Run for the border

LEFT: My cousin, Shane, me and his girlfriend, Mira, at the after paty for his film.



Quesadilla.

Not only is it a delicious Tex-Mex dish, but also how a woman at the Tribeca Film Festival pronounced Quintanilla. But let me start at the beginning.

While visiting my family during South by Southwest we learned the documentary (The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez) my cousin co-produced would get it’s first American viewing at Tribeca . I was jazzed. I would get to see my cousin, Shane, his movie and what Tribeca Film Fest was all about.

[***WHAT THE FILM IS ABOUT*** Nearly ten years after the murder of 18-year-old American citizen Esequiel Hernández by a U.S. Marine team in Texas, the border continues to see increased militarization. Juxtaposing the grief of the victim's family with the Marines' frustration and guilt in their first on-screen interviews, this probing documentary, narrated by Tommy Lee Jones, asks: is history doomed to repeat itself?]

Las Friday I headed to the City. My Brooklyn friend attends with me, and we headed out at 7:30 p.m. to get to the 9 p.m. screening. We needed ample time for tickets and most importantly, a large bucket of buttered popcorn.

Upon reaching the theater we saw line -- not just one, not just two, but four -- one for each movie showing that night. But I was on the case – we already had tickets waiting for us at will call.

While in line we looked for my cousin but unbeknownst to me he was standing right in front of me. Not until I heard someone say, “Shane” from an escalator did I even recognize him.

Hey, the last time I saw him was almost four years ago. And now, looking less like a college student and more like Vincent Chase – head to toe black suit and three days of stubble – I didn’t even recognize him.

We said our hellos and headed to get our seats and popcorn. There were a fair amount of people, but soon enough it was packed -- a full house in fact.

The lights went dim, the movie started, and hour and a half later it closed with thunderous applause and a standing ovation.

This is where the quesadilla comes in.

After the film finished, the director, producer and my cousin (co-producer) stood at the front of the house for a Q&A session. People asked how it was developed, how they got Tommy Lee Jones to be the narrator, what the families thought.

Then it happened, the woman thanked the crowd and then said each persons name…. so and so, so and so and then Shane Slattery-Quesadilla.

I turned to my friend who looked at me mouth-hanging open, only able to mouth “quesadilla.” I don’t know if she was more shocked at the woman butchering our last name, or that the woman saying “quesadilla” didn’t even faze me.

Yes, I told here. I’ve been called quesadilla – my last name even ran like that in our college newspaper.

Quesadilla. Now, I know Quintanilla is a bit of a tongue twister for people, but quesadilla? Seriously?

Yet, to me none of that mattered, I was able to see my cousin’s film on opening night and attend the after party at a bar that served fondue. (Yummy, but slightly more messy than the popcorn.)

So to my cousin, congratulations! The Quesadilla family is proud of you!