Tristan Luque Bergillos, from Marche, Belgium, chose to study at ELC Los Angeles because he wanted to improve his English in the “city of movies and Hollywood.” For the next six months, Tristan will attend classes at ELC and get to know the city of Los Angeles. He chose LA for its great climate, and because there is no shortage of things to do. Not only is Tristan excited about the film scene, but he likes being near the beach and mountains.
Tristan started to take English classes four years ago in school, and also took additional lessons on Monday evenings to supplement his classes. The next step for him was to take classes in an English-speaking country, and so far he is definitely enjoying himself!
Tristan is living with an American family, an arrangement that ELC made for him through our homestay program. Everyday, Tristan has dinner with his homestay family and another ELC student who is living there, a guy from Italy. “I love my host mother because every day she tells me about activities. I learn something new everyday.” Dita even helped Tristan and her other student plan a trip to Las Vegas!
Before coming to Los Angeles, Tristan wrote the script for a compelling movie about the dangers of using drugs called “L’impact.” The short film has no dialogue, and follows the story of a troubled young adult who struggles with drugs. “The best thing about the movie is that it’s without words, so anyone can understand it..it’s a simple story,” Tristan says. It has a powerful message that is universal and has no cultural boundaries. “I wrote the story around Christmas 2014 because I saw the movies “Requiem for a Dream” and “Basketball Diaries.” I thought this was a good subject. I saw a lot of teenagers and young adults in Belgium smoke after school, and do drugs. Two of my teachers supported me and helped me make the movie. Together we found actors.”
Not only did Tristan have the help and support of his teachers, but while looking for actors on Facebook, an old friend of his who is a professional producer, reached out and offered to help by lending his time, equipment and programs. The film took about five months to film, and one month to edit. All of the locations were free to film at, and the actors also donated their time. The film was finished in August, and in September Tristan was contacted by a television channel in Belgium to speak about his short film and show it on air. Tristan gladly accepted, and is eager for his bit to air in November.
When asked if he would continue to make movies while in Los Angeles, Tristan said, “I have ideas. I’m in the ‘El Dorado’ of movies here! I wanna show the movie here, and maybe it will get noticed. In Belgium, I will take part of a music festival.”
Tristan is taking advantage of his time here so far. He especially enjoys his Communication Skills class with teacher Carmen, when they watch a movie and discuss and when students present about something they are interested in. The class has a great dynamic. “We can joke with each other.”
We are very excited to see what the future holds for Tristan, and are very happy that he chose to study with us in Los Angeles!
