Julie Rubio

Julie Colleen Rubio (born August 9, 1969) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor based in the San Francisco Bay Area. As the founder of East Meets West Productions, Rubio is best known for producing the award-winning independent film East Side Sushi.

The youngest of seven siblings and half-siblings, Rubio was born in Burbank, CA, and grew up in the Los Angeles area. After studying at Los Angeles Pierce College, she was trained in acting, producing and directing at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in both London and New York City. She lived intermittently in California, Hawaii, London and New York.^[1] During this period, Rubio acted in commercials and plays (including productions at the Old Ohio Theater), and modeled for magazines.^[2]

In 2003, Rubio directed, produced, and starred in an exercise video, Yoga Can Balance Your Life. That same year, she wrote and directed her first short film, "Impression", based on a feature-length screenplay written earlier by Rubio.^[3] "Impression" was followed by other short films (“Concerned Lady for America”, “Del Cielo”, and “Soledad is Gone Forever”) in which her involvement ranged from acting to writing, directing, and producing. In 2006, she directed, produced, and wrote her first feature-length film, Six Sex Scenes and a Murder, a murder-mystery noir. After Six Sex Scenes and a Murder, Rubio worked on several short films, including "Oakland B Mine".^[4] In 2011, Rubio served as executive producer, director, and writer, as well as portraying “Elijah’s Mom” for her debut feature, Too Perfect, a bittersweet coming-of-age tale following several middle-schoolers as they confront big changes in their lives.^[5] On her involvement in Too Perfect, Doniphan Blair of CineSource Magazine described Rubio as a “sharp stylist and outspoken activist, politically and cinematically”.^[6]

Rubio produced her best-known film, the award-winning East Side Sushi, in 2014. A story about a Mexican immigrant in Oakland, California who dreams of becoming a sushi chef, East Side Sushi touched on many issues that were personally important to Rubio.^[7] She said of the production process, “We were able to mix cultures together and have them be respectful of each other…East Side Sushi is such a feminist piece, a very beautiful story about going after your dreams and not giving up. It’s about empowering women. I love that, through this film, we can help little girls grow up with positive role models. I truly believe we can change the world through film.” East Side Sushi was Rubio’s first major critical success, with wins at fourteen film festivals and two more nominations. The film was named one of "the 20 best Bay Area movies of the decade" by the Mercury News.^[8]

Since East Side Sushi, Rubio has produced, written and directed several other short films. She has helped to manage her son Elijah “Kahleo” Stavena’s growing rap career, including producing some of his music videos. Rubio continues to explore themes of cultural sensitivity, gender inequality, and human connection in her upcoming project, a feature-length film called One. One will focus on a Napa Valley wine field worker who follows in her mother’s footsteps to attend Harvard University, where she discovers disturbing revelations about her biological father and works to uncover a solution to sexual assault and gender inequality on campus.^[9] The film’s focus on big-picture issues is something that Rubio is committed to maintaining in her filmmaking: "Movies can change people, and I want to be part of that change in a positive way."^[3] One is currently in pre-production. In 2022, Rubio became the Vice President of Women In Film SF Bay Area and in 2023 became the President of Women In Film SF Bay Area.^[10] Rubio is currently in post-production for her upcoming documentary feature, The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka and the Art of Survival, which explores the life of Polish Art Deco artist Tamara de Lempicka. The trailer for this film screen at the National Museum in Krakow as part of a major exhibition of Tamara de Lempicka's works from museums and private collections in Europe and the USA entitled Łempicka.^[11]

2024: The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival

“The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival" is a visually stunning feature documentary that traces the life and survival of the renowned painter through her powerful artwork. Through groundbreaking, never-before-seen 8mm home movies and newly-discovered birth and baptism certificates, the film reveals her true name, heritage, and identity for the first time, changing art history. The film covers her rise to international stardom in 1920s Paris, her move to the United States to flee fascism in 1940, and her revival in the current art market. This remarkable refugee reinvented herself multiple times through two wars, embodying talent, resilience, passion, and a relentless pursuit of artistic freedom despite the horrors she lived through. This bisexual, Jewish artist had the will to be great and to be seen in a world that did not always want to see her.

One of Lempicka’s notable collectors, Barbra Streisand, provides exclusive access to images of her private collection, while Madonna pays tribute by featuring Lempicka's imagery in her videos and latest world concert tour. Anjelica Huston lends her narration, sharing personal stories. The film showcases Lempicka’s enduring popularity, highlighted by one of her paintings recently selling at auction for over $21.1 million, marking the third-highest price ever paid for a work by a modern female artist.

Throughout the film, we delve deeper into insights from our comprehensive interviews, uncovering profound perspectives from Tamara de Lempicka's family, distinguished art historians, collectors, and other notable figures. Broadway star Eden Espinosa, recently honored with a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Tamara de Lempicka in 'Lempicka’ The Musical, along with the show's creators, offers compelling viewpoints. Additionally, curators of the 2024 retrospective at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco enrich the audience's exploration.

The documentary provides a deep and illuminating look into the life and legacy of Tamara de Lempicka, who broke down barriers and opened doors for female artists. She conveyed her struggle, turmoil, and truth onto the canvas, where her humanity stares back at you, exposing her secrets for all to witness. A brilliant, brave artist, the hero of her own story, she left behind a legacy that continues to inspire and captivate. You know her paintings; now you will know her name.^[12]

Rubio owned and operated J. Colleen Boutique in Lafayette, California from August 2013 to August 2016.^[1]

J. Colleen Boutique partnered with Wine Women and Film Benefiting Hospice of The East Bay, and Julie Rubio choreographed the fashion show for the charity event, "Wine, Women, and Shoes."^[13]

The curator of the 2024 Tamara de Lempicka retrospective exhibition at the de Young Museum of San Francisco, Gioia Mori, credits Julie Rubio for her discovery of new archival evidence regarding Lempicka’s birthdate and the Hurwitz family’s conversion from Judaism to Calvinism, that was first disclosed in her documentary, “The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival.”

An ANSA article states, “Julie Rubio, writer, producer and director, deserves credit for having provided the crucial documents to Gioia Mori. These materials are found in Rubio's 2023-2024 copyrighted documentary, ‘The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka and the Art of Survival.”’

Metropolitan Magazine also credits director Julie Rubio and her documentary film “The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival” with revealing this revolutionary information. These groundbreaking historical documents were discovered by Julie Rubio and were first disclosed in Rubio’s documentary, “The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival.”

See article: “Tamara De Lempicka Falsified Her Date of Birth, the Mystery of Her Age Was Revealed Thanks to an Archival Document^[14]” Metropolitan Magazine. 2024-1-27

See article: “Gioia Mori, the Last Mystery of Tamara de Lempicka Falls,^[15]” ANSA Magazine. 2024-1-29

Rubio gave birth to her only child in 1996, Elijah “Kahleo” Stavena. Rubio moved to Orinda, CA in the early 2000s, where she continued the career in independent film which she had begun in New York.^[5] Rubio married Blake Wellen in 2009.^[16]

• Julie Rubio at IMDb