Mark Vizcarra
Mark Vizcarra | |
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Branch | United States Navy |
Mark Vizcarra (born c. 1960) is an American documentary filmmaker and retired United States Navy aviator. His films primarily concern military aviation and the experiences of American military veterans. Before becoming a filmmaker, Vizcarra served for 21 years as a Navy pilot and commander, flying the A-4 Skyhawk, F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet.[1]
Vizcarra founded Speed & Angels Productions and has directed films including Once Guilty, Now Innocent, Still Dead (2017), Thud Pilots (2018), Hun Pilots (2019), Tomcat Tales (2020) and More Tomcat Tales (2023).[2][3]
Early life and military career
[edit]Vizcarra said that as a child he had two career ambitions: becoming a Navy pilot and becoming a filmmaker.[1] He served 21 years on active duty in the United States Navy and retired with the rank of commander. During his military career, he accumulated more than 2,500 flight hours in the A-4 Skyhawk, F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet and made landings aboard nine aircraft carriers.[1][3] He was also a graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, commonly known as Top Gun.[1]
After leaving active duty, Vizcarra spent eight years as commander of the Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Patrick Henry High School in San Diego.[2] He later studied digital filmmaking at the Los Angeles Film School using benefits from the G.I. Bill.[2]
Filmmaking career
[edit]Vizcarra established Speed & Angels Productions after his military career. His experience as a naval aviator became a recurring influence on his filmmaking, particularly documentaries about military aviation and veterans.[1] He has said that he was interested in preserving veterans' experiences on film and presenting military subjects in a way that could be understood by audiences without military backgrounds.[3]
In 2017, Vizcarra wrote, directed and produced the Western short film Once Guilty, Now Innocent, Still Dead, based on the posthumous mock retrial of Tom Horn.[2] The film won Best Narrative Short and Best Film Made by a Veteran or Service Member at the GI Film Festival San Diego.[4] His other film at the 2017 festival, Forgotten Heroes, concerned Korean War naval aviator Royce Williams.[2]
Vizcarra subsequently directed the feature documentary Thud Pilots, about pilots who flew the Republic F-105 Thunderchief during the Vietnam War. The film had its world premiere at the 2018 GI Film Festival San Diego.[5] The documentary was inspired by a book written by Vizcarra's father, retired Air Force colonel Victor Vizcarra.[3]
His later documentaries continued to focus on military aviation. Hun Pilots concerns pilots who flew the F-100 Super Sabre in Vietnam and includes his father among its subjects. While making the film, Vizcarra described his broader aim as recording the experiences of aging veterans before those stories were lost.[3] During the same period he made Tomcat Tales, about the F-14 Tomcat, and worked on Libertas, about D-Day veteran Tom Rice.[3]
In 2020, the New York Post consulted Vizcarra as a former Navy fighter pilot and documentary filmmaker for an article examining the accuracy of the 1986 film Top Gun.[6]
Vizcarra returned to the GI Film Festival San Diego in 2023 with the documentary short The Making of TOPGUN 2, about the naval aviators who served as technical advisers on Top Gun: Maverick. The film examined the advisers' efforts to ensure the film's technical and military accuracy, including logistical work involving an F-14 used in the production.[7]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Flying Greek | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2017 | Once Guilty, Now Innocent, Still Dead | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2017 | Forgotten Hero | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2018 | Thud Pilots | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2019 | Hun Pilots | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2019 | Libertas: 75th Anniversary of D-Day | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2020 | Tomcat Tales | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2021 | Thud Pilots II | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2022 | Legends of Carrier Aviation | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2022 | 100 Years of U.S. Carriers | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2022 | Tomcat: Top Gun 2 Resurrecting the F-14 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2023 | More Tomcat Tales | Yes | Yes | No |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Deaderick, Lisa (October 19, 2017). "His military past informs his filmmaking present". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Himchak, Elizabeth Marie (November 8, 2017). "4S Ranch filmmaker is winning awards during his second career". Pomerado News. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Himchak, Elizabeth Marie (May 12, 2021). "GI Film Festival San Diego to feature 4S Ranch filmmaker's work". Pomerado News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021.
- ↑ "GI Film Festival San Diego Honors Filmmakers at Third Annual Awards Celebration". GI Film Festival San Diego. November 1, 2017.
- ↑ Jennewein, Chris (September 21, 2018). "GI Film Festival San Diego Begins Tuesday with George Takei in 'American'". Times of San Diego. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ Fleming, Kirsten Fleming (October 31, 2020). "Real Navy pilots reveal what was fake about 'Top Gun'". New York Post. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ Himchak, Elizabeth Marie (May 3, 2023). "4S Ranch, Rancho Bernardo filmmakers to debut works at GI Film Festival San Diego". Pomerado News. Archived from the original on May 15, 2023.