Garza: Why the South Texas International Film Festival is important to Edinburg

EDINBURG, Texas - Edinburg is one of 160-plus cities in Texas that have been certified as a Film Friendly community by the Texas Film Commission.Each year, the City of Edinburg hosts the South Texas International Film Festival. The ninth such festival has just ended and to find out how it went Ron Whitlock Reports sought out Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza on its last night. In the audio interview, Garcia said STIFF was very important to Edinburg. “Number one, it brings people to our city but number two, it promotes the film industry. We have a lot of talent down here,” Garza said. By way of example, Garza citied actor and producer Valente Rodriguez, who hails from the Edcouch-Elsa area. Garza said when Rodriguez started out there nothing like STIFF to help him break into the film industry.“You almost needed to leave and go to Hollywood. You don't need to do that. You can come here. There's a lot of actors that are here, filmmakers, producers. We're screening independent films. We have a competition for young people that want to do short films. And we're having them screen and we're giving them some awards, tonight. So it's important. It helps bring people to our city and it helps promote the film industry.”Garza added: “It is still tough, but one thing that I've learned in hearing a lot of the actors talk about their background, is that, at the end of the day, it takes hard work, a lot of commitment, a lot of dedication. It is not, come to this film festival here in Edinburg and you can become an actor. There's a lot involved. This (festival) helps people get exposed to things. You’re able to talk to people that are in the industry, and you can learn a lot from them.”Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.