I had the pleasure of speaking with Leticia Tonos, an award-winning film director, writer, and producer. A native from the Dominican Republic, Leticia recently directed and produced a film, “Mis 500 Loco – A State of Madness”, which takes place in the Dominican Republic in the 1950’s. In it, we see the lives of patients in a psychiatric hospital.
Your film ‘Mis 500 Loco – A State of Madness’ is based on a true story and is set within a psychiatric hospital. Why did you want to tell this story?
Leticia explained to us that the reason she wanted to tell this story because in our society mental illness still carries such a big stigma, and to be able to tell a story about the struggles these types of people have, while also tying it in during a period of time of dictatorship where paranoia was running rapid posed the question were the patients crazy or had the world gone crazy.
They say art imitates reality, do you see any similarities between the storyline from your film and the current state of our society?
Leticia believes her film does imitate reality and shows some similarities in the sense that the hospital reflects the madness and prejudices that was faced back then during that time and even what we face now, like sexual orientation, nationality, and so much more.
The film is set in the Caribbean during Trujillo’s dictatorship, what is poignant about that time period and do you think much has changed since then as it pertains to mental illness?
Unfortunately, Leticia says, a lot of the stigma still persists. She shared that many families struggling with mental illness are often cast aside. She says many countries don’t understand that there is no health without mental health and that not enough resources are provided to better improve the conditions of many people’s mental health.
Have you always known you wanted to tell stories through film?
Directing and producing films wasn’t always something Leticia knew she wanted to do. She told me that back in her home at the University there wasn’t really film studies in the Dominican Republic. She said she studied advertising and social communication and that it was in London that she found her passion for film and began diving into the art and creating.
You take a lot of pride in being from the Dominican Republic, with most of your films being set there and telling stories that resonate with the people in your country. Why is that important for you to create films that highlight and place a spotlight on DR?
Growing up, Leticia shared that she’d always see films that told stories about her home, but that they didn’t often get it or portray things in the way she was used to seeing or experiencing it. She said it’s very difficult, all matters regarding Caribbean identity, are always challenging, because they’re used to being isolated. She says she feels it’s important to include that element to boost the self-esteem of Caribbean and Latin people, and as a woman director in general.
What is your creative process like, especially now that we’re in the midst of a pandemic? Has that affected the way you create and make films?
The pandemic has impacted her filming process, Leticia says, because there’s an uneasiness in knowing where the content will be shown or how the pandemic will affect the distribution of her content. She says its unknown how the monster of distribution will mutate now or if it will stay the same.
What are your goals for this year and what do you hope to accomplish?
Leticia says she hopes her films can find more niche and alternative ways of being accepted. She says pandemic will have an impact on how her films can be seen, but that she hopes she gains her spot.
I urge you to do your research on Leticia and check out some of her work. As a Black woman of mixed race, it was so insightful learning of the challenges being faced in other parts of the world and seeing a woman in a position of power perfecting her craft and telling stories in such a creative way, was inspiring! You can find Leticia on Instagram @letytonos and be sure to check out ‘Mis 500 Locos – A State of Madness’.
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