Meet Roberto Martell III | Writer & Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Roberto Martell III and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Roberto, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
By the end of my career I would like to be a Writer/Director for my own feature length films. I never want to stick to one genre or style. I want to constantly evolve with each film I make and use a little of each genre in every film. I will use my films to tell latino stories in new and excitinf ways.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve worked all sort of jobs from being an Art Lead for The Amazing Race 33 to working as a Post Production Coordinator on HBO and A24’s The Idol. As an aspiring writer/director in feature films there’s no clear path for me. So, my career has been a lot of investing in myself. I completely fund all my short films and just took on the challenge of making my own feature. I knew it would be a lot to take on making my first independent feature, The House of The Lord (found on the Obelus Films youtube page). But, I would do it all a thousands time over.

Also, I have a deep appreciation and love for the history of cinema. While most filmmakers are only influenced by films from today, I look back to the late 1960s and 1970s for most of my inspiration. The New Hollywood Era of cinema is the most wild and free in the ways they displayed character and experiemented with the medium. Several films from the era were key inspiration for this film: Five Easy Pieces, Wise Blood, A Boy and His Dog, and Easy Rider. That isn’t to say I’m only inspired by this era/country, some contemporary and foreign influences include: The Pleasures of Being Robbed, The Milky Way, The House that Jack Built, Aguirre The Wrath of God, and Twin Peaks: The Return.

I want the community to know that I’m not gonna stop making films ever. I’m already working on the script for my next feature project and I hope to find an investor to help get it off the ground. But even if I don’t find someone to support my vision, I will find a way to make the next film. Anyone who cares should tune into my YouTube channel (Obelus Films). Here I look to release a short a month in order to hone in my skills as an artist and continue to grow my following.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well I would give my friend the heads up that they are leaving the trip with an extra ten pounds cause we’re gonna do lots of eating. First thing we’re doing is going to Calle Ocho, grabbing a slab of authentic Cuban bread, a cortadito, and chilling in little havana, people watching. Then we’ll eat El Rey De Las Fritas, La Carreta, Versailles, and Flanigans. We’ll hit the secluded Virgina Key beach, we’ll venture out into The Everglades, and we’ll do my favorite past time… Watch a shit load of movies.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would never have been able to complete my first feature length film without the help of my talented friends. Most of my friends that worked on this project are actually musicians! My assistant director/Producer Max Harrison leads a psychedelic rock band called The Wax Worms. They often play show throughout Miami, Florida so give them a follow @thewaxworms. My composers are wild musicians of their own Ryan Garcia (@starrg.crazy) and Chris Hurst (@432hurst). The film would literally be nothing without their perfect score. They also make their own music that can be found on Spotify. My girlfriend Daniela Bond is the master editor of this film and was able to capture the New Hollywood vibe I was seeking. She is one of this year’s American Cinema Editor’s Interns and currently works as Assistant Editor in Los Angeles. And finally, my cinematographer Lincoln Rodon was an absolute beast throughout the process. He stuck with me through rainy days, hot weather, and wild boars. Yes…. Wild Boars.

Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEONfwsDxvOqf5DEgXal0CA

Instagram: @obelusfilms

Youtube: https://youtu.be/TPlhbkuiHgQ

Other: My personal instagram is: @ticoiii

Image Credits
My personal photo was taken by Bruno Zayas (instagram: @brunozphoto). The other photos are stills from my film shot by Lincoln Rodon (instagram: @lincolnrodon)