As an immigrant, I've seen too many of our stories told in doom and gloom, even when they end well. We're goofy, we laugh, and we celebrate. So let us celebrate the trials and triumphs of immigrant women everywhere as they work to break language barriers and achieve the American dream.

After 20 years in the entertainment industry working as a professional actress, signs came and went that told me that I needed to get behind the camera. Pandemic hit, and the time had finally come where I had to face my fears of becoming a director.  I knew one thing for certain. It had to happen now, or it would never happen.

I knew another thing for certain. That I wanted this story to star my own mother.

 

Elena Espiro spent her adult life as a business woman and never saw herself as an actress.  I always suspected that the acting bug that I had must have come from my father.  I was wrong. (Though dad did an EXCELLENT job in this movie too! Love you dad!) Through a weird turn of events, my cousin convinced my mom to act in a small home video. I was shocked at what a natural she was!  Following an instinct, I signed her up for headshots, acting classes and my agent. She blossomed. She booked commercials left and right.  A brand new career in her 60's!

The pandemic forced me to think small, easy, local.  So I thought, wouldn't it be cute if my mom played a failed Avon Lady?  We could shoot it right here in my neighborhood. After telling her the idea, I learned that was exactly what she did when we came to this country from Chile. She actually WAS an Avon Lady. I eagerly listened to the funny stories of her trials. Of how terrifying it was to be an immigrant saleswoman in an American neighborhood. That, if it wasn't for a friendly stranger, she probably never would have succeeded.

Then I discovered that hers wasn't an uncommon story. Thousands upon thousands of immigrants came to this country and their first job was...Avon. Chances are you, or someone you know, also had a mom that sold direct-to-consumer products.

And so The Avon Lady was born, inspired from her and many other stories to celebrate with humor the trials and successes of reaching for that American dream. 

 

 

 

ROSA, a Chilean immigrant approaching 65, has just taken a new job as an Avon representative. After all, what better way to learn English than to join the beautiful, independent Avon Ladies she saw on tv back home?

Despite every effort, she struggles to communicate. The neighbors are less than friendly and she's ready to throw in the towel.

 

 

Dejected, and defeated, she knocks on one final door.  MATTY is eccentric, bubbly, and the embodiment of the perfect host. He welcomes her in and asks to hear her pitch. But it falls flat.

 

 

Rosa confides that she just has to accept that she can't do this without knowing English. Matty disagrees. She has everything she needs.

He tells her to smell one of the fragrances and think about how it makes her feel. Now, say the name with that feeling!

 

 

She tries "Titillating Ambrooooosia." She doesn't know what it means but it smells sexy. She takes a breath, and speaks the name with passion! Then another, and another. As her confidence grows, Rosa becomes animated, sensual... and very convincing. She's ready.

 

Main Characters

ROSA 60's (played by Elena Espiro):

Rosa is a Chilean woman recently immigrated to the U.S. She knows very little English but decides to take a job as an Avon Lady like the commercials she use to see as a child back home.

 

MATTY 30's (played by Michael Mullen)

An eccentric widower who is passionate about languages and inspires others with the confidence to communicate with more than just words.

COSME 70's (played by Jose Espiro)

Greek immigrant, works for his brother's plumbing company, was recently sent to go door to door to sell their services. Extremely unhappy with his job and is simply horrible at it.

 

 

 

We are Chilean, and even in our darkest moments, there is laughter, there is music and probably some type of refreshment. So it was important to me that this immigrant story took a different tone than most that I've seen in the past. Bright, colorful, stylized and FUNNY. 

 

 

To do this, I was told it was going to cost more.  Brightness requires excellent lighting and cameras. Music requires excellent sound. Colors require excellent set and costumes. Styling requires excellent talent.

If not, I was going to end up with a very different movie. 

So we went all in.

 

          

 

We had the impossible goal of shooting a stylized comedy that included animals, a dog chase, a first time child actor, first time senior actors, a first time director... all in two days.  Oh... did I mention it rained? 

But it was ok because we made sure we were surrounded by professionals to guide us on this journey. The team did not disappoint. The Cast did not disappoint. THE DOGS did not disappoint.  We were constantly amazed at how fast we were speeding through and how talented everyone was. This was going to be a great movie.  But the work doesn't end here.

 

 

 

The Avon Lady is about 70% finished and is searching for it's own friendly eccentrics to take us under their wing and help us get the funding to push us to the finish line.

Because of the uncontrollable weather, the rain and constantly moving clouds created a constant headache for our DP and sound team. Not to mention being ten minutes away from the Van Nuys airport. We had such an incredible cast and crew and so it's imperative to hire an equally incredible post-production team to help fix these production issues and bring their hard work to life in the best way possible. 

 

EDITORS   COLORISTS   SOUND ENGINEERS   COMPOSERS  

 

 

And theeeen...

When the film is finally polished and completed, we need to give her the best wings to fly. For what's the point of all that talent and all that effort if no one sees it?  And people need to see this. Funding will allow us to afford the high costs of Festival Season. We believe the film that this amazing team has created deserves all the recognition and accolades it can shoot for.  To do that we need to cover:

 

FESTIVAL FEES      PR SUPPLIES       SCREENINGS     TRAVEL EXPENSES

 

Stretch Goals

If we are so fortunate as to pass 100% in our fundraising, we are excited to implement a plan to get this story out beyond the United States by entering into International Festivals.  Our hope is to head back to Chile and hold a screening there where we may celebrate the successes with extended family and community who have never had the chance to visit beyond their own borders. I know our people would be proud and deserve to take part in what we've created.

 

 

 

 

What started out to be a fun way to test the waters of my new found directing career became a mission and a message. 

The Avon Lady isn't just an immigrant story.  It's a story about someone who has found the courage to step outside of the boundaries of their comfort, whether physically or mentally, in hopes of achieving a dream. For my mother, it was financial independence in a foreign land.  For me, it's to become a filmmaker.

 

 

My hope is that anyone who watches this will think,

"Hey, if this immigrant abuela can do this scary thing, so can I."

And if life has taught us anything, it's that there's always someone out there willing to help us on our way.  Maybe an eccentric stranger or two?  Inevitably, after we've achieved our goals, we are given the wonderful opportunity to become that helper for others.

Now the question is, how eccentric are you feeling?