Meet the creative team behind the award-winning El Paso screenplay El Pavo Bravo (The Brave Turkey), which is currently getting some Hollywood buzz.

Austin Savage
Austin Savage
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Tonight the El Paso community is invited to meet the local crew behind El Pavo Bravo (The Brave Turkey), an award-winning, bilingual dramedy feature film script co-written by Border Theatre ensemble Austin Savage and Roland Esparza.

Set in El Paso and Juarez, the script tells the story of passion, community, culture, loss, and hope centered around one man, a luchador who carries the legacy of his predecessors and who has aspirations of playing in a band.

Following the death of his best friend, the legendary luchador abandons wrestling before the biggest match of his career and takes up music in an effort to win back his long-lost love.

The film also includes a soundtrack featuring original music by local musicians such as Jim Ward (Sparta), Our Friend The Mountain, Emily Davis, Omar Cuellar, and artwork by local artist Wyndi Soto.

El Pavo Bravo
El Pavo Bravo
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The screenplay was submitted "for fun" to The Black List, an annual survey of the "most-liked" motion picture screenplays not yet produced, and it won.

Sponsored by Hornitos, El Pavo Bravo held on steady and won along with four other scripts, including submissions from New Orleans, Australia, and Los Angeles - taking home $15K each.

El Pavo Bravo
El Pavo Bravo
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Since then, Savage and Esparza have been swept up in a whirlwind of possibilities as the two El Pasoans are currently on the quest to film a proof of concept short of their screenplay next month.

The team is also fundraising to match their winnings to help with production costs. Once this short gets produced, it will hit the festival circuit along with a special screening hosted by Hornitos sometime this year, attracting even more Hollywood eyes and funds in the hopes of getting picked up for a full-length feature.

El Pavo Bravo
El Pavo Bravo
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El Pavo Bravo has been getting so much buzz that even the Sundance Institute Labs invited both Savage and Esparza to take part in its intensive residency program that pairs up-and-coming artists with experienced mentors.

To help elevate this project, the team behind El Pavo Bravo will be hosting a meet and greet/fundraiser mixer tonight. The evening will feature both Savage and Esparza, music by Omar Cuellar, some of the cast and crew, and even merchandise created to support the project by Mother of All Branding.

El Pavo Bravo
El Pavo Bravo
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If you cannot attend tonight, you can still help support this local project by making a tax-deductible donation HERE.

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