ONLY ELEVEN DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER FOR THE 2004 EDITION OF THE ANNUAL LATINO WRITERS LAB

April 22 – 25, 2004 - New York, NY

NALIP, New York International Latino Film Festival and the Writers Guild of America-East present: The Latino Writers Lab  at the Roger Smith Hotel, 501 Lexington Street, NYC

  Every movie in release, every film at a festival, every telefilm or DVD at Blockbuster began with a script. Every shooting script began as a first draft.  Every first draft was a treatment or a concept. It seems like everyone has a screenplay but, the truth is, every producer and funder is looking for a good one.  The more great screenplays that Latinos write, the more films will be made and the more writers will go on to careers writing and rewriting for film and television. This is the path to a louder Latino voice in media. 

   NALIP, in association with the WGAE and NYILFF, invites you to apply for this workshop that develops and promotes Latino writing talent.  20 emerging Latino writers of film and television will be selected for this 4-day, all-day workshop experience. Writers accepted to the workshop develop a viable television or movie project in a highly supportive, nurturing environment, alongside seasoned industry professionals.  Networking lunches and dinners bring workshop participants together with agents, managers, industry executives, and visiting guest artists from east and west coasts.

   Prior to the workshop, writers submit to the workshop's director one of the following:  a series of 3-5 pitches of which one will be selected for development; a rough draft screenplay on which notes will be given; a stage play or short story for adaptation; or an existing treatment for rewriting. The workshop commences with a talk on story logic and structure, affecting characterizations, genre, tone, and pitching technique.

 ADMISSION TO THE WORKSHOP 

   NALIP promotes outstanding Latino talent. Admission to the workshop is highly competitive, and limited to 20 NALIP member writers. Applicants are required to submit a resume and a copy of the treatment or screenplay they hope to workshop. Writing applicants primarily interested in developing a pitch are asked to submit a prior piece of dramatic writing. Writers adapting short stories and stage plays must also submit a writing sample unless they are themselves the authors of the material they are submitting for adaptation.  Writers selected by the admissions committee are asked to familiarize themselves with the workshop projects prior to April 22. 

Registration

·       Please complete the application (download by clicking here) and send it, with your materials and payment to:

       NALIP Writer’s Lab, Attn:  Octavio Marin, 2425 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 600E,

       Santa Monica, CA, 90404

·      LWL writers will be selected based on the quality of their recent work, creativity, commitment to their careers in writing and dedication to sharpening their skills.

·       Deadline for applications is Friday, March 5.  Writers will be notified by April 1. 

·      Fee for the Lab is $250.  This includes 4-day lab, lunches, coffee breaks, materials and networking reception.  You must include a check or credit card number to apply, you will not be charged until you are accepted. 

Special LWL rates are available for rooms at the Roger Smith Hotel for out-of-town writers.  Six (6) lodging scholarships are available:  Please send that request with your application.

ON THE SCENE ®: Almodovar's "La Mala Educacion" to Open 57^th Festival de Cannes  (by Brian Brooks, February 23, 2004)

Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's "La Mala Educacion" (Bad Education) will open the 57th Festival de Cannes on Wednesday, May 12th the festival announced early Friday. Written and directed by Almodovar, the film stars Gael Garcia Bernal ("Y Tu Mama Tambien"), Fele Martinez ("Dos tipos duros"), and Javier Camara, who starred in Almodovar's
previous project "Hable con ella" (Talk to Her). According to the official Cannes announcement, the film "tells the story of two young boys who discover love, film and fear in the  1960s in a religious school run by Father Manolo. The three characters meet again at the end of the 1970s and during the 1980s."

"Kill Bill: Vol 2" by Quentin Tarantino -- who will head the jury this year -- had been speculated as the opener of the festival this year. The news that "La Mala Educacion" would open, however, seemed to take some by surprise. "If it's true, then we're thrilled," Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker told indieWIRE after a call for comment. Sony Classics will distribute the film in North America.

Read the Full Story @ indieWIRE.com
http://www.indiewire.com/onthescene/onthescene_040223cann.html

More "Cannes" Coverage @ indieWIRE.com

http://www.indiewire.com/cannes/