NALIP Latino Media Market:

How does it Work with NALIP Conference VI?

Producers!  The new NALIP Latino Media Market is an excellent opportunity to have specific, professional meetings with motivated executives and buyers about your projects & careers.  If you are selected, these 4-8 meetings are scheduled during time windows on Friday and Saturday, March 4 & 5.  You will miss a few panels & workshops, but no keynotes, networking receptions or meals!  There will be many other seminars & labs to attend around your meetings, but you won't have to try and grab the attention of key funders, or bring them up to speed on your specific project.

Documentary makers:  foreign and domestic buyers, plus Foundation execs and public t.v. representatives will be present.  Feature makers:  try out the pitch on your script, or present a full package to fund your direct-to-dvd budget.

Don't miss this added benefit of NALIP membership and NALIP Conference VI.

Deadline: 

January 15, 2005

NALIPster RAY SANTISTEBAN GETS AIRTIME ON PBS

PBS is set to broadcast two segments NALIP member and 2003 LPA Fellow, Ray Santisteban, produced for the new children's series "Postcards from Buster" based on characters from the animated program "Arthur" in JANUARY '05.  The program is intended for kids from 6-11ish.  So, if you know anyone with kids those ages...please pass this on!!!

Both stories feature Latino kids.

Broadcast times will vary depending on location--Check your local listings for date and times:

LOW RIDERS (EAST LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA)
Series:      POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER
Length:      28 min.

#125

Program Description
Buster thought he had his heart set on buying a sparkling new Schwibbermeier 5000 bike direct from their L.A. factory. But when he meets R.J. and his younger cousins Brian and Anthony in east L.A., they introduce him to the world of lowrider bikes. Buster finds out that sometimes the coolest things aren't what you can buy but what you can make.

Program: BUSTER GETS ON BOARD (LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA)
Series:      POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER
Length:      28 min.

#132
Program Description Inspired by his arrival in Hollywood, Buster decides to direct a skateboarding action flick featuring Sue Ellen's pen pal Brandon and his skateboarding team. Buster discovers that courage and dedication are two key ingredients to becoming serious skateboarders.

LPA 2004 Fellow Selected for HIGHLY Competitive ABC Television Writing Fellowship

Yes, it's true!  Our very own Maria Escobedo has just received a 1-year Television Writing Fellowship at ABC Entertainment.  Out of approximately 2,800 applicants, she was invited to an interview round prior to Christmas with working producers like one from "Lost", and has just learned that she is one of about 10 fellows who will spend the year in Los Angeles writing spec scripts under the guidance of ABC executives and current ABC producers.

Becoming staffed on a show is a dream of hers, and while not guaranteed, is definitely a possibility out of this highly competitive program.

Maria, we wish you the very best of luck, and welcome you to the West Coast!  We hope you may someday write more about the process and fellowship from the front.

CALL FOR ENTRIES-Mujeres in Film

When?  March 11-18 2005

Why?  To honor women in film.

Where?  Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

What?  A week of films made by women

Round table discussions about women and film documentary as social tools of growth.  The program focuses on films and documentaries.  Given all the attention received by documentaries recently, the panel "Docs: Where Are The Women's Voices?" is being organized.  The program includes a selection of Women Make Movies films.

Please submit your work by January 25^th to:

Isla Films

c/o Frances Lausell

Cacique 2203

San Juan, PR 00913

Please include the following information:

--Title

--Synopsis  

--Length

--Format

--Festival participation

--Brief bio of filmmaker

To participate please contact Frances Lausell @ islafilms@coqui.net  

An event made possible by The Office of Women's Affairs of Puerto Rico, Cine Ballajá, NALIP, Women Make Movies, TUTV & Islafilms.com.

No charge for submissions.  If you need your material returned please send a self addressed stamped envelope.  Special hotel rates available for participants.  Conference fee free to NALIP Members.

The Museum of Contemporary Art and IFP/Los Angeles extends an invitation to all NALIP members to attend a complimentary film screening of 24 Hours on Craigslist, directed by Michael Ferris Gibson on Thursday, January 20, 2005 at 7:30pm, with a reception immediately following.

24 HOURS ON CRAIGSLIST

In 1995, Craigslist.org was born: a free, down-to-earth and uncensored bulletin board that revolutionized the ease and speed with which people could communicate, exchange goods and services, and create community.  Starting from a single post on Craigslist, eight film crews were assembled to document a random day-in-the-life of what has evolved into the world's largest community web site.  From personal ads to housing, an Ethel Merman drag queen and a diabetic cat support group - the mundane, sublime, ridiculous, and profound, all come together to celebrate in this hilarious and often foreboding documentary.

Q&A with the filmmaker and reception will follow the screening.

Admission is complimentary for any NALIP member (plus one guest each).  No reservations are required.  Please present this e-mail invitation for entrance.  Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The screening will take place at the SilverScreen Theater at the Pacific Design Center located at 8687 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, CA, on the corner of Melrose Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard.  The theater is on the second floor of the Pacific Design Center's green building.

Parking is available at a reduced rate of $5 in the Pacific Design Center indoor and outdoor lots.  Enter from San Vicente Boulevard just north of Melrose Avenue.  Once you have parked, follow the signs to the theater.

This screening is sponsored by MOCA, IFP/LA, and the Pacific Design Center.  New Film Works is a monthly screening series highlighting the best films from filmmakers working outside the mainstream.  The series presents contemporary narrative and documentary features that have not yet received American distribution or release.  The series aims to expand the understanding and appreciation of independent film as a contemporary art form.

For additional information, please call Julianna Brannum at IFP/Los Angeles at 310/432-1211.

Searching For LATINA STORIES

Empowering Latinas Inc. & Yasmin Davidds Corporation is searching for stories of Latinas's expereinces in the following areas:

*  How Changing Your Perspective Changed Your Life
*  How a Mentor Changed Your Life
*  How You Discovered the Unwritten Rules of Life
*  How You Became the Hero of Your Own Life
*  Do You Believe You Have the Power to Change the World?  
   If so, How? and Why?
*  How You Have Authored Your Own Life
*  How You Discovered Your Faith
*  If life Is A Game, These Are Your Rules
*  How You Found Your Unstoppable Latina Spirit

The stories submitted should be 250 words or less.  If your story is
chosen, you will be contacted for an interview and your story will be
featured in one of Yasmin Davids's upcoming books in 2005.

Please submit all stories to ydaviddsg@msn.com. 
Please include your name and contact information.

SPECIAL INVITATION & ANNOUNCEMENTS from JD Mata award winning filmmaker of "Pan dulce / Sweet bread"

Number One: Watch a special segment on JD Mata this Sunday January 9 at 11:30 AM (Note that is one week earlier than anticipated........but due to buzzzzz on "Pan dulce/ Sweet bread" A.B.C. made decision to air it one week earlier)..........

Number Two:  There will be a speical showing  of "Pan dulce / Sweet bread" for friends MONDAY JANUARY 24, 2005 at 7PM at Notre Dame High School located at 13645 Riverside Drive, Sherman Oaks, Ca 91423 ( www.NDHS.org / 818-933-3600)...........there is limited seating for 100 only....e-mail RSVP to sifthbeatle@msn com....showing is due to requests from those not able to attend the showing at NOSOTROS Latin American Film Festival ( "Pan dulce / Sweet bread" won the Audience Award for BEST FEATURE FILM ) and for those who could not attend the  Texas "CineSol" film festival where "Pan dulce / Sweet bread" received standing ovations) ....... for friends in Texas we will be returning for an encore showing at the El Rey Theatre in Mcallen, Texas soon...........

Number Three:  The principal photography is completed on JD Mata's "LOS GIRASOLES / Behind the Sunflower" and is now in post production and we will update you................JD Mata's "The Divorce Party" rolls into production this month and we want to thanks everyone that has participated in the two readings.................We wish everyone a good NEW Year and best of luck in all your endeavors.

Sincerely Mario Valdez Juarez

P.S. My apologies to those that were not able to see me in Josefina Lopez's world premiere of her play "Boyle Heights" due to it being sold out for the last three weeks; but remember I did tell you to make reservations early!!!

Latinos Love Johnny Depp While Blacks Still Adore Denzel      By Peter Ortiz -January 5, 2005--© 2005 DiversityInc.com

If you want to understand Johnny Depp's popularity with Latinos, forget ethnicity for a minute.

Unlike African Americans, who chose Denzel Washington as their favorite movie star for 2004, Latinos selected a non-Latino in Depp, according to a Harris Poll of 1,015 U.S. adults.  OK, but we're sure to find a Latino within the top six picked by Latinos, right?

Try Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Sean Connery and George Clooney instead.  Compare that with Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Julia Roberts and Morgan Freeman who followed behind Washington as favorites for blacks.

So why wasn't a Latino selected as No. 1 for Latinos, let alone among the top six?  Frances Negrón-Muntaner, a professor at Columbia University and an award-winning filmmaker, writer and scholar, offers several reasons for Depp's popularity that further prove Latinos are not one homogenous group that is necessarily swayed by ethnicity in choosing who and what they like to watch.

"I don't think the majority of Latinos are interested in seeing cinema or television just for the sake of being Latino," Negrón-Muntaner said. "I think they want to see good stuff."

Only one person of color made the overall Top 10 list, which included:

1-Tom Hanks

2-Mel Gibson

3-Julia Roberts

4-Johnny Depp

5-Harrison Ford

6-Denzel Washington

7-John Wayne

8-Clint Eastwood

9-Sean Connery

10-George Clooney 

Tanya Kersey-Henley, founder and executive director of the Hollywood Black Film Festival, said it isn't surprising that Washington was the favorite for blacks, as well as on the Top 10 list overall, describing him as "our Tom Hanks."

"The day Denzel Washington becomes No. 1 on the overall list, then that says a lot," she said.

Kersey-Henley said another meaningful measure will be how many blacks can break through onto the general list in the future.  She also isn't surprised that Latinos voted Depp their top pick.

"People just like him," she said.  "My kids are teenagers and they love Johnny Depp."    

Negrón-Muntaner pointed out that Depp's "Latin look" makes it easy for Latino audiences to identify with him, such as his Latin-lover role in the movie "Don Juan DeMarco".  But beyond looks, Depp exhibits a different kind of American masculinity that isn't at all reminiscent of the all-American, blue-eyed, WASP man traditionally portrayed as the classic hero.  Depp also has embraced nontraditional roles in films, such as a Cuban transvestite in "Before Night Falls" and as the endearing oddity in "Edward Scissorhands".

Depp doesn't conform to the mainstream, yet he is accepted by the mainstream, Negrón-Muntaner points out.  This is a crucial characteristic that many Latinos admire and strive for in trying to live a bicultural existence. Negrón-Muntaner also chairs the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) and released her latest book, "Boricua Pop: Puerto Ricans and the Latinization of American Culture," in 2004.

"A lot of Latinos want to enjoy first-class citizenship, but also want to be themselves," she said.

Negrón-Muntaner did express surprise that not one Latino made the top six for Latinos, and suggested the poll might have been reflective of a more mainstream Latino audience who easily identified with American culture.  The poll questionners did not prompt respondents with a choice of actors; they only asked them, "Who is your favorite movie star?"  The poll also showed that respondents ages 18 to 29 selected Depp as their No. 1 choice.  She said a variety of factors, including low visibility, few interesting roles and poorly promoted movies, might explain why Latino respondents did not see Latino actors as major stars.

TV Azteca to Face Fraud Charges

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. regulators on Tuesday filed civil fraud charges against TV Azteca, accusing the Mexican media company, its chairman and two directors of conspiring to conceal $109 million in profits from a controversial debt transaction.

Full story @: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050104/sec_azteca_4.html

Clifton Collins Jr. gets 'Dirty'

Hollywood Reporter--Jan 7, 2005

Clifton Collins Jr., Cuba Gooding Jr., and Judy Reyes are getting 'Dirty' for writer-director Chris Fisher.  The three actors top line the indie feature, which is being produced by Deviant Film's David Hillary and Tim Peternel and Silver Nitrate's Ash Shah.  Tory Kittles ('Tigerland'), singer-songwriter Wyclef Jean and Wood Harris ('The Wire') round out the cast.

Collins and Gooding play gangbangers who are now dirty LAPD cops trying to cover their tracks in a precinct scandal.  Reyes is an Internal Affairs officer.  Principal shooting began Tuesday.

'Spanglish' Director James L. Brooks to Receive Honor

Hollywood Reporter--Jan. 7, 2005

James L. Brooks, a three-time Academy Award winner, has been selected by the American Cinema Editor's board of directors to be honored with its Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year award.  It will be presented to him Feb 20 in a ceremony at the Beverly Hilton.

Seeking Spanish Language Film Scripts

NALIPsters,

Hey all, a dear friend Bryan Lewis, producer of "Loco Love" (2003), which I was lucky to be a part of...is seeking scripts which feature Edgy Product, Spanish Language, Blue Collar, underdog wins type of script, non main stream, non-conformist, etc.

If you have a script that fits this profile please contact Bryan Lewis at 818-889-1686.