Imagine the Producer of Selena Belting Songs from Damn Yankees

Moctesuma Esparza Considers His Life One Outrageous Occurrence After Another

Moctesuma Esparza, a filmmaker and entrepreneur, has produced movies including Selena, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and Gettysburg. In 2005, he established Maya Cinemas, a chain of movie theater complexes dedicated to the U.S. Latino market. He also founded the Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise Charter School. Before participating in a discussion about how to film the Mexican-American story, he talked about reading Russian novels in 9th grade, the movie theaters he frequented as a youngster in L.A., and an extraordinary filet of sole that his father once cooked for …