El Mariachi rights. Columbia eventually spent $200,000 to transfer the print to film, to remix the sound, and on other post-production work. It then spent millions more on marketing and distribution. The success of Rodriguez's directorial debut led him to create two further entries, "Desperado" (1995) and "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" (2003). For the two sequels, Antonio Banderas took over from Carlos Gallardo for the main character El Mariachi, though Gallardo co-produced both films and had a minor role in "Desperado". In 2011, "El Mariachi" was inducted into the Library of Congress to be preserved as part of its National
Mariachi Gringo Edward moves to Guadalajara, where he plans to become a mariachi himself. He becomes friends with Lilia (Martha Higareda) and develops unrequited feelings for her. Lilia helps him to advance his dream and enlists the help of Sophia (Lila Downs), the lead singer of a small mariachi band, to teach him. Lilia herself has the dream to leave Guadalajara and study oceanography, but is constantly putting it off to help his mother run a traditional restaurant. Edward is then recruited by a prestigious mariachi band, which puts him at odds with Lilia, who feels he's betraying his dream to be