Photo courtesy of Hope Street Productions.

University of Arizona media arts teacher Pablo Toledo's new film, "Runnin' at Midnight," a movie about growing up in South Tucson, makes its debut tonight at the Screening Room.

Friday October 26, 2001

Tucson filmmaker debuts his first feature-length film

There is a Tucson that exists beyond the scope of the average university student. There is a Tucson without sorority girls or Saturday night beer bashes, where the greatest toil of one's existence doesn't have anything to do with midterms. There is a Tucson where basketball can save lives.

This is the Tucson that "Runnin' at Midnight" - a new feature-length independent film - brings to the big screen. The film, written and directed by University of Arizona media arts teacher Pablo Toledo, chronicles the lives of a midnight basketball league surviving the mean streets of South Tucson.

"A lot of college students come from out of state, and they stay in their own little area. They don't really ever make it past downtown," said Alexis Lavario, the film's lead actor. "This film can open their eyes to a Tucson that they didn't know. They maybe don't know that there's a kid going hungry out there with a mom out on the streets selling herself to get by. This can bring the realization that this really does happen."

The film is the first feature-length film produced by Hope Street Productions, a Tucson-based production company dedicated to representing members of the community who it feels have been misrepresented.

"It's independent film in its most raw form. We weren't funded or sponsored by anyone," said Larry Toledo, the film's producer and director Pablo's father. "The film is an extension of life experiences, an extension of life as we've lived it. This is a life that was passed down to us by our ancestors and that we will pass down to our children."

Larry Toledo recommends that every university student see the film.

"It's uplifting, but at the same time identifies the struggles of youth," he said. "The movie can help people understand what young people face. Everyone in the theater will leave deeply moved."

Manny Vidal, who plays Brandon, an all-city basketball star and struggling youth, was offered an audition after Pablo Toledo saw him playing basketball outside a local high school.

"Making the movie was fun, but I also kind of related. I use basketball as a way to get away," said Vidal, whose time on the set has shifted his outlook. "I used to think that time would prevail. Now I think you have to capture the moment - opportunity won't just be handed to you."

Every once in a while, you hear about an actor who was changed by shooting a movie. Vidal learned to seize the day; Lavario joined the Marines.

"I'm pulled in different directions everyday, by the media, by my friends, by my family," Lavario said. "The movie helped me focus. I didn't want to end up like my character. It's not like I ever wanted to be a bum or anything, but making the movie helped me figure out what I wanted. I saw the Marines as a stepping stone, something that might help me get where I wanted."

Both boys are on the brink of college. Lavario said he hopes to pursue a career in movies; Vidal said he hopes to complete a major in psychology.

The movie runs tonight through Nov. 4 at the Screening Room, 127 E. Congress. Call 622-2262 for more information.