From Family Lore To Film: Rick Perez On Border Stories, Bias, And Building Community

Send us Fan MailA child under the table, listening to elders swap stories about migrant camps and survival, grows up to ask a bigger question: who gets to author our history, and what shifts when we do? We sit down with documentary powerhouse Rick Perez to trace the thread from family lore to festival premieres, from Sundance boardrooms to borderlands studios, and from personal risk to collective visibility.Rick unpacks the two-track life of an independent filmmaker: the creative highs of works like Caesar’s Last Fast and the hard math of sustaining a career when streamers chase celebrity docutainment. From his time at Sundance and the International Documentary Association, he reveals how the language of “excellence” can hide systemic bias, and offers a vivid “second telescope” analogy that explains why stories told by queer, Latinx, and borderland filmmakers don’t repeat the canon—they correct it. We explore Borderland Cinematic Arts, founded by Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, and how its mission turns local experience into world-class storytelling.Then we dive into The Four Fs—fighting, fleeing, feeding, and sex—Rick’s new short that probes how primordial drives surface in the lives of gay men. It’s an idea-led film that refuses to sanitize sexuality or fear, inviting honest talk about shame, desire, and adaptation. Rick shares casting choices that center racial, generational, and class diversity, and sketches a bold plan to serialize the concept across communities, from lesbians and trans folks to fundamentalist Christians, mapping how fear shapes behavior and belief.Along the way, Rick credits Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos for giving him a family of choice and the confidence to merge identities that once felt separate. The takeaway is clear: representation isn’t a luxury—it’s the record that prevents erasure. If you value courageous documentary storytelling, hit play, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find it. Subscribe for future conversations at the intersection of queer life, Latinx culture, and the borderlands.Support the showWelcome to the RADIO QGLLU podcast, the show that TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT THE QUEER, GAY, AND LESBIAN LATINE COMMUNITY IS TALKING ABOUT. Radio GLLU began in 1986, and now in its continued iteration, features dynamic stories from California and beyond.  https://www.glluarchive.com/multimedia/radio-qgllu-podcast