How a DMV Independent Filmmaker got his Film into the Oscars
June Daguiso embarked on his journey as a filmmaker over eighteen years ago and never expected that one day he’d receive three film nominations at the Oscars. Currently, his film Saving Ana, has been nominated for Best Original Song, Best Picture, and Best Actor. When he began making films his goal had never been to become rich or famous, but to create art. It all started when he was teaching martial arts and one of the students asked him to do the choreography for an action film. June played a minor role in the film and had a fight scene with the lead actor. He discovered a love for filmmaking and took more jobs in the industry as a boom operator. As he worked on other film sets, he started to believe that he could do a project of his own.
When he proposed the idea of making his own movie, June faced discouragement from people who told him that he should just stick to what he was good at. However, June was not going to allow anyone to limit what he could do now that he had found his passion in life.
June produced his first project, Full Circle, an action film that he wrote and directed himself. While making this project he met Frank Cisco Anderson and Charles Robinson- a 2003 Grammy winner- who worked on the soundtrack. The music brought instant notoriety to the film as it received two Grammy nominations in music. June continued writing, producing, and directing films and his work became well known in the DMV, (Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area. His second film, Collide, also received Grammy nominations in music. June refused to limit himself to action films. He has done work in all genres from drama, to suspense, to horror, to comedy.
His film, Saving Ana, which is currently in the running for the Oscars, is a drama about human trafficking. This serious subject matter was a topic June had been working on for years. The film covers issues of church hypocrisy, racism, and the family estrangement that often opens vulnerable people to being trafficked by predators. Saving Ana won accolades in over a hundred international film festivals for Best Original Song, so June said “Why not try for the Academy?”
Denis Walter Smith entered Saving Ana into the Oscars and the film was nominated not only for Best Original Song, but it also qualified for Best Picture and Best Actor. June knows being qualified for three categories at the Oscars is a huge accomplishment because oftentimes it is very difficult for filmmakers to get noticed. He is always looking to improve his work and to keep making films for the love of being creative. June has completed his next script, The Road to Absolution. He looks forward to filming this summer, in New York, the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia), and is even recruiting actors from Mississippi. His journey as a filmmaker began with a simple dream. June did not allow anyone to deter him and he was able to get his film into the Oscars with three nominations. Now the dream lives on as June continues making more films.
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