The Imagen Foundation is now accepting submissions for the 2010 Imagen Awards. This year Imagen will be celebrating "25 Years of making a difference" at the annual awards ceremony which is scheduled for Sunday August 29, 2010.

Categories include film, television, the internet, student films/shorts, documentaries as well as others.

The Call for Entry as well as the official entry form can be downloaded from the Imagen website at: www.imagen.org

Deadline for submissions is May 14, 2010.

For questions or more information, please call 626 376-9751 or email: hhernandez@imagen.org
 

Call for Entries: IDA DocuWeeks

DocuWeeks helps to qualify outstanding new feature and short documentaries for Academy Award consideration, by providing its participants with a seven-day commercial theatrical run in Los Angeles County and in the Borough of Manhattan. Per Academy requirements, shorts will screen in only one location, either in the County of Los Angeles or in the Borough of Manhattan.

14th Annual DocuWeeks Theatrical Documentary Showcases
Los Angeles & New York City - August 2010
(Specific dates TBA, all screenings completed by August 19, 2010)

Earlybird Deadline: April 14, 2010
Read more about Requirements, Screening Options, Co-op Fees, Revenue Sharing, and Digital Cinema Packages here.
To apply for IDA's DocuWeeks please use the online submission process at Withoutabox.com

FULL STORY
 

Deadline Approaching: PGA Workshop "The Power of Diversity"

The application deadline is approaching for the Producers Guild of America's producing workshop "The Power of Diversity." This workshop will draw upon a wide range of seminars and perspectives designed to foster the development of diverse voices in Television Comedy, One Hour Drama, Reality Television Motion Pictures, Documentaries and Web series.

Up to ten (10) participants will be encouraged to explore, create and refine creative visions and stories that reflect our diverse culture. Applicants may be emerging creative voices or those well-established in their careers.

Please visit www.pgadiversity.org for additional information. Deadline for submission is April 9, 2010.

 

Brand New Doc Fest Coming to NYC
(indieWIRE) - Filling an extended gaping hole for non-fiction filmmakers and fans that has existed in New York City, a new documentary festival is being launched in downtown Manhattan this fall. FULL STORY

 

Rudy J. Miera
NALIPster's music video screening at Tupelo Film Fest.

NALIP member Rudy J. Miera's short music video Mexica has been selected to screen at the Tupelo Film Festival (Tupelo, Mississippi - hometown of Elvis Presley) at the historic Lyric theater. The festival will be held from May 13-15, 2010.

Mexica is a short collage of Native and natural images reflecting the cultural and spiritual tradition of 'Danza' as carried on by Kalpulli Ehecatl ("school of the Wind") Aztec Dance group.

Isabel Cueva
NALIPster's short wins at LA Women's Int. Film Fest.

NALIP member Isabel Cueva's film In the Name of Freedom won Best Short Film at the Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival last weekend. Isabel wrote, directed, produced and starred in this moving, dramatic story about a female american soldier held captive in Iraq. The film was also awarded the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award (past receipients include Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, and many others).

Don't miss the screening of In the Name of Freedom at Nalipsters On View, at the NALIP 2010 conference!

For updates on the film, join its Facebook page.

 

By Matt Weeks, Founder and CEO of EyeTMedia, an online ad network optimization company.

The Rise of Content 4.0 and how we pay for "Free" content now.
Why we should blow-up the idea that all content must be "free."

Andrew Vanacore wrote one of the best explorations of what seems to be driving content owners towards subscription and pay-for-view and away from so-called "free" access to content. That should be "ad-supported" content, not "free." Nothing is free.

We submit that we are paying for free content today, and we should embrace that as a fact, and blow-up the idea of totally free content by re-inventing how we (as consumers) tell our content providers and infrastructure partners and advertisers what we want, how we want it, and what we're willing to pay for it.

Let's explore why nothing is free.

The Rise of Content 4.0
We are today facing what we call "Content 4.0" The question is who will pay?
Content 0.1 was not paid-for because there were no payers. (Cave drawings & pottery come to mind.)
Content 1.0 was paid-for by "Benefactors." (Pyramids, statuary, paintings etc.)
Content 2.0 was paid-for by want-ads and political parties (newspapers, leaflets, magazines, display ads)
Content 3.0 was paid-for by CPG ads, political parties and anyone who would bid (Web, TV, Radio, and Cable/MSO)
Content 4.0 will be paid-for by any and all of the above, but controlled by the consumer. And it will arrive on multiple screens, pipes and formats. Bad content will die a swift death. So will poorly targeted ads.
 

FULL STORY
 

Call for Entries: Lunafest

SHARE YOUR STORY: 10TH Annual Call for Entries

LUNAFEST is a traveling film festival of notable and award-wining short films by, for and about women. Films tour 150+ venues and screen in front of 20,000 people across the U.S. and Canada.

LUNAFEST is looking for films by amateurs, students and aspiring filmmakers. We are seeking a diverse range of films which embody the unique, touching and inspirational roles of women in our local, national and international communities. Films can cover all genres. We are especially thrilled to receive animated, documentary and humorous pieces.

SUBMIT YOUR FILM
To Submit your film: Visit LUNAFEST.ORG or WITHOUTABOX.COM
Film submissions are accepted from November 1, 2009 - April 15, 2010
$1,000 CASH PRIZE for the winning films

FULL STORY
 

Call for Entries: Anasy Documentary Awards

The Anasy Documentary Awards are now accepting submissions. There is no entry fee! This year submissions for the awards wil be divided into 3 main categories:

1. Free topic competition "Talk Doc": it includes all documentary films that have social, cultural, historial, scientific and sporting subjects, whether documentary, docudrama, TV documentary or cinematic documentary.

2. "Child in our eyes" Competition: This competition specializes in documentary films that deal with all topics related to the child as a human being and a vital part of every society. The compeitition is launched in association with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) based on our interest in the child as a creative character that has various concerns, attitudes, visions and viewpoints which are different at the same time from the adults. Our aim is to close the gap in the production of documentary films for children.

3. Script competition: This category is related to the free topic. Script ideas and projects for documentary films that have free topics will be presented, where the winning ideas will be adopted and their production supervised by Anasy Documentary Awards.

For more information about the categories in the competition and the grand prize, and to download entry forms and submit your entries, please go to: www.anasydocawards.com

Call for Applications: Hot Flash Films Mentorship Program

Hot Flash Films will produce a slate of five films, in a variety of genres, directed by five women. Hot Flash Films are a consortium of five women from the Directors Guild of America - women who have already produced, acted, written, and directed documentaries, theater, short films, television, and film second units.

We are inviting you to apply to the Hot Flash Films Mentorship Program because we not only want to open doors for ourselves, but also want to provide opportunities for the next generation of women who are seriously underrepresented in the feature film community. Each of the five films will take on three (3) paid mentees in the positions of director, producer and cinematographer. Each director, producer and cinematographer for their individual film will be mentoring their respective mentee for the duration of pre-production, production, and in the case of the directing mentee, during post-production.

Extended Deadline for Submissions: March 1, 2010

Click here to download additional information and an application for the Mentorship Program.

Low Budget Film Producing Workshop

Producing Your Indie Film
A Weekend Intensive - March 20 & 21, 2010

Presented by Suzanne Lyons, Co-Founder of the Flash Forward Institute, Snowfall Films, Inc and WindChill Films, Inc. Script to Screen - from the award winning producer of eight feature films in the past seven years.

"After producing a number of bigger budget features I thought producing the SAG ultra low budget would be a piece of cake. Boy, was I wrong. Wearing 100 different hats was a huge challenge. I've now produced three SAG ultra budget films in just sixteen months and I can't wait to tell you what I've learned. In my workshop you'll learn from my experience and benefit from my success. I promise to take you through a structured crystal clear step by step process that will actually make low budget film making look easy!" Suzanne Lyons, Producer

FULL STORY

 

Redford: Sundance Going Back to its Roots
(indieWIRE) - "We're going back to our roots." That's the message that Sundance Film Festival founder Robert Redford and new festival director John Cooper attempted to hammer home during Thursday's opening news conference. FULL STORY

 

Sebastian Aloi
NALIPster's feature opens Friday in Manhattan

NALIP member Sebastian Aloi - recently relocated from Argentina to Los Angeles - produced the feature film The Paranoids, directed by Gabriel Medina. Distributed by Oscilloscope, the film opens in Manhattan this Friday at Cinema Village, 22 East 12th Street, Greenwich Village.

The following review by Simon Abrams appeared in The L Magazine this week:

As tedious as it normally is to watch overprivileged twentysomethings stuck in a creative rut find their way out by finding romance (on film, that is; in real life, voyeurism totally rules), there's somehow always room for one more film to defy that tried-and-true expectation. The Paranoids, co-writer/director Gabriel Medina's portrait of a wiry, mullet-sporting angry young Argentinean with an autistic artistic temperament, is both lively and brooding, alternating between taking its protagonist's all-too-relatable perfectionist, antisocial tendencies deathly seriously, and taking the piss out of them (as in a dream sequence that liberally paraphrases Taoist philosophy, and one of the most dramatic video game boxing matches on film). Medina is sincere about recreating his protagonist's worldview, but he also has the proper distance to recognize that it's the stuff of bittersweet comedy.

It should come as no surprise that The Paranoids is in part based on Medina's own youth. Luciano Gauna (an excellent Daniel Hendler), a budding screenwriter unable to finish a script he's been working on for years, is a control freak. It's how he struggles to cope with knowing that his best friend Manuel (Walter Jakob) has already made a big splash with his own TV show-cum-overnight franchise while he's stuck dressing up as a big purple monster suit for children's parties (Barney he ain't). And he has a thing for Manuel's girlfriend Sofia (Jazmin Stuart). And he can't dance (he's got this windmill thing going with his right arm but it could be he's just used too much Tiger Balm).

Thankfully, The Paranoids, a film about a character constantly striving to maintain emotional equilibrium in his mopey little life, is so good at walking its protagonist's volatile tight rope. Hendler has a hungry look in his eyes that sustains many of his character's repressed, passive-aggressive confrontations, which always boil down to a stare and a pout anyway. Medina knows just how hard it is for Luciano to experience life outside of his terms and perfectly mimics that impulse in his meticulous pacing and camera blocking. The aforementioned video game battle is one of the funniest contemporary expressions of the phallocentric contest that is the love triangle, the romantic comedy's standby representation of sexual tension. It's surprisingly tense, more than a little silly, and filmed with a Fincheresque OCD precision--everything a comedy about a twenty-something's bruised ego should have in a nutshell.
 

This is Part 2 of a series of articles written by Marvin V. Acuna about how a spec script becomes a sale. Read Part 1 online here.

"You know it's hard out here for a pimp (you ain't knowin)
When he tryin' to get this money for the rent (you ain't knowin)
For the Cadillacs and gas money spent (you ain't knowin)
Because a whole lot of b*tches talkin' shit (you ain't knowin)..."

It's the industry theme song playing in the background as Buster's agent continues the marathon dialing and sales pitch.

The tastemakers on the target list have all been contacted. Buster has officially left the building.

And we're moving.

Buster's fate will now be met and determined by two remarkable forces. Here I'll focus your attention on one.

As we shadow Buster on this guided tour, please watch your step and as a reminder, no photography or recording device of any kind is allowed.

Folks, please keep in mind that YOU are about to enter a world open only to the most elite power players in the industry, a world of mighty creatures.

Sound the Trumpets please.

Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to the Tracking Board.

FULL STORY
 

NALIP Discount for NATPE 2010 Market & Conference

Join NATPE for its annual Market & Conference - the world's best multiplatform video conference. NATPE 2010 will feature an updated, bustling marketplace floor, a new three-day schedule and some exciting new programs and features!

NATPE 2010 Market & Conference
January 25 - 27, 2010
Mandalay Bay Resort
Las Vegas, Nevada

In its pilot year, NATPE Navigator is a breakthrough networking experience that enables buyers, sellers, and producers to identify and connect with potential business partners through customized itineraries and session agendas tailored to meet their specific goals. Back by popular demand, Tech & Emerging Media Zone is designed to showcase companies that fuel the creation, distribution and monetization of content.

Visit www.NATPEMARKET.com & use the NALIP promo code NATPENALIP for a $100 discount on registration!

FULL STORY
 

ACTORFEST LA 2009 this Saturday

NBC/UNIVERSAL and TELEMUNDO will be seeking Spanish speaking and bilingual actors at Back Stage's Actorfest LA on November 14th at the California Market Center!

ACTORFEST is a one-day event that provides an opportunity for actors from across the country to learn from experts and gain essential career planning advise in film, TV, theatre and other performing arts disciplines. This year, BACK STAGE is teaming up with NBC, Telemundo, and Disney Auditions to offer the largest range of open casting calls in the history of ACTORFEST. There will also be opportunities to meet casting directors from Universal and General Hospital and drop off a head shot.

Saturday, November 14, 2009
9am - 5pm
California Market Center
110 E. Ninth Street (Downtown)
Los Angeles, CA 90079

SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR NALIP MEMBERS!
BASIC REGISTRATION IS FREE! Free registration includes the exhibit hall, networking cafe and casting calls. Use the special Promotional Code PROMO15 when you register, and get 15% OFF on classes, workshops and casting director panel discussions!
GO TO www.actorfest.com TO REGISTER

FULL STORY
 

A Cine Sin Fin Quinceanera: 15th Annual East LA Chican@ Film Festival

Celebrate 15 Years of East LA Cinema in the heart of the Boyle Heights Arts District, Nov. 12th - Nov. 21st, 2009. All events take place at Casa 0101 Annex, 2126 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90033.

Film and Event Program Schedule:

Friday, Nov. 13th
Silent Shame (Feature - Dir. by NALIP member Dalia Tapia) & Opening Night Party. 8 pm

Saturday, Nov. 14th * Documentary Focus, 8 pm
Purepecha: Poorest of the Poor (Documentary Short - Dir. by Cheryl Quintana Leader)
As Long As I Remember: American Veteranos (Feature Documentary - Dir. by NALIP member Laura Varela [LPA 2003])

Friday, Nov. 20, 8 pm
Reel Polemic (Short - Dir. by Elias Serna)
Intimidad (Feature - Dir. by Ashley Sabin)

Saturday, Nov. 21, 8 pm
Tijuaneros (Short - Dir. by NALIP member Paul Bobadilla)
Between Stories (Feature - Dir. by Domingo Vara)

The TV Ensemble Cast Trend: A Good Thing for Latinos?
(Latin Heat Online) - It's a constant challenge to try to gauge the progress of Latinos in Hollywood, but it's possible that one of the metrics we've used for years - the number of 'Latino stars' with shows of 'their own' - may have outlived its usefulness due to the rise of the ensemble cast. FULL STORY
 

Indie Focus: 'Women in Trouble'
(Los Angeles Times) - Structured as a series of vignettes involving only a few characters at a time, "Women in Trouble," in theaters Friday, creates a world of campy happenstance and sexy confessionals reminiscent of the screwball melodramas of Pedro Almodóvar. FULL STORY

Drug Lord Film Stirs up Colombia
(Variety) - "Sins of My Father" is generating such a media frenzy in Colombia that the documentary on the son of drug lord Pablo Escobar has snared a huge release. FULL STORY

Natalia Almada
NALIPster to receive IDA's Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award

The nominees for the International Documentary Association's 2009 IDA Documentary Awards competition were announced today. In addition to competitive awards for the year's current crop of outstanding documentaries, IDA also acknowledges exemplary creative contributions to the field at large. IDA announced that the 2009 Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award will honor NALIP member Natalia Almada (LPA 2003, Estela). Born in Mexico, Almada's directing credits include All Water Has a Perfect Memory, an internationally recognized experimental short, Al Otro Lado, an award-winning feature documentary about immigration and drug trafficking, and El General, her latest feature, which won the U. S. Directing Award: Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

The IDA Documentary Awards will held on December 4th at the Directors Guild in Los Angeles, in a ceremony hosted by This American Life's Ira Glass. Tickets to the are available for purchase now on the IDA's website.

Ruth Livier
NALIPster first to get into WGA from self-financed web series

NALIP member Ruth Livier (LPA 2005/2007) has become the first person to join the Writers Guild of America solely from writing a self-financed web series. Her series, Ylse, is currently in its second season online (watch it here). Ruth is featured in the cover story of the Octover/November 2009 issue of Written By magazine, which can be read here.
 

Fanny Veliz
NALIPster producing new comedy web series

NALIP member Fanny Veliz is producing the new web series "No Kids. No Cry." The series is a humorous look at the issue of child support through the eyes of three single dads. Watch it now on YouTube, Blip.tv, and Funny or Die.

Article by Stacey Parks

Well I'm just back from Santa Fe, NM where I was teaching Distribution, Finance, and Marketing to the NALIP Latino Producer's Academy fellows. What a talented group of filmmakers! I fell truly honored to have been invited there to work with this group.

Yesterday when I was teaching a class on Packaging & Financing I went around the room and asked everyone what their most pressing question was on this topic - so that I made sure everyone left with getting their questions answered.

I was surprised that the most common question everyone wanted to know was about writing Proposals or Business Plans to investors. So here's a few tips I shared with the class, for those of you who are in the same situation:

1. Try and stick to a simple document for the first pass (ex: 10-15 pages vs. 30).

2. You don't need to include a detailed budget in your initial proposal, instead save it for if and when it's requested.

3. Use realistic and current sales projections, NOT comparables to show potential revenue for your project (you can get these in the 2009 Film Distribution Kit).

FULL STORY
 

Estela Winner Cruz Angeles Brings Don't Let Me Drown to LPA and Santa Fe Audience

In partnership with Santa Fe's Center for Contemporary Arts and Cinematheque, NALIP hosts a special screening and case study of Don't Let Me Drown in Santa Fe tonight. Cruz Angeles (Estela 2009) travelled to New Mexico to mentor LPA director and producer Fellows, and to present his Sundance award winning film Don't Let Me Drown at the CCA.

While a special part of the LPA curriculum, to get inside the development, production and release process of this special film, the screening was also open to the Santa Fe community, to bring them a wonderful example of Latino filmmaking. Co-hosted by Universal Studios and the New Mexico Film Office, the program concluded with an in depth Q&A with Cruz, led by CCA curator Jason Silverman.

For a terrific interview on the film's origins and themes, check out Cruz on Mary-Charlotte Domandi's KSFR 101.1 show, Santa Fe Radio Cafe, through a podcast of the piece posted here.

A link to it with a short blurb is also on the Huffington Post here.

Latino and Asian Clout in the Voting Booth
(Immigration Policy Center) - Immediately after the Presidential election of 2008, it was quickly apparent through exit polling that Latino, Asian, and African-American voting had expanded dramatically compared to the 2004 election. FULL STORY

Toronto Adds New Docs; Introduces One Day Doc Conference
(indieWIRE) - The 34th Toronto International Film Festival had added five new documentaries to its growing program, with topics ranging from a Ruth Gruber bio, a multi-faceted look at modern China, a controversial exploration into the world of the Saharawi refugees, a probing study on autism and the story of Disney’s re-emergence as an animation powerhouse. FULL STORY
 

Salma Hayek Grows Beard for Vampire's Assistant
(Latin Heat) - Director Paul Weitz's The Vampire's Assistant will premiere on October 23rd with Salma Hayek featured as Madame Truska the bearded lady. FULL STORY

Kenneth Reyes
NALIPster accepted to Project:Involve

Congratulations to NALIP member Kenneth Reyes, who has just been accepted to Project:Involve's Class of 2010!

His passion, talent, vision, and commitment as a filmmaker has earned him a spot as a producer in the 2009-2010 Project:Involve program, run by Los Angeles' Film Independent.

Announced this week by Project: Involve Manager Francisco Velasquez. Project:Involve is Film Independent's signature diversity program, dedicated to increasing cultural diversity in the film industry by cultivating the careers of under-represented filmmakers. The program, which runs from October through June, selects filmmakers from culturally diverse backgrounds and filmmaking tracks. The Fellows are paired one-on-one with a mentor from the film industry. In addition to the mentorship, the Fellows also attend filmmaking workshops, community screenings, and receive career development assistance.

Noemi Figueroa Soulet
NALIPster's doc screening at two fests

The Borinqueneers, a documentary produced and directed by NALIP member Noemi Figueroa Soulet, will be screening at two festivals in August in September:

The Saginaw Film Festival
August 22

The Borinqueneers will be presented at the 3rd Annual Saginaw Film Festival in Michigan which takes place August 20-23, 2009. The film will be screened on Saturday, August 22nd at 12:00pm at the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, 500 Federal, Saginaw, Michigan.

The Orlando Hispanic Film Festival
September 18 and 19

The Borinqueneers will be presented at the 3rd Annual Orlando Hispanic Film Festival (OHFF) in the heart of Orlando, Florida, during Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 16th - Sept. 20th, 2009. The film will be screened on Friday, September 18th at 2:00pm and Saturday, September 18th at 3:00pm at the Plaza Cinema CafA(c) in Downtown Orlando, 155 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801 (321) 558-2878.

Maya Film Series Schedule Announced

Maya Entertainment's mission is to provide filmmakers with a unique platform that will aid in expanding the audience for their works and to broaden the access point for consumers to experience independent film and media. With this objective in mind, Maya Entertainment proudly presents its first-annual, nationally branded, film series: Maya Independent Film Series Presented by Blockbuster.

Featuring international films from emerging Latino filmmakers, the series will highlight eight (8) theatrical premieres, assisting this select group in reaching the broadest possible audience and enabling Latino film enthusiasts and the general public to experience the power of Latino cinema.

Films
Bad Guys, Bajo la Sal, Cronicas Chilangas, The Line, Mancora, Once Upon a Time in Rio, Sultanes del Sur, Vicious Circle

Dates
July 17 - Los Angeles - Nuart Theatre
July 27 - New York - Clearview Chelsea Cinemas
August 7 - Chicago - Century Centre Cinema
- Washington DC - E Street Cinema
- Miami - CineBistro @ Dolphin Mall
August 14 - San Francisco - Lumiere Theatre
August 21 - San Diego - Hillcrest Cinemas
September 4 - Dallas - The Magnolia

FULL STORY
 

Call for Entries: Reel 13

WNET/Thirteen is excited to announce Reel 13 Shorts, an interactive on-line film competition that celebrates the best in independent short films. Each week, three finalists are selected from the submissions. Reel 13 viewers can then vote online for their favorites. The three finalists each week win a one year subscription to Vimeo Plus. The winning film of the week will be broadcast on Reel 13, Thirteen's weekly Saturday night programming block of classic and independent cinema.

WHAT IF I AM ACCEPTED?
* A preliminary judging panel will select finalists
* Finalists will have their film exhibited on WNET's Reel 13 Shorts website and/or embedded in other websites on the Internet
* The top rated film will be based on our interactive online viewer voting system. The decision of the online viewers is final.
* The top rated film will be exhibited over the broadcast facilities of WNET and by such other means of distribution as described in the official submission form.

FULL STORY
 

Call for Entries: The 48th Ann Arbor Film Festival

Bold visions. Adventurous Ideas. Skillfully crafted. Artistically inspired. These are the kinds of films sought for the 48th Ann Arbor Film Festival, the longest-running showcase of independent, experimental and artistically-inspired films in North America.

All lengths and genres considered: experimental, animation, documentary, narrative and music video.

* More than $20,000 awarded to films in competition
* Qualifying festival for Annual Academy Awards
* Select films participate on International Traveling Tour

Early Deadline: August 17

Visit the AAFF website and download a PDF application or submit online through the Withoutabox system.

Mid-Year Report: Specialty Box Office Winners & Losers
(indieWIRE) - Independence Day has come and gone, and as specialty distributors rev up their late summer sleepers and award-seeking fall slates, it’s time to take a glance back at the last six months. FULL STORY

Editors / Camera Operators / Compositors / Engineers
We are looking for experienced: Editors (Avid Nitris and Final Cut Pro), Camera Operator, DIT/Engineer, Switcher/Green Screen Compositor. FULL JOB DESCRIPTION

T.J. Collins
NALIPster's feature premiering at Long Island International Film Expo

NALIP member T.J. Collins' (LPA 2009) feature film Willets Point will have its premiere screening at the Twelfth Annual Long Island International Film Expo on July 13 at 7:00pm. The festival is just 45 minutes from NYC (LIRR - Next To Bellmore Train Station).

Willets Point, directed by first time filmmaker T.J. Collins is a family drama that centers on Guillo and Doris Blanco, a young couple living in Queens New York along with their 9 year old daughter. Their financial and personal problems catch up with them when they are threatened with eviction. Their marriage is tested when these unbearable circumstances brings to light a troubled past and threatens the future they all share.

FULL STORY
 

LuisCarlos Davis
NALIPster receives special recognition from city of Nogales, AZ

NALIP member LuisCarlos Davis (LPA 2007, LWL 2008) received a special recognition for his commitment and dedication as a film director and producer from the city of Nogales, Arizona and Mayor Octavio Garcia-Von Borstel (pictured at right, with LuisCarlos Davis on the left). LuisCarlos directed and produced the documentary 389 Miles "Living the Border."

LuisCarlos is currently directing and producing two documentaries, one in Mexico and the other one in Arizona. He is also writing a screenplay with the title of El Hoyo and co-writing a screenplay with the working title of Living Gods/Broken Idols.

For more information visit www.389miles.com

Jose C. Mangual
NALIPster production manages LA Ink, premiering tonight

Former NALIP staffer Jose C. Mangual worked as the production manager on the 3rd season of LA Ink at Kat Von D's tattoo shop in Hollywood. The season premieres tonight at 10pm on TLC. Check out a sneak preview online here.

One Latino Filmmaker will win $10,000

George Lopez's New Movie Premiering on Nick at Nite Just in Time for Father's Day

You're invited to watch the world premiere of George Lopez's new movie Mr. Troop Mom on Nick at Nite this Friday, June 19 at 8pm/7c.

Jennifer Lopez Begins Shooting Her First Movie in Three Years
(Daily Mail) - The Back-Up Plan is Jennifer's first film role in three years after her last movie Bordertown went straight to DVD in her native America. FULL STORY

 

Ambulante Gira de Documentales Panel at LAFF

Ambulante Gira de Documentales is sponsoring a panel discussion at the Los Angeles Film Festival: "Spotlight on Ambulante Festival: Filmmaking without Borders" with Diego Luna (Ambulante), Pablo Cruz (Ambulante), NALIP member Natalie Almada (El General), Gaul Cuesta and Anais Huerta (Rehje), Nailea Norvind (Born Without), Rebecca Cammisa (Which Way Home) Cherien Dabis (Amreeka). Moderator is Reed Johnson (Los Angeles Times).

June 24th at 7:00pm
Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

There will be a party following the panel discussion at the Whiskey Blue (inside the W Hotel Westwood), 930 N. Hilgard, Los Angeles. June 24th at 9:30pm. Access to the party will be limited, please RSVP at vanessa@canana.net by June 22nd.
 

Josefina Lopez
NALIPster's monologues and vignettes featured in new stage piece

CASA 0101 is proud to present Ride to the Eastside - a new stage piece featuring monologues and vignettes by NALIP member and mentor Josefina Lopez, as well as up-and-coming writers and bus riders - play will run June 19-21, 26-28 and July 10-12.

For tickets and details visit www.casa0101.org

FULL STORY


 

Call for Entries: Ultimate Filmmaker Comptetition

Your feature film produced and distributed with this dynamic, all-inclusive filmmaking competition that will launch and/or establish your life as a filmmaker. The winning entrant will receive a minimum $200,000 cash grant along with resources for a total value of more than $500,000. And it doesnt stop there. The film will be distributed on multiple platforms simultaneously theatrical, cable and online - for maximum global exposure. No full script necessary for the first round of submission.

NALIP 10 Article in IDA Newsletter

NALIP member Chelo Alvarez-Stehle (LPA 2008) wrote an article about the NALIP 10 conference for the International Documentary Association's e-newsletter, which can be read below.

FULL STORY

 

Bernardo Ruiz
NALIP Board Member represents WGAE to lobby Congress for increased PBS and CPB funding

The Writers Guild of America, East is urging the Obama Administration and Congress to increase appropriations for public broadcasting. NALIP Board Member (and Writer's Guild of America, East member) Bernardo Ruiz joined WGAE Executive Director, Lowell Peterson and a small delegation of writers (from the Daily Show with John Stewart, American Experience, Bill Moyers and The West Wing) to lobby Congress and the U.S. House of Representatives to increase appropriations for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Ruiz and other writers met with Senate majority leader Harry Reid, Speaker Pelosi's office and Congressman David Obey, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee. As an ultimate goal, the guild is urging our new administration to secure long-term funding and save public broadcasting from political and commercial crosscurrents.

Tres Generaciones Seeks NALIP 10 Feedback

Tres Generaciones would like to congratulate NALIP for organizing such a wonderful ten year anniversary celebration, as well as applaud the honorees for their accomplishments. It was a pleasure to support NALIP's efforts, laugh along with the master of ceremonies, enjoy Kenny Ortega's dance moves on stage, and toast the night away!

Your feedback is essential to our efforts. Please take a few minutes to share your opinion in this Online Survey.

FULL STORY


 

Article by Marvin V. Acuna

multi.plic.ity
noun
1. the quality or condition of being manifold or various
2. a great number

NALIP Discount for Factual Entertainment Forum: The Real Deal

From the team behind the world's biggest and best non-fiction entertainment conference and the world's foremost authority on non-fiction, realscreen magazine, comes the Factual Entertainment Forum: The Real Deal.

Deadline Approaching: Spotlight on Documentaries of Independent Film Week (NYC)

The 31st Annual Independent Film Week will be held September 19-24, 2009 in NYC. Independent Film Week (formerly the IFP Market) is a national program connecting projects with financiers, producers and programmers before they are completed and on the festival circuit.

LYDIA $20 Ticket Offer for NALIP Members

It is one of those rare miraculous events: a Latino playwright and director present a major play on the Mark Taper Forum main stage, so do not miss Octavio Solis’ beautiful play, LYDIA. And the Director is LPA/LWL Fellow Juliette Carillo! Tickets are $20 for NALIP members to see LYDIA at the Mark Taper Forum at the Music Center, downtown Los Angeles.

For more information, review quotes and video, please visit: www.centertheatregroup.org To get $20 tickets please use code TEATRO (restrictions apply, expires May 14).

FULL STORY

 

Carlos Cuaron Talks Cursi and Cha Cha Cha
(indieWIRE) - The making of “Rudo y Cursi” was like a big fat family reunion. This clan, though, is linked by creative affinities as well as blood ties. FULL STORY

Island Connects Via Charming Family Dysfunction
(The Hollywood Reporter) - A comedy of family dysfunction that sneaks up on you despite its wholly predictable elements, "City Island" is a low-key charmer that showcases topliner Andy Garcia's heretofore underutilized comic talents. FULL STORY

 

Miguel Mas
NALIPster wins Award of Merit from The Indie Fest

NALIP member Miguel Mas has won a prestigious Award of Merit from The Indie Fest for his feature film Love Equation. First time director, writer, and producer Miguel Mas impressed the judges with the creativity, visuals, and artistry of the film. The award also mentioned the editing and sound design, as well as the selection of music and the fascinating score by Emilio Kauderer.

FULL STORY
 

Several NALIP NY members collaborate on short film Trouble Child

NALIP NY president, Adel L. Morales is finishing up HollyHood Productions' latest short film, Trouble Child. This film is brimming with an abundance of gifted NALIP NY members who pooled their talents and resources together to help bring this story about a disillusioned seventeen-year-old girl to fruition.

LYDIA $20 Ticket Offer for NALIP Members

It is one of those rare miraculous events: a Latino playwright and director present a major play on the Mark Taper Forum main stage. It has been years since a non-Cultural Clash Latino writer has been featured here, so do not miss Octavio Solis’ beautiful play, LYDIA. And the Director is LPA/LWL Fellow Juliette Carillo! Please take advantage of a special offer from the Center Theater Group: Tickets for $20 for NALIP members to see LYDIA at the Mark Taper Forum at the Music Center, downtown Los Angeles.

LYDIA is a lyrical and magical meditation on family and cultural identity, an expertly crafted, shocking play of discovery. The Flores family welcomes Lydia, an undocumented maid, into their El Paso home to care for a daughter who was tragically disabled three days before her quinceanera. The two women’s mysterious and nearly miraculous bond threatens to expose long-buried secrets and destroy the troubled family. Set in the 1970s on the Texas border separating the United States and Mexico, LYDIA is the deeply emotional story of a group of people dealing with loss and teetering between two worlds. Mature themes. Recommended for adults only.

For more information, review quotes and video, please visit: www.centertheatregroup.org To get $20 tickets please use code TEATRO

Restrictions apply. Valid on all seats in Section B for Tues, Wed, and Thur. perfs. only. Subject to availability. Not valid on previously purchased tickets. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Expires May 14.

Turner Classic Movies to Look at Latino Images in Film in May

Marking the fourth in an ongoing series of film festivals exploring Hollywood's portrayal of different racial groups, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will turn its spotlight on the cinematic depiction of Latinos. Throughout the month of May, TCM's RACE AND HOLLYWOOD: LATINO IMAGES IN FILM will showcase 40 films, past and present, that show the progression of how Latino characters and culture are depicted in cinema. Joining TCM's Robert Osborne in hosting the festival will be founding NALIP board member and UCLA professor Chon Noriega, author of "Shot in America: Television, the State, and the Rise of Chicano Cinema."

Call for Entries: Stella Artois Short Film Competition

As a global supporter of independent film, Stella Artois appreciates your dedication and understands the many sacrifices you make to achieve your vision. From hours spent setting up each shot and capturing every nuance to investing every penny you have -- you create the stories that move us most. Stories so good no one could possibly tell them better. Stories that are worth the price of perfection.

Call for Entries: Orlando Hispanic Film Festival

The Orlando Hispanic Film Festival is now accepting feature film, short film, documentary, short documentary and feature screenplay submissions. To qualify for awards, production must include a Writer, Director, Producer, Actor, or Cinematographer of Hispanic descent; or the theme must deal with Hispanic issues.

Hathaway, Shatner and Bratt Lead Prism Awards
(Hollywood.com) - Anne Hathaway, William Shatner and Benjamin Bratt were among the winners at the 2009 Prism Awards, honoring Hollywood productions that raise awareness of drug-related issues. FULL STORY

Robert Rodriguez Wields Machete
(Variety) - Robert Rodriguez is ready to cut a wide swathe, and his plans include re-launching the "Predator" franchise for Fox and co-directing "Machete." FULL STORY

Flavio Morales
NALIP board member named to Multichannel News' "Forty Under 40" list

Each year, the editors of Multichannel News choose 40 movers and shakers under the age of 40 who are helping their companies grow and succeed, while playing an important part in mapping the future of cable and telecommunications. Included in this year's list is NALIP board member and VP of Programming for Mun2, Flavio Morales.

David Valdes
NALIP trustee's show "Paul Rodriguez & Friends: Comedy Rehab" premieres May 1 @ 11pm

"Paul Rodriguez & Friends: Comedy Rehab," produced by NALIP trustee David Valdes, will have its world premiere on Comedy Central on Friday, May 1st at 11pm.

Alex Ferrari
NALIPster launches MySpace comedy channel

NALIP member and LPA mentor Alex Ferrari (LPA 2006) has launched a new comedy channel on MySpace.com called www.imreallyfunny.com and we will have new hilarious short films every week. The first episode is called: "ZOMBIE MARRIAGE COUNSELING: I'M A LESBIAN" Watch Gary & Tammy as they work through 200 year old issues in the first episode of this hilarious new series ONLY on MySpace! The series team is made up of crazy Latinos Alex Ferrari, Ricardo Gale (NALIP LPA Mentor) and Jill-Michele Melean (MAD TV, Reno 911).

FULL STORY

Katrina Elias
NALIPster's play opens in West Hollywood, 4/30-5/10

The new American Latino Theatre presents its first production of the 2009-10 season, Red Colombian Sky by NALIP member Katrina Elias (LPA 2004) at 'the lot' in West Hollywood, April 30 through May 10.

Deadline Approaching: NATPE Diversity Fellowship Program

Through NALIP's partnership with NATPE, we are offering you a great opportunity to become a Diversity Fellow this summer. Now in its fourth year, the NATPE Diversity Fellowship Program, presented in collaboration with the Walter Kaitz Foundation, provides a small group of emerging television and video content creators of color with the next step in their career development. The Fellowship offers a series of mentoring meetings, workshops, networking and educational opportunities and kicks off during the week of NATPE's LATV Fest, July 8-9, 2009.

The application deadline is April 28, 2009.

Watch an informative video, read more on the Program and download an application on the NATPE Diversity Fellowship information page for NALIP members.

Experience MovieMaker's Dollar Days With NALIP Discount

It's not too late to take advantage of MovieMaker Magazine's "Dollar Days."

Texas Gov. Signs Film Incentive Bill
(KVUE) - Governor Rick Perry signed House Bill 873 into law Thursday, providing $60 million in funding over the next two years for the Texas Film Incentive Program. The governor signed the bill at filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios. FULL STORY
 

Liz Garcia On Board to Pen The Au Pairs
(Latin Heat Online) - Liz Garcia has been brought on board as the scribe for Warner Bros. The Au Pairs, the first in the book series The Au Pairs written by Melissa de la Cruz. FULL STORY

 

In Sleep Dealer the Future, Creepily, is Now
(Los Angeles Times) - When writer-director Alex Rivera first conceived his dark sci-fi immigrant drama "Sleep Dealer," Americans were still in the heady throes of the late '90s, naive to the war, the jingoism and the paranoia that awaited them. FULL STORY

Volunteers for Reel Rasquache Film Festival
Seeking volunteers for Reel Rasquache, which will be screening full program of films that tell the U.S. Latino Experience, along with displaying Art from local artist from May 15th-17th on the campus of Cal State Univ, Los Angeles. FULL JOB DESCRIPTION

Los Angeles Times Runs Major Story on NALIP 10
 

The Los Angeles Times has run a major story on the NALIP 10 conference and the state of Latinos in the industry, reprinted here:

By Alicia Lozano, Los Angeles Times

On a breezy afternoon in Newport Beach, hundreds of Latino filmmakers descended upon the swanky Island Hotel to celebrate "A Decade of Influence" at the National Assn. of Latino Independent Producers' 10th annual conference.

"The inside thinks 'Three Amigos' is a diversity effort," Galan said. "Nothing reflects the voice of U.S.-born, English-speaking American Latinos."

"It seems to me that the characterization of Latinos is not only very sparse, it's also very limited," he said in an interview. "In order to appreciate the demographic, you have to deal with people on a broader level. The stories that are being told are very cliche."

FULL STORY

Francisco Ordonez & Franc. Reyes
Ordonez to direct film for Reyes' production company

Alumbra Films, a production company formed by NALIP member and writer, director, producer and songwriter Franc. Reyes (Empire, Illegal Tender, The Ministers) has joined forces with an independent investment group to produce American Latino English language theatrical motion pictures. The first three films to be developed by this new alliance are Blood Of The Martyr, Tenement, and Brutality.

Through NALIP's partnership with NATPE, we are offering you a great opportunity to become a Diversity Fellow this summer. Now in its fourth year, the NATPE Diversity Fellowship Program, presented in collaboration with the Walter Kaitz Foundation, provides a small group of emerging television and video content creators of color with the next step in their career development. The Fellowship offers a series of mentoring meetings, workshops, networking and educational opportunities and kicks off during the week of NATPE's LATV Fest, July 8-9, 2009.

The application deadline is April 28, 2009.

Watch an informative video, read more on the Program and download an application on the NATPE Diversity Fellowship information page for NALIP members.

Deadline Approaching: CBS Diversity Institute's Writers Mentoring Program

The application deadline is approaching for the seventh session of the CBS Diversity Institute's Writers Mentoring Program, for the 2009-2010 session. The Writers Mentoring Program helps aspiring writers to break in and move up in the business. Each participant is matched with two mentors - one is a senior level writer/producer on a CBS or CW primetime series, the other is a CBS, CW or Paramount TV creative executive. Participants meet regularly with their mentors for advice and support on improving their writing skills as well as career advice and guidance.

Miami Latin Gay Film Festival Opens
(Sun Sentinel) - Beginning tonight and running through Sunday, the Miami Latin Gay Film Festival offers a preview of its annual summer event at various locations in Miami-Dade County and Fort Lauderdale. FULL STORY

 

NALIP 10 Starts On Friday!
NALIP 10: A Decade of Influence begins tomorrow in Newport Beach! We look forward to seeing everyone at this exciting national conference. Registered attendees may check-in at the hotel between 9am-6pm on Friday. Visit the NALIP 10 website to see the full program schedule.

 

Pablo Proenza & Erin Ploss-Campoamor
NALIPsters' film Dark Mirror released on May 6
Feature length supernatural thriller Dark Mirror, by NALIP members Pablo Proenza (director, LWL 2004) and Erin Ploss-Campoamor (producer, LPA 2004), will be released by IFC Films on May 6 as part of "IFC in Theaters."

It's a science-fiction, but has nothing do to with space aliens, or cops who shoot robots. Sleep Dealer is a film of ideas - and it looks at the future from a perspective never seen before: from south of the border, looking at America from the outside.

A.O. Scott of The New York Times says: Sleep Dealer is "Exuberantly entertaining -- a dystopian fable of globalization disguised as a science-fiction adventure...."

Sleep Dealer is a thriller filled with lush visuals and big ideas about the future of war, immigration, the environment, and the border.

There's more information at sleepdealer.com
Theater and ticketing details are online here.

As we all, know, audiences on opening weekend determine the future of a film, so please go to the theater this weekend and support this film - and in the process support the idea of a more wild, diverse, and relevant cinema!

Again - the opening is this weekend, Friday April 17th, in Los Angeles and New York!

Call for Submissions: Fox Diversity Writers Initiative

The Fox Entertainment Group announces the 2009 edition of its Diversity Writers Initiative. We again invite submission of original television pilot scripts in the multi-camera comedy, single-camera comedy, animation and drama formats. Writers selected will be invited to attend a six-week session at Writers Boot Camp and subsequent consultation with WBC mentors during which their scripts will be rewritten and improved. The goal is to execute scripts at a level of professional quality equal to those purchased by Fox in the course of its normal television development.

NALIP Lifetime Achievement Award winner Rafael Montañez Ortiz Performs "Primal Scream" Live, April 16
 

25th Chicago Latino Film Festival, April 17-29

Proudly presented by the International Latino Cultural Center, the Chicago Latino Film Festival celebrates its first quarter-century with over 100 feature and short films in an array of genres-fiction, documentary, animation, drama and comedy. The Festival runs April 17-29. The film selections continue to reflect the great diversity of the Latino culture from the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal, and Spain.

Hispanic Fan Base Fuels Film's Success
(HispanicBusiness.com) - In addition to the roar of car engines and the blast of automatic weapons fire, there's another sound in "Fast & Furious" that's been integral to the franchise's success: Spanish-language dialogue and accents. FULL STORY
 

Fest Thrives with Vargas in the Director's Chair
(Lake County News-Sun) - The Chicago Latino Film Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary, thanks to the steadfast work of its founder and executive director Pepe Vargas. FULL STORY
 

Closing the On-Demand Gap
(Multichannel News) - In a rare departure from traditional pay-per-view movie windows, TVN Entertainment is working with upstart Hispanic-targeted entertainment company Maya Entertainment to premiere a film on video-on-demand concurrent with its theatrical release. FULL STORY

Back Stage's Actorfest at NALIP 10 this THURSDAY, APRIL 16

This Thursday, April 16 is a FREE special Latino edition of Back Stage's Actorfest at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach. This full day of open calls, auditions, master classes, and meetings with casting directors is open to ALL interested talent (you do not need to be registered for the conference). Also, come and meet executives and staff members from the Screen Actors Guild at the SAG Lounge. Click here for details!

Black Delta
Band performing at NALIP 10, with free tequila tasting

NALIP 10 Co-Chair, Ligiah Villalobos encourages everyone not to miss Black Delta's Friday night performance at NALIP 10 after the screening of Sleep Dealer.

Ligiah saw the group perform live a few weeks back at On The Rox for the Emergenza Music Festival, and is thrilled to hear that NALIP will be showcasing such an amazing band! Check them out. You won't regret it! Tequila tasting during Black Delta's performance will be provided courtesy of Tres Generaciones!
 

Be sure to stop by the Showbiz Software Booth and register for the special Nano iPod Raffle - winners to be announced at the Black Delta evening.

Tres Generaciones Tequila Celebrates Visionaries at NALIP 10
 

Chelo Alvarez-Stehle
LPA Fellow's doc selected for BVAC's Producers Institute of New Media Technologies

NALIP member Chelo Alvarez-Stehle's (LPA 2008) documentary Sands of Silence has been selected to participate in BVAC's Producers Institute of New Media Technologies, a 10-day residency to develop interactive Web, mobile, multimedia and game projects in San Francisco in early June.

Chelo will be developing her documentary new media strand, SOS_SLAVES, a video game to raise awareness about human trafficking, along with NALIP member editor Maria Zeiss (LPA 2008), and animator David Navas. It was at NALIP's Latino Producers Academy that Chelo was made fully aware of the potential of developing new media in connection with a documentary film.