Conversation so far:
what happened to gus van sant in 1982?
After spending time in Europe, Van Sant went to Los Angeles in 1976.
He secured a job as a production assistant to writer/director Ken Shapiro.
what did he do with ken?
assistant to writer/director Ken Shapiro, with whom he developed a few ideas, none of which came to fruition.
did he stay with ken?
In 1981, Van Sant made Alice in Hollywood, a film about a naive young actress who goes to Hollywood and abandons her ideals.
was the movie popular?
It was never released.
what else did he play a .part in making?
Van Sant went to New York to work in an advertising agency.
He saved $20,000 during his tenure there.
what did he do with the money he saved?
finance the majority of his tale of doomed love between a gay liquor store clerk and a Mexican immigrant.
what was that movie called?
CANNOTANSWER.

Question: was he able to make the movie?
Self-contained rewrite: Was Gus Van Sant able to make the movie about the doomed love between a gay liquor store clerk and a Mexican immigrant?