A diverse and cultural project is taking place in the Mission district — and it all started with the passion of people from the community.

Big smiles, high energy, laughter, cameras, enthusiastic personalities are coming alive on the set of the upcoming “Mission Movie,” along with mural walls and art bursting with dramatic colors full of culture.

This movie, which is being produced and filmed in the Mission district, has a very special message: unity. No where was this more visible than on the set, where 300 people turned out to volunteer their time to make this film.

This movie seems to define the true meaning of diversity in the Mission because the district, in itself, is no longer an all-Latino community. The movie settings take place from Casa Lucas to Puerto Alegre restaurant. Each story has its own musical flavor — from a range of hip-hop, to Latin jazz, to punk rock.

The “Mission Movie” development started in June 2002. Lise Swenson, the project director and producer of the movie and also community based artist for 19 years, formed the core group, which includes nine artists and media professionals from San Francisco. This group guides the managing of the crew on set, as well as the actors.

The community advisory group was made by the core group to include people of all ages and backgrounds to represent the Mission. They shared their real life experiences, feelings, and notions about the district, and out of all the stories, they chose themes that they felt, best reflect the Mission. The themes are space, change, and values. Within those themes they wrote five stories.

One of the stories is about the tension between neighborhood kids ages six to 11 years old, and a muralist who is trying to draw his artwork on walls outside of where they live.

Another story looks at a third generation resident who owns a Mexican restaurant and has to face and cope with the changes in the Mission neighborhood.

A third story addresses the issues that recent immigrants from Latin America have to face and experience. This brings us to a fourth story about a Palestinian family who owns a corner store in the Mission, and their disputes about values within the family. And the last story elaborates on what has perhaps been the most devastating occurrence in the district in the past few years: eviction.

While the film is geared toward people who live or have lived in this district, and who have experienced the culture here, it is also a universal movie about change and culture and hope.

“The ultimate goal of this movie is to show how many people live together and get along beautifully along with hard conflicts that they face every day,” said Adriana Montenegro, assistant director. She told El Tecolote that this movie brings an unusual message that is not always heard, and paints a realistic perspective in the everyday obstacles of Mission community members.

Throughout the years a variety of different people and cultures have managed, (some with great difficulty and others with ease) to get along with each other. The film shows how they cope and exchange and intermingles different value systems, creating the flavorful mix that is like no other place in the City.

Montenegro says she wants the movie to go on the festival circuit so that as many people as possible will be exposed to the flavor and nuances of this jewel of a district nestled right in San Francisco.

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