Beyond the bombastic stage persona of Fantastic Negrito lies a 51-year-old survivor, hustler, and self-described ‘recovering narcissist’ named Xavier Dphrepaulezz. After his improbable midlife transformation from busking bluesman to back-to-back Grammy winner, Xavier is now ready to face his demons.
Full of musical performances and featuring intimate and often hilarious interviews with philosopher-poet Xavier and his brilliant band of collaborators and close friends, the film traces his journey from early isolation as a Black Muslim kid in rural Massachusetts to Bay Area star with a global fanbase. Along the way, the story of a singular musician unfolds as Xavier evolves from misfit, to homeless teenager, drug dealer, struggling L.A. pop hopeful, underground punk innovator, and urban farmer. From tragedy to triumph to tragedy and back again, FANTASTIC NEGRITO: Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? is a rollercoaster story of life and creation after destruction.
FANTASTIC NEGRITO: Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? will make its East Coast premiere at Salem Film Fest, screening in-person at The Cabot in Beverly, on Sunday, March 26 at 5pm followed by a Q&A with Co-Director Yvan Iturriaga. Program Director Jeff Schmidt caught up with Co-Director Francisco Núñez Capriles ahead of the festival.
FANTASTIC NEGRITO: Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? Co-Directors Francisco Núñez Capriles and Yvan Iturriaga.
Jeff Schmidt: How did you meet Xavier/Fantastic Negrito, and at what point did you say to yourselves, "hey, we should make a movie"? Was Xavier/Fantastic Negrito onboard right away, or did it take some coaxing?
Francisco Núñez Capriles: I moved to the Bay in 2016 from Chile, where I worked for many years in media production and filmmaking. In 2019, I was working in construction. But I needed to get back to film. I found a Craigslist ad for a video production internship at the studio of local musician Fantastic Negrito. I didn't know much about him, but after a little research and listening to his music I was impressed by his talent and I thought, “This is perfect for me. It’s an underground space, run by people of color in West Oakland, and I could feel comfortable there.” And I thought my technical skills could compensate for my (lack of) English, and that I could contribute to the work they were doing.
So I was shooting promo videos for the internship, and realized something really exciting was happening with Xavier and his collaborators. X was in a transitional moment. He had just won his second Grammy, and was getting a lot of recognition and I think he was feeling empowered to talk about issues in a way he hadn’t before, and that came out in his creative process, writing this really personal album about himself and his community.
And I asked, “Is anyone making this documentary?” And they told me, “What are you talking about?” So I switched my question to, “Is it okay if I start filming a documentary about Xavier and all this?” And they said, “Yes, of course.” But I don’t think X or his team expected a documentary in the end, although they were always supportive of us and the project.
JS: What was your production timeline, how long did you film with him and was it a challenge in the edit or did it come together easily?
FNC: I started filming in fall of 2019. I filmed a lot of really interesting behind-the-scenes material in the studio as they recorded Fantastic Negrito's third album. As an artist, it was really inspiring for me to see their process. But I didn't have a documentary yet. And at some point I started to try to find funding for producing this film, but I started to see my limitations again, in many ways, not just about funding but also still language, and also because I’m a recent immigrant still trying to fully understand this place where I’m living.
So I started thinking, “What can I do?” And I remembered when I was working in construction I talked with a Chilean contractor, who has a lot of artistic sensibility, and he told me, “Hey, you need to meet my son, because he’s also a filmmaker.” And that was Yvan’s dad, and so I called Yvan and showed him the material, and he came onboard as a co-director and executive producer. That was in early 2020, right as the pandemic was starting.
Our total production timeline was around three years from when I first started shooting. With Yvan, we spent almost a year shooting interviews and reenactments, before we brought on our fantastic editor, Charnelle Quallis. It took around one year to complete the editing process.
JS: Were there any particular moments during filming that you found challenging or surprising?
FNC: It was really surprising, very early in the process, to have such transparent and complete access to the musical creation. In terms of challenges, obviously the pandemic delayed and shifted our plans. Originally, we hoped to shoot X performing the album live in concert, but the album tour was cancelled due to COVID, so we had to get creative in terms of telling this story without those moments. I think the pandemic also changed the frame of the film -- the title of the album (and the doc), "Have You Lost Your MInd Yet?" took on new meaning when we were all stuck inside, trying to stay healthy and stay sane.
JS: What has Xavier's reaction been to the film?
FNC: He told us that it made him feel a lot of ways – happy, nostalgic, sad, and uncomfortable – and that that meant that the film captured something real about his story.
JS: What do you hope people will take away from your film?
FNC: Xavier's story is inspiring in many ways, and how he approaches his problems offers us clues to deal with our own difficult experiences that sometimes haunt us or are unresolved. One of his songs has a great lyric: "Take that bullshit and turn it into good shit," and I think that synthesizes one of the ideas of the film, how art and creation can serve as a healing tool.
FANTASTIC NEGRITO: Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? screens in-person at The Cabot on Sunday, March 26 at 5pm followed by a Q&A with Co-Director Yvan Iturriaga - tickets available here.
The film is also available for streaming during the virtual portion of the festival, March 27 - April 2 - tickets available here.
