I don't know if it's fair or not, but if you're going to launch a service made up of Oscar nominated films, you have to have a background in making great films yourself to make it work. My guest today, director Alejandro Vilpa, is pushing forward with both: a streaming service called Vilpa Max that is now available in the Middle East/North Africa region and the UK for award-winning short films, and also going on a festival run with THE UNDERTONE OF DAVID JENSEN (2026), a sumptuous film about the struggles of a violin soloist.

He put it together with the help of the Czech and Mexican governments, not an easy task, and now goes on to launch a streaming platform!

It takes guts. Let's celebrate that today with Alejandro.

In this episode, Alejandro and I talk about:

• how he launched Vilpa Max, a new platform available in the Middle East and the UK for award-winning short films;
• his start in filmmaking and what led him to starting his own streaming service;
• why the distinction of award-winning films as part of Vilpa Max;
• what's the pitch for an Oscar nominated short to wind up on Vilpa Max?;
• his advice for nominated filmmakers right now;
• the need to create high-quality films of your own if you want to attract those kind of filmmakers;
• the story behind THE UNDERTONE OF DAVID JENSEN (2026);
• how he handled the music playing in the film from actors who didn't know how to play the violin;
• putting together a film assisted by both the Czech and Mexican governments;
• "short films don't matter" -- his thoughts?;
• what's next for him and when Vilpa Max will launch in the United States.

Alejandro's Indie Filmmaker Highlight: Malachi Marlan

Memorable Quotes:

"It's all about the team that I got. I got all the best team that I could have with what I had."

"Most of us artists, we struggle to find out what's next, right?"

"I found there was...these films from the Oscars and Cannes Film Festival. They won and nobody knew about them. Why?" 

What's the pitch for Vilpa Max to filmmakers? "We make them make money with their films"

"I like to say we are all David Jensen."

"We're constantly scouting for new films."

"I don't think there's a single film in Vilpa Max that you would say, okay, that looks amateur."

Links:

Vilpa Max

Follow Alejandro on Instagram

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