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<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u201c\u00a1Come!\u201d (“Eat!”) was written by Pamela Rodriguez, a 2015 graduate of Harrison School for the Arts<\/a>. It was partly filmed at North Lakeland Elementary<\/a>, where Rodriguez attended school as a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to its official summary, the 12-minute film is about a young Puerto Rican girl whose \u201cperspective changes when she brings a popular dessert dish, arroz con leche (Mexican rice pudding), to a Thanksgiving event at her school and no one eats it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rodriguez, 24, wrote the screenplay for \u201c\u00a1Come!\u201d for a film class project during her last semester at Florida Southern College, where she graduated in 2018. Her professor, Matthew Herbertz, saw potential in the script and used his film industry knowledge and connections to get it produced (he also served as the director of photography).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rodriguez didn\u2019t quite expect to have a part in the movie business. She attended Harrison for its musical theatre program, majored in advertising and public relations at FSC, and currently works as a marketing coordinator for Chastain-Skillman, the Lakeland-based engineering firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u00a1Come!\u201d was inspired by her childhood as a Puerto Rico native growing up in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is founded upon a lot of the feelings I felt \u2026 of being different, culturally different,\u201d Rodriguez says. \u201cAt North Lakeland Elementary, I remember a few of my teachers being really influential with my coming-of-age experiences as far as embracing my cultural differences. I feel very fortunate to have had the relationships I did with my teachers, just because they really helped affirm me and my confidence in myself, expressing who I was as a person despite feeling self-conscious at times about my cultural differences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because of COVID-19, Rodriguez unfortunately didn\u2019t have much opportunity to travel and promote \u201c\u00a1Come!\u201d on the film festival circuit last year. She also isn\u2019t sure how the film made its way to HBO Max, but says she is grateful for the experience and is hopeful that it might lead to other opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRealistically, my involvement with this has been writing it and riding the wave,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cI don\u2019t take it for granted \u2026 it was such a great experience working with (the crew). It\u2019s definitely brought out a love for storytelling and writing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always really loved movies, so being part of it from this side has been cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
*\u201c\u00a1Come!\u201d is available to stream for HBO Max subscribers. The Ledger also wrote about the project in 2019: https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/fherv43w<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n