SXSW 2024: Sal Velez Jr and Larry Krask Talk Blue Collar Filmmaking In Hollywood With Switch Up
Switch Up is not just another rom-com.
When a man’s world gets turned upside down, he finds himself stranded at a homeless shelter where he unexpectedly meets a young widow. He begins to fall in love and soon understands the importance of helping others and how that may be the true path to finding happiness. Pop Culture Planet’s Danielle Forte sat down with the executive producers and actors Sal Velez Jr and Larry Krask at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, where Switch Up made its world premiere.
Switch Up was filmed in a small town most other filmmakers wouldn’t think twice about, but it’s Velez’s love and respect for all communities that drives him to utilize his platform to inspire and uplift others, even behind-the-scenes. “Brownsville is a small, little border town in Texas that not a lot of people even know about. These border towns are what is on your news, where all the people cross over,” Velez told me. He expressed that the location itself was extremely important to him when deciding to partake in the film. “It’s the perfect setting and the perfect time to talk about something that’s a very sensitive subject in the country right now. And there’s no better way than to grab a camera, build a story around it, and really show people what’s going on.”
“The way we view this industry, it’s very blue collar,” Velez said, with Krask echoing his statement that it’s their very upbringing that gives them an appreciation of filmmaking not many in the industry hold. “It’s not the Hollywood version of making movies. We try to find stories really worth telling and try to find scripts audiences would want to watch.”
While Velez and Krask’s efforts off screen were salient, it didn’t stop there. Switch Up’s cast and crew embody diversity, with the film’s protagonists being the remarkable Julieth Restrepo, who made waves with her role in the recent breathtaking Netflix series Griselda, and Cristián de la Fuente. Even more so, the film highlights challenges homeless individuals face as well as forgotten veterans and families escaping danger.
Switch Up has yet to set an official release date, but you can stay up to date on the film on their Instagram page.
