SALMA HAYEK AND MGM SEAL PRODUCTION DEAL FOR LATINO THEMED FILMS

Article courtesy of Latin Heat Online

Salma Hayek and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. have sealed a deal to form a film company that will specialize in producing Latino themed and/or film starring Latinos geared toward mainstream audiences under the new shingle Ventanazul.

The new company will be housed at MGM with Hayek, Oscar nominated for her movie Frida and producer of hit TV show Ugly Betty, serving as President and CEO and her production partner Jose Tamez as President of Production. In a joint announcement earlier today by MGM Chief Operating Officer Rick Sands and Ms. Hayek it was stated that financing for the films will come from MGM as well as from outside structured financing

Plans include the acquisition of independent films with the hopes to distribute two or four films a year that will draw from Latino themes or feature Latino or Latina actors, with cross over box office appeal to mainstream audiences. "We want these movies to appeal to everyone, but we also hope to make Latino audiences proud," Hayek said.

To tell these stories plans are underway for Ventanazul to tap the large talent pool of Latino and non-Latino performers, filmmakers and writers of a broad slate of genres: Dramas, comedies, thrillers, horror films, youth market movies, family movies and prestige films.

"My conversations with Rick Sands and the MGM team have been tremendously exciting," says Ms. Hayek. "We have been developing for months a plan to create an identity for the company that specializes in the Latino market without isolating the rest of the audience. I'm confident to say that with the help and support of MGM, Ventanazul has a specific vision that sets it apart from some of the stereotypical efforts made in the past.

What's important to us is integrating, not separating. This deal represents an amazing opportunity to draw upon the entire range of ways the Latin world can contribute to the film industry. Each project has a different element: from supporting our incredible talent behind the camera, to telling uniquely Latin stories like that of Frida Kahlo, to creating unforgettable characters--who just happen to be Latin--like Ugly Betty. We want these movies to appeal to everyone, but we also hope to make Latino audiences proud."

The agreement between Ms. Hayek and MGM was negotiated by Jonathan Bader, MGM's EVP of Business Affairs and Bill bel, CAA and Management 360.

ANNOUNCING TWO PAID INTERNSHIPS AT NALIP

Deadline: May 1, 2007
Location: Santa Monica (Los Angeles County)
Category: Arts Service
Compensation: $3,500 per Project – Internship
Travel: Possible – August 7-17, 2007 (Tucson, AZ)

Paid LA County Student Internship - NALIP
Membership Office Intern

NALIP is a national organization that supports the professional development of Latino/a film, television and documentary filmmakers: writers, producers, directors, students, educators, performers & activists. We seek to increase the quality and quantity of images by and about Latinos everywhere you see media. NALIP is the first such effort aimed at Latino production in thirty years and it is the first to last more than one year and to provide ongoing support for the Latino independent film and video makers. In eight years, we have emerged as the premiere Latino Media organization, addressing the most underrepresented and the largest minority in the country.

Position Overview:

This is a dynamic summer position that exposes an intern to all aspects of arts program management, Latino media, documentary and film training/production, plus top industry professionals who participate as instructors, mentors and crew.

Much like a film production, NALIP has a fast-paced and fast-energy office. We produce stimulating, highly energetic professional programs -- Lots of work, but a fun and invaluable experience! You'll be guided by charismatic leaders who will inspire you to achieve the extraordinary.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The primary responsibilities of the Membership Office Intern will be to assist membership coordinator with member services, data entry, office management, eNewsletter postings, and general project support for ongoing NALIP signature programs which include the 10 day Latino Producers Academy as well as the Latino Media Resource Guide.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:

· Strong communication and interpersonal skills (excellent phone skills)
· Basic PC proficiency - Skilled in use of internet, e-mail, Excel and Word processing software.
· Organizational skills - Keeps files and work area organized.
· Must be energetic, self-motivated, solution oriented/problem solver, thorough, reliable and committed to high quality performance.
· Flexible (sometimes long hours)
· Awareness of or interest in independent film and documentary world.
· Maintains inventory and equipment to ensure smooth office operation.
· Demonstrates professionalism at all times.

Education and Experience Required:

Student eligibility for internship positions is limited to currently enrolled undergraduates who reside in and/or attend college in Los Angeles County, will have completed at least one semester of college by June of the program year, and will not graduate before December of the program year. Candidates are welcome from all areas of undergraduate study and are not required to have demonstrated a previous commitment to the arts.

Please visit the Los Angeles County Arts Commission website to read the specific education requirements at: http://www.lacountyarts.org/internship.html

**NALIP is committed to workforce diversity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin. Smoke-free/Drug-free work environment. All resumes are held in confidence. Only candidates whose profiles closely match requirements will be contacted during this search**

Do not miss this unique opportunity – Apply for this job!

Address:
Daniel Eduvijes Carrera
Membership Coordinator
1323 Lincoln Blvd., #220
Santa Monica, CA 90024
Tel. (310) 395-8880
Fax. (310) 395-8811
membership@nalip.org
www.nalip.org

This internship is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. More than 130 undergraduate interns will participate in the program this year at performing, presenting, and literary nonprofit arts organizations and municipal arts agencies throughout LA County. In addition to their full-time 10 week paid internship, interns will participate in four educational events as part of the program, which are funded by the Getty Foundation. The educational events are designed to provide interns with a broader perspective of the vibrant arts and cultural landscape of the County. For additional information on the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Arts Internship Program, and for a complete list of all the internships offered this summer, visit the Arts Commission website at www.lacountyarts.org.

DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE PDF OF THE INTERNSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT HERE

Deadline: May 1, 2007
Location: Santa Monica (Los Angeles County)
Category: Arts Service
Compensation: $3,500 per Project – Internship
Travel: Yes – August 7-17, 2007 (Tucson, AZ)

Paid LA County Student Internship - NALIP
Latino Producers Academy™

NALIP is a national organization that supports the professional development of Latino/a film, television and documentary filmmakers: writers, producers, directors, students, educators, performers & activists. We seek to increase the quality and quantity of images by and about Latinos everywhere you see media.

Program Description:

The Latino Producers Academy™ is a NALIP Signature program modeled on the Sundance Labs and WGBH Documentary Program. In its Fifth year, NALIP’s LPA selects documentary producer / directors and feature producers with directors and their projects to attend the 10-day intensive program that improves their skills, advances their projects and provides mentors and professional relationships.

Position Overview:

This is a dynamic summer position that exposes an intern to all aspects of arts program management, Latino media, documentary and film training/production, plus top industry professionals who participate as instructors, mentors and crew.

We run the program like a film production, so there is a fast-paced, fast-energy office that preps the Academy, assembles a production team, trains volunteers, travels participants, sets up the production work flow, wraps and reports out.

We produce stimulating, highly energetic professional programs -- Lots of work, but a fun and invaluable experience! You'll be guided by charismatic leaders who will inspire you to achieve the extraordinary.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The primary responsibilities of the Assistant Coordinator are to provide support to NALIP’s Programs Director and Production Manager during pre-production and production of our 5th Latino Producers Academy by: maintaining workflow; handling telephone calls, e-mail and online communication with program participants and mentors; answering questions and processing applications; interfacing with the selection committee - admitting the 2007 Latino Producers Academy fellows from around the country; assisting in the recruitment and coordination of crews and mentors; preparing program materials; setting up production office; resolving administrative problems; ensuring operation of equipment; providing program information; maintaining supplies inventory; contributing to team effort; attend staff meetings. The Intern -Assistant Coordinator- will meet with their supervisor once a week to discuss issues and priorities.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:

· Strong communication and interpersonal skills (excellent phone skills)
· Basic PC proficiency - Skilled in use of internet, e-mail, Excel and Word processing software.
· Organizational skills - Keeps files and work area organized.
· Must be energetic, self-motivated, solution oriented/problem solver, thorough, reliable and committed to high quality performance.
· Production – “Can Do” attitude
· Flexible (sometimes long hours)
· Awareness of or interest in independent film and documentary world.
· Maintains inventory and equipment to ensure smooth office operation.
· Demonstrates professionalism at all times.

Education and Experience Required:

Student eligibility for internship positions is limited to currently enrolled undergraduates who reside in and/or attend college in Los Angeles County, will have completed at least one semester of college by June of the program year, and will not graduate before December of the program year. Candidates are welcome from all areas of undergraduate study and are not required to have demonstrated a previous commitment to the arts.

Please visit the Los Angeles County Arts Commission website to read the specific education requirements at: http://www.lacountyarts.org/internship.html

**NALIP is committed to workforce diversity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin. Smoke-free/Drug-free work environment. All resumes are held in confidence. Only candidates whose profiles closely match requirements will be contacted during this search**

Do not miss this unique opportunity – Apply for this job!

Address:
Octavio Marin
Signature Programs Director
1323 Lincoln Blvd., #220
Santa Monica, CA 90024
Tel. (310) 395-8880
Fax. (310) 395-8811
octavio@nalip.org
www.nalip.org

This internship is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. More than 130 undergraduate interns will participate in the program this year at performing, presenting, and literary nonprofit arts organizations and municipal arts agencies throughout LA County. In addition to their full-time 10 week paid internship, interns will participate in four educational events as part of the program, which are funded by the Getty Foundation. The educational events are designed to provide interns with a broader perspective of the vibrant arts and cultural landscape of the County. For additional information on the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Arts Internship Program, and for a complete list of all the internships offered this summer, visit the Arts Commission website at www.lacountyarts.org.

DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE PDF OF THE INTERNSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT HERE

DIVERSITY FORUM TO BE HELD IN ALBUQUERQUE ON APRIL 27
"First Vision Filmmakers Forum" to explore cultural trends in film and television

Governor Bill Richardson today announced the First Vision Filmmakers Forum, a day-long symposium featuring a diverse group of emerging and established film and television industry experts from the U.S. and Canada, to explore cultural trends and diversity film initiatives.

"As our state continues to advance in the film industry, we have created 'First Vision' to offer home-based filmmakers, writers, producers and actors the opportunity to network beyond state borders, to exchange ideas and open a window into new film frontiers," said Governor Richardson.

The one-day event is free and will be held at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque on April 27, 2007, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The University of New Mexico will broadcast the Forum from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on streaming digital video from a link at: www.nmfilm.com.

'First Vision' will offer emerging and veteran filmmakers from Native American, Latino/Latina, African-American and all diverse backgrounds an opportunity to examine and address obstacles and opportunities in today's world of film and television. The event will also include seminars hosted by the Screen Actor's Guild and IATSE Local 480, film screenings and a media maker's lounge for networking.

Delivering the keynote address is award-winning filmmaker, producer, entertainment executive and entrepreneur, Moctesuma Esparza. Mr. Esparza is President and CEO of Maya Cinemas, Founder and past Chairman of the New America Alliance, Co-Founder and Board Member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, and producer of many notable films including WALKOUT, GODS AND GENERALS, PRICE OF GLORY, SELENA and THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR.

Invited filmmakers include George Burdeau (SURVIVING COLUMBUS); Chris Eyre (IMPRINT, EDGE OF AMERICA); Gary Farmer (DEAD MAN, SMOKE SIGNALS); Vangie Griego (SIR! NO SIR!); David Hilliard (BLACK PANTHER PARTY IN NM, 1966-2006); and Barbara Martinez-Jitner (AMERICAN FAMILY). Represented networks include Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Native American Public Telecommunications, the National Geographic All Roads Film Project, and Latino Public Broadcasting, along with many other veteran filmmakers, writers, producers and actors.

Space is limited; pre-registration is required. To register please visit: www.nmfilm.com or call the Film Office at: 505-827-9810.

SALAS TO GUEST CURATE 13TH CINE SIN FIN EAST L.A. CHICAN@ FILM FESTIVAL

A La Brava Producciones Revolucionarias, Inc. is pleased to announce that former NALIP Membership Coordinator Abel Salas has been selected to serve as Guest Curator for the 13th Annual Cine Sin Fin East L.A. Chican@ Film Festival. Currently, the resident NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives) Membership & Registration specialist, Salas has been a strong advocate for community-based arts organizations for many years. In addition to his recent work as an award winning-screenwriter, Salas also teaches creative writing in LA County juvenile detention facilities. As a journalist, Salas has published reviews, essays and articles on entertainment, cultural arts and social issues in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Austin Chronicle, The San Antonio Current, Latina Magazine, LatinoLA.com and Tu Ciudad L.A. Magazine. His work has aired locally on KPCC 89.3 FM as well as on LatinoUSA, the nationally broadcast weekly radio journal of Latino news, life and culture.

"We're excited to be bringing our brother Abel Salas on board this year," says A La Brava Board President Jaime Segal-Gutierrez. "Abel is a bridge builder and has worked with many organizations across the country. He has the kind of passion for Latino media that we appreciate. We also appreciate his brad range of experience and know that he truly cares about the future of our young people en la comunidad. In the end, it's really about giving our gente the tools to succeed in the world of media, about giving the means to tell their stories."

A registered non-profit, A La Brava Producciones Revolucionarias, Inc. was established in 1994 to foster and nurture filmmakers in the community where the organization's founding board members grew up. Each year for the last 12 years, under the steady leadership of a board that comprises Gutierrez, Eduardo Espinoza, Vice President; Marcos Gutierrez, Treasurer; Ernesto Espinoza, Secretary, the festival features a survey of feature, documentary and short films by Chicano and Latino filmmakers from throughout the country while placing a special emphasis on the dialogue created with and among LA's grass-roots Chicano community.

"I'm proud and honored to have been invited," says Salas. "Although I grew up outside of LA, I have a cousin who's been a teacher at Garfield High for 30 years, and I'm excited about bringing Cine Sin Fin to classrooms like his and grass-roots community venues throughout the greater Los Angeles area. We're dedicated to making the 13 th edition of the East LA Chicana and Chicano Film Festival the biggest and best ever while we extend our arms in friendship and welcome to Latinos from across the country and across the cultural spectrum."

The 13th Annual Cine Sin Fin East LA Chican@ Film Festival is currently accepting submissions. Please send all entries to 673 South Fickett, LA, CA 90023. Entry fees are $10 per feature length project and $5 per short, with checks payable to A La Brava Producciones Revolucionarias, Inc. DVD and VHS submissions will both be accepted. Deadline: August 29th, 2007. For more information or to volunteer, send an email to gatux007@gmail.com or cinesinfin@hotmail.com. Visit our website at www.alabrava.com.

NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS LATINO MOVIE NIGHT

LOPEZ, UNIVISION IN UNISON ON DRAMA

Apr. 9, 2007 - (Variety) - Jennifer Lopez has pacted with Univision to exec produce "La Flor Palida," a five-hour musical drama that reps the Spanish-language net's first foray into the miniseries genre. Project, which begins lensing in Mexico City within three weeks for a likely late May premiere, will feature music from Lopez's just-released Spanish CD "Como Ama una Mujer." Leon Ichaso, who wrote and directed the upcoming Lopez-Marc Antony feature "El Cantante," is aboard to direct. Jimena Romero wrote the script. Fields said the tentatively titled "La Flor" stems from a concept birthed by Lopez last year. "She had an idea to create a miniseries in the old grand style of things like 'The Thorn Birds,' but using the words in the music to drive the narrative," he said. Full Story here

FOREIGN BUYERS EYE HOT TV HITS

Apr. 9, 2007 - (Variety) - As U.S. bizzers traipse to Cannes' Croisette for next week's Mip TV mart, the big questions are: Will prices for Hollywood shows hold -- and will foreign buyers clamor for more of them? Just in the last few months, "Heroes" and "Ugly Betty" have joined a dozen other U.S. series in racking up record license fees and impressive ratings from overseas broadcasters. Can this last? Ask any of the Hollywood program suppliers, and they'll tell you the expansion in TV outlets abroad, and the cost-effective performance of U.S. shows on foreign skeds, can only mean the good times will continue. "There is no lack of competitive juices flowing among buyers," Warner Bros. Intl. TV prexy Jeffrey Schlesinger told Daily Variety. For the right American show, he added, foreign program buyers will step up, whatever pronouncements to the contrary they've made to the press. Full Story here

COLLABORATIVE GRANTS IN MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS

Social Science Research Council Offers Collaborative Grants in Media and Communications

Deadline: April 22, 2007 (Letters of Inquiry)

The Social Science Research Council ( http://www.ssrc.org/ ) is accepting applications for large grants through its Collaborative Grants program for academic-advocacy partnerships in media and communications.

The program provides one-year grants of up to $30,000 each for support of academic-advocacy research collaborations designed to change media/telecommunications infrastructure, practices, or policies. Projects must involve substantive collaboration between a researcher based at a university, college, or other academically oriented research institution, and a U.S.-based nonprofit advocacy, organizing, or community group working on media and/or telecommunications issues.

The program also offers small grants of up to $7,500 for short- term academic research in support of advocacy and activism in media and communications. Applications are accepted approximately every four months. For application procedures, deadlines, and other details, see the Small Grants section on the SSRC Web site.

Complete program information and application procedures are available at the SSRC Web site.

RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10006835/ssrc

For additional RFPs in Journalism/Media, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_journalism.jhtml

CHICANO STUDIES PROF SEEKS COLLABORATORS FOR DOC ON VIETNAM VETS IN GUADALUPE

Dear Latino Movie Makers:

I want to alert you to an interesting and potentially gripping story from Guadalupe, California, a small agricultural community in northern Santa Barbara County.

During the past semester while on sabbatical leave from my professorship at San Diego Mesa College I conducted an original research project on the lives of the Vietnam veterans from this town during and since their war days. Out of this would come some of the most compelling stories of personal suffering and triumph that might be suitable for a cinematic treatment.

I invite you to visit my website that I constructed based on the documentary evidence both photographic and testimonial that I collected during my leave. The web site is at classroom.sdmesa.edu/mornelas (do not use the www prefix). In this website you will find about 18 oral testimonials transcribed, photos of many of the men and selected pages from the book I am in the process of completing. I have completed most of my writing and now my wife, a graphic designer, will be designing the book for publication in the near future. The proposed title is: The Sons of Guadalupe: Voices of the Vietnam Generation and Their Town. Both my wife and I are donating all profits and royalties from the sale of this book to the Guadalupe Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America.

Please keep in mind that in addition to the materials on the website I have many more resources that might be used in a filmic treatment.

Please contact me at your convenience as I am seriously interested in the filmic potential of this project. My thanks for your time.

Mike Ornelas
Professor of Chicano Studies
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, CA.
619-267-7464

LATINO SCRIPTS SOUGHT

Latino film company seeks scripts with latino topics. Must be able to be shot on a low budget.

Send to: info@lagunaproductions.com

Thank You
Elart Coello