"Take Five" with Filmmaker Adri Méndez
- MZC TEAM
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
Welcome to Take Five! This new blog series is all about exploring the minds of creatives all across the film industry. We’re asking the same five thought-provoking questions to different professionals, uncovering their unique perspectives, inspirations, and guilty pleasures in film. To kick off the series, who better than our very own creative director, actress and filmmaker, Adri Mendez — Let’s dive in!
What’s a film (or performance) that changed the way you think about storytelling?
The most recent film that did this for me was Oppenheimer. My first try at scriptwriting was with my short film Not Just a Sister which is based on the Cuban Revolution and one of my struggles was that I didn’t want to appear as if I was sympathizing with the communism that this brought to the country. However, with Oppenheimer, I saw how one can tackle a delicate topic with respect and have the audience create their own interpretations of the story (such as with the hand that pushes Florence Pugh’s character into the bathtub and such). Nolan is obviously a master at these complex stories and I’m a huge fan of his work so I can be a bit biased when it comes to the impact that his films have on me.
Is there a film or project you worked on that you wish more people had seen?
I was the lead actress in an indie-action short film that was filmed in late 2023 where I got to put into practice all the stunt training I had done that year but to this day I don’t know what happened to that film, and I even want to see it myself, so I’ll keep you posted!
If you could swap roles with someone on set for a day, who would it be and why?
This is a tricky one because I love every aspect of filmmaking so much and wish I could do it all. However, last year when I was filming the show City of Blood I was always so amazed by the attention to detail that the set designers had and I know that if I ever had to pick something else than acting or directing it would be set design/art direction! I studied graphic design in university and have worked in that ever since as well so I think I have some transferable skills there that could help.
What’s your guilty pleasure movie or performance that you’ll defend to the grave?
There’s this 2004 movie called “Sleepover” with Alexa PenaVega and Jane Lynch. I watched it when I was like 6 or 7 years old and to this day I find it incredibly entertaining. The plot is so stupid and funny now that I watch it as an adult, the music choices are immaculate (Wannabe by the Spice Girls for example) and it made me think high school was going to be cool so I think it deserves it’s praise.
If someone made a biopic about you, what’s the one scene that absolutely has to be in it?
There are so many moments that I can think of! But I would say a biopic about me HAS to have the moment when I saw my short film “Not Just a Sister” at its premiere screening in Prague’s Kino Pilotu in July 2023. The excitement and nerves of seeing my ideas and creations come to life in front of an audience for the first time was very overwhelming and that was the moment that I said to myself “Oh my gosh, I am a filmmaker” and instantly changed my Instagram bio from "Actress" to "Actress and Filmmaker" 😂
That is it for the first edition of Take Five with Méndez Co. Productions! We hope you enjoyed it. It’s always fascinating to see how different creatives answer the same questions, and we can’t wait to bring you more insights, stories, and film-loving fun. Stay tuned for the next Take Five interview coming next week!
See more of Adri's work here:
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