one of the most famous schools in the country.
Prieto is wearing multiple hats for the production. He’s writing, directing and starring as his own grandfather.
The announcement poster for “El Pumita,” a film Guillermo Prieto IV is writing, directing and starring in, which revolves around his grandparents’ love story.Courtesy of Guillermo Prieto IV
“The themes of the film that I’m trying to make are family, hope, love, faith and the power of determination to make dreams a reality,” Prieto said. In the movie, his grandfather moves to the U.S. and tries to win over Conchita’s strict father after leaving a bad first impression.
The film takes inspiration from a 30-minute interview Prieto had with his grandfather in 2023, though he had to take some creative liberties when looking to adapt the tale to the big screen. “In reality, my grandpa was not in university when (they met), but to make it feel like a college romance, we moved some things around,” he said. However, he intends to keep the language genuine—it will be in Spanish with English subtitles.
Prieto is looking to evoke movies from the 60s and 70s, though with elements from a more modern era.
“A lot of films made back then, compared to today, had longer shots with less cuts,” he said. “But there are some more intimate scenes that I’d much rather have intense cuts.” He views “El Pumita” as a combination between “The Graduate” and “Rudy.”
His goal is to create an emotional impact with viewers, something he believes has fallen out of fashion.
“When I watch a lot of films from today, I feel like my heartstrings weren’t pulled,” he said. “I don’t want to do that. I want people to remember how they felt watching my film.”
His focus on garnering audience reactions stems from the first time he was inspired to make films in 2015.
Origin of a filmmaker
Though currently living in Rye Brook, Prieto was born in Plano, Texas and spent some time in Monterrey, Mexico before settling in the Village with his parents in 2007 at the age of 5.
“It was tough for me,” he said. “I couldn’t really relate to people and the families here already knew each other. My parents couldn’t really connect with people at the time.”
Drawn to entertainment, Prieto originally aspired to be a cartoonist. “I used to create stories and universes as a kid,” he said. It wasn’t until he saw what films can incite in people during a screening of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” that he shifted his dream to filmmaking.
“I couldn’t care less about the film, but I was so blown away by all the reactions that the audience had in the theater,” he said. “People were applauding and cheering when certain characters appeared and yelling when some died. I want to make people feel this way using film.”
Prieto began acting during his time at Blind Brook High School in Drama Club productions such as “The Crucible” and “Grease.” Though he never scored a leading role, he looks back on his time there as a positive experience. “I’m close to people that I never would have gotten close to,” he said.
When he was 16, he embarked on his first film project as part of a school assignment for a forensics class.
“We were supposed to make a CSI episode in groups of two, but instead we just made one big group as a class,” he explained. He directed, shot, acted in and edited the 15-minute video. When it was screened for the class, it created exactly what Prieto’s been looking for.
“People reacted,” he exclaimed. “They laughed at the inside jokes and were emotional when a character died.” He caught the filmmaking bug and started his journey towards enrolling in film school at NYU.
Rye Brook in the spotlight
Prieto is currently in pre-production for “El Pumita,” which he plans on filming between Apr. 12 and 16. Though the film takes place in Mexico City and Boston, he plans to shoot it throughout New York, including in Rye Brook.
“I’m not going to fly everyone out (to Mexico and Boston),” he laughed. “Since a lot of it takes place indoors, we can shoot it here in Rye Brook.” He’s in the process of requesting permission from the Village to use the Rye Brook Athletic Fields for any football-related scenes. Prieto will also use the interior of his parents’ home on Tamarack Road. “I know it’s not Mexico City, but we’ll make it look great,” he said.
Crucially, he’s raising funds to pay for his movie shoot.
“We’re looking to raise $7,000,” he said. “We have a stretch goal of $10,000, but we need at least $7,000 to get it made.” Prieto has set up a website which allows people to donate money in exchange for incentives, such as an autographed script or producer credits.
“I want people to feel like they’re actually getting something out of this, aside from the film,” he said.
Anyone interested in donating to his project can do so at seedandspark.com/fund/el-pumita#story.
Prieto hopes filming in Rye Brook will inspire others to do so as well.
“I think Rye Brook is the hidden secret of New York,” he said. “A lot of filmmakers travel so far to shoot, but Rye Brook is so close to the City and nobody knows about it.”
Should everything go according to plan, “El Pumita” should be released to the public in September 2025, in time for his grandfather’s 88th birthday. “I’m so honored to be able to make this film while my grandparents are still with us,” he said. “It’s going to be amazing seeing their faces when they see it.”
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