Lou Zaldivar

Lou Zaldivar, co-founder of Winter Tree Pictures, was born in Texas of a Guatemalan mother and a Honduran father, however he didn't stay in Texas. He's lived in more unique and culturally diverse places than most people get to visit in a lifetime. He has lived in the sunshine state of Florida and then all the way across the country in Orange County, California. He lived abroad in his mother's home country of Guatemala and soaked in the rich culture of Mayans and Central America. He eventually found his way back to Orlando, Florida (the place he considers home) where he spent his high school years and became a man. He currently resides in the Garden State of New Jersey just a short train ride from New York City.

Lou loved the horror genre growing up. His favorite being slasher films. He is quoted as saying "I saw Child's Play when I was 3 and it scared the shit out of me, but I loved it. I grew out of the horror phase when I was about 10 and just started liking movies in general." He didn't know that film making would be his calling until he was in the 9th grade and a friend of his invited him to be part of a TV Production class project. 

"I loved the process, behind and in front of the camera. I took TV Production my last 2 years in high school and I was involved in numerous school videos and shorts, in front and behind the camera. After that I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life... tell stories through a camera."

After High School, Lou really got into the independent film scene, which to him was much more true to his life and experiences than what you would find in the mainstream cinema. He was impressed by the unfiltered view of life you get and liked that traditional rules were tossed out of the window with greater freedoms allowed to the artist. This scene perfectly lined up with his own visions and style. Lou heavily draws off of real people and real things that have happened to him in his art.

"I love the balance between drama and comedy. I come from a very funny family and I grew up laughing but when it was time to be serious, my parents always were. You can't have one without the other. You can't just cry all the time and you can't just laugh all the time, you gotta do a little bit of both. That's pretty much what my parents taught me and that's what I apply to my stories."

After a few semesters in community college, Lou decided that he wasn't getting the education he was looking for so he moved North and attended the famed New York Film Academy.  He has written and directed two short pieces ("Rubberless" and "Eleanor Rigby") thus far and starred in "Rubberless".

Produced Credits:

"Cold War" (2010) - Executive Producer

"Rubberless" (2009) - Director, Writer, Actor, Executive Producer

"Eleanor Rigby" (2009) - Director, Writer

Top Ten Lists (movies with re-watch value):

1. The Departed
2. The Dark Knight
3. The 40 Year Old Virgin
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
5. The Hangover
6. Friday
7. Halloween (Carpenter)
8. The Wrestler
9. Forrest Gump
10. Bad Boys