SF IndieFest x Deville Featured on Mission Local

Brisbane-based filmmaker and musician Fēgo Navarro used similar means to fund and promote his IndieFest short, “Deville” (Feb. 6, 8:30 p.m. and Feb. 7, 1 p.m.). The throwback comedy-drama about SF gang life is based on Navarro’s youth in The Mission.

Navarro turned to his social-media following for funding and to procure music rights. (He personally sought out RBL Posse’s Black C for the use of their classic, “Don’t Give Me No Bammer Weed.”) 

For Navarro, the message is both personal and political.

“Understanding my history and where I come from is really important, it shapes how I see life here,” explains the Salvadoran-American director. “In ‘Deville,’ for a small portion of the film, I reflect on my dad fighting in a civil war and on my own experience trying to survive my environment.

“Like Nina Simone said, ‘An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.’ I want to shine a light on the struggles young people face in the inner city, and I hope the film reaches the people it’s meant to and sparks conversation.”