Josefina Lopez
Encyclopedia
Josefina Lopez is a Chicana playwright
, perhaps best known as the author of the play (and co-author of the screenplay) Real Women Have Curves
.
, Mexico
, and at age five emigrated with her family to the United States, where they settled in El Paso, Texas
. She graduated from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
before obtaining a BA in film and screenwriting from Columbia College Chicago
, and an MFA in screenwriting from the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA.
She is the co-screenwriter
of the film version of her play Real Women Have Curves
, starring America Ferrera
(Ugly Betty) and Ingrid Oliu (Stand and Deliver
). The movie garnered much acclaim, including at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival
where the film won the "Audience Award" and a "Special Jury Award for Acting." Josefina has written several other screenplays including Loteria for Juarez about the mysterious murders of women in the Mexico/US border town of Ciudad Juárez
; ADD Me to the Party, an original comedic screenplay about three Latinas addicted to adrenaline who drive around in an Impala
looking for the next distraction; Lola Goes To Roma, a mother daughter comedy that takes place in Europe; a biopic titled Queen Of the Rumba, and a family comedy titled No Place Like Home.
award from Mayor of Los Angeles in 2003. She was also recognized by the WGA
as the cover story for the December 2002/January 2003 issue of the prestigious Writers' Guild magazine Written By, entitled "Real Writers Have Courage." Lopez and cowriter George LaVoo
won the "Humanitas Award for Screenwriting" for Real Women Have Curves. She was awarded a Screenwriting Fellowship by the California Arts Council for 2001 and in 1988 she was recognized by California
Senator
Barbara Boxer
as a "woman who has made history in the entertainment industry".
She is the founder of "Casa 0101 Theater Art Space" in Boyle Heights, where she teaches screenwriting and playwriting.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, perhaps best known as the author of the play (and co-author of the screenplay) Real Women Have Curves
Real Women Have Curves (play)
Real Women Have Curves is a stage play by Josefina Lopez and is set in a tiny sewing factory in East Los Angeles in September of 1987. It's marked by the issues of gender politics and the Latina immigrant experience. The story is told from the point of view of Ana, the youngest employee at the...
.
Early life
Lopez was born in 1969, in San Luis PotosíSan Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and at age five emigrated with her family to the United States, where they settled in El Paso, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. She graduated from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts is a Visual and Performing Arts high school located on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1984, the public, tuition-free school offers both college preparatory courses and...
before obtaining a BA in film and screenwriting from Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
, and an MFA in screenwriting from the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA.
Career
After having over 100 productions of her plays throughout the United States, Josefina Lopez is one of today's preeminent Chicana writers. She has written several plays such as Simply Maria, Or the American Dream; Confessions of Women From East L.A.; Boyle Heights; Lola Goes To Roma; Food For The Dead; Unconquered Spirits; Queen of the Rumba and Real Women Have Curves.She is the co-screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
of the film version of her play Real Women Have Curves
Real Women Have Curves (play)
Real Women Have Curves is a stage play by Josefina Lopez and is set in a tiny sewing factory in East Los Angeles in September of 1987. It's marked by the issues of gender politics and the Latina immigrant experience. The story is told from the point of view of Ana, the youngest employee at the...
, starring America Ferrera
America Ferrera
America Georgina Ferrera is an American actress, best known for playing the lead role in the television comedy series Ugly Betty...
(Ugly Betty) and Ingrid Oliu (Stand and Deliver
Stand and Deliver
Stand and Deliver is a 1988 American drama film, based on the true story of high school mathematics teacher Jaime Escalante. Edward James Olmos portrayed Escalante in the film and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.-Plot:...
). The movie garnered much acclaim, including at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
where the film won the "Audience Award" and a "Special Jury Award for Acting." Josefina has written several other screenplays including Loteria for Juarez about the mysterious murders of women in the Mexico/US border town of Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
; ADD Me to the Party, an original comedic screenplay about three Latinas addicted to adrenaline who drive around in an Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
looking for the next distraction; Lola Goes To Roma, a mother daughter comedy that takes place in Europe; a biopic titled Queen Of the Rumba, and a family comedy titled No Place Like Home.
Acclaim
Lopez has won several awards including a Gabriel García MárquezGabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
award from Mayor of Los Angeles in 2003. She was also recognized by the WGA
WGA
WGA is a three-letter abbreviation for:* Writers Guild of America, an American union** Writers Guild of America, East** Writers Guild of America, West* Web Gallery of Art* Western Golf Association...
as the cover story for the December 2002/January 2003 issue of the prestigious Writers' Guild magazine Written By, entitled "Real Writers Have Courage." Lopez and cowriter George LaVoo
George LaVoo
George LaVoo is a U.S. film director, producer, and screenwriter. Real Women Have Curves, for which he was both producer and screenwriter, won the 2002 Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Audience Award. In 2006, he wrote Blood Monkey, and his 2008 film A Dog Year was shown at the Tribeca Film...
won the "Humanitas Award for Screenwriting" for Real Women Have Curves. She was awarded a Screenwriting Fellowship by the California Arts Council for 2001 and in 1988 she was recognized by California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
as a "woman who has made history in the entertainment industry".
Other work
Lopez's first novel, Hungry Woman in Paris, was published in March 2009.She is the founder of "Casa 0101 Theater Art Space" in Boyle Heights, where she teaches screenwriting and playwriting.