‘Los Frikis’: How the Directors of ‘Peanut Butter Falcon’ Brought One of Cuba’s Strangest Stories to Screen With Help From Lord & Miller
variety.comAndrés Buenahora It all started in Havana. For filmmakers Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson — the directorial duo behind 2019’s Shia LaBeouf-starring underdog hit “The Peanut Butter Falcon” — their next project came through word of mouth.
Schwartz says his and Nilson’s interest in telling the story of “Los Frikis” originated long before “The Peanut Butter Falcon” had even been released.
He recalls meeting a group of Cubans in the country’s capital and falling in love with the Latin American spirit. It was through these friendships with actors and artists in the Cuban community, Schwartz says, that he and Nilson learned the true story of “Los Frikis” — a group of impoverished punk rockers in 1990s Cuba who intentionally injected themselves with HIV as a means of securing food, shelter and freedom in a government-run sanatorium.
Despite his desire to bring Latin American stories across the border, Schwartz wasn’t sure a Spanish-language film could be financed and produced by a U.S.
Read more on variety.com
