Behind the camera: A filmmaker’s journey
- La Voz Latina
- May 9
- 2 min read
Escrito por: Dulce Ortiz 🇬🇹
Whenever the latest film comes to theaters, Mark Aguilar is the first to talk about it through his detailed film reviews. He has discovered new perspectives on the world by pursuing his love of media studies and film into a career.
Aguilar creció en el condado de Prince George's con sus padres salvadoreños. His high school wasn’t known for having many students pursue higher education, so Aguilar was not sure he would even make it to college. Because of his high GPA, a counselor encouraged him to apply to UMD, where he was ultimately accepted into the C.D. Mote, Jr. Incentive Awards Program and the College Park Scholars Arts Program.
En su tiempo, escribió para La Voz Latina sobre temas de fútbol, lucha, y la industria cinematográfica.
Through the scholars program, he was given the opportunity to create and present a short documentary film titled “Mind Body Spectrum," que explora cómo la salud física y mental afecta a los estudiantes universitarios.
“It was definitely my proudest moment ever. Like getting to show my own little film in front of 50 people,” said Aguilar.
Though pursuing his passion, Aguilar has often felt guilty about his major. Creyendo que sus padres son las personas más trabajadoras que conoce, a veces duda que su trabajo alcance ese mismo nivel de orgullo. Su mamá limpia casas y previamente trabajó como custodia en el museo del Holocausto en Washington D.C., mientras que su papá trabaja en construcción.
Understanding their labor through his own experiences of working a janitorial job throughout high school or going to work with them when he was younger, he would often ask himself, “Am I working hard?”.
Reassuringly, he has been shown nothing but love and support during his journey, something he will always be thankful for.
“I feel proud of how my parents talk to their friends or relatives about how I'm in college. They think I do rocket science over here, but I'm not. I'm writing about movies half the time. But they're proud,” Aguilar said. “That makes me happy to be able to make them proud and happy, and hopefully I'm able to continue doing that as an adult.”
During his third year, he studied abroad in Copenhagen—something he, as a first-generation student, could only dream of doing. Despite being out of his comfort zone, he has since tried to push himself further.
“Every time I’ve had a good memory and a memorable memory, it’s because I did something that I was uncomfortable with doing,” he said.
Despite the complexities that come with finding career opportunities in his field, he hopes to work in media after graduating. También desea viajar internacionalmente y potencialmente obtener una maestría en estudios cinematográficos en una universidad europea.
“I'm not scared of graduating with a film degree. I feel like I'll get on my feet—I always do,” he said.
“Sabemos que vas a lograr tus sueños.” - Aguilar’s parents