Original Video Series ‘L.A. Times F.A.M.’ to Create Ultimate City Block Party
First episode of new web series created by arts collective Poetic, produced by L.A. Times Studios and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Carlos López Estrada is out today
The Los Angeles Times today announced a new episodic video series, “Los Angeles Times F.A.M.,” produced by L.A. Times Studios, created by the arts collective Poetic and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Carlos López Estrada.
Each episode of “F.A.M.” will take viewers to a different area of Los Angeles to explore food, art and music that is inspired by the community and represents the identity of that particular place.
“We created ‘F.A.M.’ to celebrate the beauty and diversity of our city,” explains López Estrada, who is also a co-founder of Poetic, in the director’s statement for the project. “‘F.A.M.’ is a block party of flavors, sounds and images from every culture here. Restaurants seasoning with the spirit of their ancestors, poets reciting stories that echo through you like a concrete river, and backyard concerts turning celebrated musicians into homies.”
The first episode of “L.A. Times F.A.M.,” released today, takes on Highland Park. The 10-minute video focuses in on the popular York Boulevard pop-up Villa’s Tacos, where the guac is never extra, as owner Victor Villa welcomes viewers and introduces a performance of “Indica” from Alaina Castillo and her band. The next segment provides a window into the history and foodways of Latino people in this community, represented by Villa’s Tacos, followed by a spoken word performance of the poem “Ingenue” by Highland Park’s own Paolina Acuña-Gonzalez, who also provides narration for the episode.
“We’re incredibly excited to be working with Carlos López Estrada and Poetic,” said Shani O. Hilton, L.A. Times managing editor for new initiatives and senior vice president of L.A. Times Studios. “‘F.A.M.’ is a new way for people to see themselves in L.A., experiencing food, culture and stunning musicians and poets. When we learned about how the film ‘Summertime’ was inspired by the late food critic Jonathan Gold’s restaurant-by-restaurant exploration of Pico Boulevard, we knew that teaming up with Carlos and Poetic would lead to something special we could offer to the community.”
Future episodes of “F.A.M.” will feature local businesses serving up Indonesian street food in Palms, Yucatán-style seafood in South L.A. and wholesome health food in View Park-Windsor Hills, along with performances from artists whose work is connected to those communities.
“Los Angeles Times F.A.M.” is a production of L.A. Times Studios created by Poetic and directed by Carlos López Estrada. To learn more, visit latimes.com/fam and watch the series on the L.A. Times YouTube channel.
