Creating a Photojournalist is a deeply personal documentary that spans five decades, tracing the life of photojournalist and filmmaker Erik Castro. From a childhood shared with five siblings in 1970s Los Angeles—captured tenderly by his mother’s 8mm camera—to his evolution into a seasoned visual storyteller documenting life from a small town in Sonoma County, California, the film offers a rare look into a career shaped by both creative drive and the responsibilities of parenthood.
At its core, the film explores the choice of pursuing a life in photojournalism while being a stay-at-home parent—two roles that pull in separate directions—and the lasting impact of early formative moments, like learning your mother once took a photograph of you, fearing it might be your last as you battled pneumonia. These small yet seismic moments shape Castro’s journey through memory, family, and creative purpose.
Blending dreamlike imagery with raw footage from early film projects, intimate home videos, and the voices of the unhoused and marginalized, Creating a Photojournalist is a meditation on fatherhood, storytelling, and the creative influence that both family and documentary subjects have had on his work.
by Erik Castro (USA)
Cal Film Festival 