November 16th, 2009 - “From Mexico with Love” has turned out to be a hit, but what was a bigger coup d’etat, is that it was filmed in San Antonio. This all came about thanks to Al Frakes, who learned it was originally going to be made in Louisiana.

“Never tell a fellow movie producer what you’re going to do because they might pull it right out from you because that’s exactly what I did,” Frakes told a recent gathering during a San Antonio Film Council at the San Francisco Steakhouse during October’s mixer. Standing by his side was also Jimmy Villarreal, a former actor and now Hollywood casting director. Incidentally Villarreal is also the son of Beatrice Villarreal, the sister of Jimmy González of Mazz fame.

It was also during this mixer that Villarreal announced he would be relocating his casting office to San Antonio when Frakes’ movie studio complex is completed. Piece by piece, everything came to cumulated and the entire project came to fruition when the movie premiere – featuring the presence of lead actor, Kuno Becker -- was held at the Palladium Theater.

Actors Amanda Rivas, Violet Saenz-Arocha, Danny De La Paz and Brandy López plus television personalities Rita Verreos of “Survivor Fiji,” Jorge Infante of “Hablando con Las Estrellas,” Jorge Lomeli of “Tu Estilo” and Carlos Villarreal of “Fama Internacional” and radio personality Jesse Lechuga walked the red carpet and stopped to pose for pictures with and for fans.

Of course the entire San Antonio Film Council gang and many Alamo City VIPs were on hand to celebrate the joyous occasion of their accomplishment. But rather then bore readers with a lengthy article, we’ll summary 8,000 words with eight photographs.

Ramón Hernández