Film inspired by a pair of baby shoes

Fifteen years ago, San Marcos resident Anita Azenet read scripts for her actress daughter, Bianca Collins, and became increasingly frustrated when the lead “girl next door” roles always called for blond hair, blue eyed girls.  Bianca, a brunette Latina, would audition for the lead roles anyway, but was often cast as the “best friend.” Azenet decided that the only way to change the way things were seen in television and film was to write the scripts herself. So when Bianca was old enough to go on set alone, Azenet went to California State University in Northridge and received her BA in Cinema, Television and Visual Arts Screenwriting with an emphasis on Chicano Studies. Her goal was to write scripts featuring Latin@ and other minorities as the leads. Her script, “Fate Has No Plan,” is one of those films.

“Fate Has No Plan,” Azenet’s directorial debut, is loosely based on her true story about a pair of antique baby shoes with a name written on the soles. In the film, the character finds the shoes during a low time in her life, becomes obsessed with the person whose name is written on the soles and seeks out to find out more about the name, but soon realizes it’s not what you find, it’s why you find it.  

The film stars Bianca Collins, Jacob Hashem, Casey Dolkas and Brandi Blevins. Two of the actors, Collins and Hashim, are people of color to show that traditional roles can be played by almost any ethnicity.  Except for a few seconds, the 15-minute film was fully shot in San Marcos.  Azenet is in the process of writing the treatment for the feature-length version of the film and will begin to look for investors sometime next year.  

Fate Has No Plan, will have its world premiere in the local short block at the Lost River Film Festival on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. at the Price Center in San Marcos.