The 2012 Hola Mexico Film Festival (HMFF) returns for the fourth consecutive year to Los Angeles California with the theme: ¡Adiós Clichés! ¡Hola México!; showcasing an array of feature length and short films by Mexican directors and film production companies. The 2012 Hola Mexico Film Festival takes place at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood, California from May 24^th to 30^th. See the schedule and complete ticket information at www.holamexicoff.com. Follow HMFF on www.facebook.com/holamexicoffand on Twitter @HolaMexicoFF.

 

The Hola Mexico Film Festival will showcase on the Opening Night Celebration on May 24^th the USA premiere of the acclaimed film Días de gracia (Days of Grace) directed and produced by Everardo Gout. Featuring impressive acting by a cast that includes Tenoch Huerta in the main character, its own visual language with a first rate photography and an intelligent juxtaposition of different times, the film depicts the reality of Mexico City like no other film has been able to until now. Días de gracia (Days of Grace) was nominated for a record breaking fifteen Ariel Awards by the Mexican Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has been embraced by critics everywhere since its showcase at the Cannes Film festival; Rolling Stone Magazine, for example, named it the best Mexican film in the last 10 years. World celebrities like Will.i.am, among others revere it as a unique filmic experience.

 

New in 2012, the ¡Hola Niños! Program with matinee films for children and the whole family including the box office hits Don Gato y su Pandilla (Top Cat) and La Leyenda de la Llorona (The Legend of "La Llorona") with special ticket prices for children.

 

¡Adiós Clichés! ¡Hola México! is the theme of the 2012 edition of the Hola Mexico Film Festival that, by showcasing an array of important subjects explored by the best of today’s Mexican cinema, seeks to spark dialog and an introspective analysis of what it means to be Mexican in the 21^st century  and;  celebrate the contrasting reality of Mexico. The collection of films at HMFF reflects those contrasts from the landscapes and history to the human experience in terms of class, economic status, sexual diversity, politics, age and dreams of a people that, at the crossroads of history, seeks to emerge from its own collective shortcomings. 

 

Tickets for regular screening may be pre-purchased online at www.holamexicoff.com at $8.00 prior to the start of the festival and $10.00 after the beginning of the festival. If still available, tickets will be sold at the door at $10.00. Children Tickets (4 - 12 years old) will be available at $5.00. Opening night tickets are available online at $20.00 prior to May 15^th, $25.00 from May 15^th to May 23^rd and if still available, $30.00 at the door.

Other tickets available:

Festival Pass - $100.00 (All access pass to every screening)

Student Pass - $60.00 (All access pass to every screening, must provide valid ID)

Tickets & festival passes may be purchased at the following locations:

1. Online - www.holamexicoff.com

2. WACKO store 4633 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood - $8.00 & Student Passes $60.00

3. At the door of the Montalban Theater.

 

Seeking to make a tangible difference in the Latino community of Southern California, HMFF will continue its support for local non-profit organizations, and it will select 10 organizations that will receive an allotment of festival tickets to fundraise or distribute among the community they serve.

 

The Hola Mexico Film Festival runs from May 24^th to 30^th of 2012. All screenings will take place at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre (1615 Vine Street, Los Angeles, CA 90028). See www.holamexicoff.com  for more information.

The Roy W. Dean Summer Grant valued at $30,000.00 is taking applications from documentaries, shorts and low budget features from now until June 30, 2012.  We want films that are unique and make a contribution to society.

Past winners of the grant include NALIP member Chelo Alvarez-Stehle.

Full information is on our site.

And you may contact Carole Dean at 805-984-0098 for more information.

The June 1 submission deadline is approaching for NBCUniversal's 7th annual Short Cuts Festival, a unique showcase of shorts and videos produced with a diverse production team, cast or theme. Short Cuts provides creative individuals of diverse backgrounds an opportunity to get their materials in front of industry agents, managers, producers, and key decision makers from the entire NBCUniversal family.

 

Short Cuts features talent across all genres including Comedy, Drama, Horror, and Sci-Fi.

 

Semi-finalists are showcased before an industry audience in New York City, and finalists will be sent to Los Angeles for a grand finale screening at the Directors Guild of America (DGA).

 

Top recipient(s) will be granted:

- Meetings with NBCUniversal TV and film executives

- Round trip airfare to NY & Los Angeles

- NBCU Talent Holding Deal awarded to the Best Actor

 

The deadline for applications is June 1st and the program will kick off in September, 2012.

For details on how to apply for the Short Cuts Festival, please visit www.nbcshortcuts.com

By Elizabeth Jensen, The New York Times

Just weeks after hundreds of independent filmmakers protested a scheduling change for two award-winning independent film series on PBS, the broadcaster said Wednesday that it would move both series, "Independent Lens" and "POV," to a Monday night slot and begin promotional efforts to recover viewers who were lost this season.

The average number of viewers for new episodes of "Independent Lens" dropped 39 percent from October 2011 through March, after the show was bumped from the Tuesday night schedule (new episodes of "POV," which were also moved, begin June 21.)

PBS asked its stations to run the two series on Thursdays, a night when most stations run local shows or non-PBS programs. So instead, many stations moved the film series out of prime time and to various nights.

Beginning with the new season of "Independent Lens" on Oct. 29 (followed by "POV" in June 2013), the programs will be shown at 10 p.m. Eastern time, after "Antiques Roadshow" and its coming spinoff "Market Warriors."

Gordon Quinn, an executive producer of "Hoop Dreams" and co-founder of the   documentary producer Kartemquin Films, said his organization was pleased with the new scheduling. In March, about 1,200 supporters of independent film, including some 400 filmmakers, signed an open letter posted online by Kartemquin, protesting PBS's decision to move the shows.

"We really feel that we had an effect," he said.

"When it was clear that Thursday night was not delivering everything that we hoped, we decided to take a fresh look at it," said Paula A. Kerger, PBS's president and chief executive. She said PBS settled on Monday because all other nights already had programming commitments.

The slot has the potential to bring a large lead-in audience to the independent film series, said John Wilson, PBS's top programming executive. "Antiques Roadshow" is PBS's most popular series, and PBS hopes the audience will feel the same about "Market Warriors."

Local stations will still have the right to broadcast the film series in other time slots, but early indications are that they are likely to stick to PBS's preferred slot. "The feedback we've gotten so far has been great," said Simon Kilmurry, executive director of "POV."

In addition to the schedule change, PBS will showcase some of the series' films next season in a broadcast and online "film festival," Ms. Kerger said. PBS is also developing tools for local stations to connect online with local independent filmmakers and fans, she said. "This is more comprehensive than just a broadcast strategy."

The Urbanworld Film Festival is a competitive film festival whose mission is to redefine and enhance the roles of multicultural constituents in contemporary cinema. The five-day festival includes features, documentaries, and short films, as well as panel discussions, live staged screenplay readings, and the 2nd Annual Urbanworld Digital, a 1-day Conference during the festival focused on digital and social media.

The festival will be held September 19-23, 2012 in New York City.

Final Submission Deadline: June 4

Visit the Urbanworld Film Festival's website for details and to submit.

Submit your film to the 55th edition of DOK Leipzig, which will be held October 29 - November 4, 2012 in Leipzig, Germany. 

Under the motto of "The HeArt of Documentary," the DOK Festival is to facilitate the promotion and further distribution of international documentary and animated films, to create opportunities for filmmakers, producers, distributors, commissioning editors, journalists, media scientist and the Leipzig cinema audience to meet and to exchange views with each other.

Films and videos completed before May 1, 2012 need to be submitted by May 15, 2012. All other entries need to be submitted by July 10, 2012.

Please see the DOK Leipzig site for more information and to enter.

By Tim Molloy, TheWrap

You understand "telenovelas," and now it may be time to add the word "webnovela" to your vocabulary: Univision, the top network for Spanish-speaking viewers, announced Friday the launch of a new digital video network and three webnovels, a format already popular in much of Latin America.

Are webnovelas already a thing? Yes. Univision has offered them in recent years, including "Vidas Cruzadas (Crossed Lives)."

Like telenovelas, they are serialized stories characterized by cliffhanger endings, but ones that air online instead of TV. Two of Univision's new ones will star film and TV star Kate del Castillo (pictured), who will also direct installments. The first is based on her best-selling book “Tuya” (“Yours”), and the second will be romantic comedy.

All three webnovelas will be produced exclusively for UVideos, Univision's new digital network. UVideos will feature all the video content from Univision’s television networks, and will be accessible via game consoles, smartphones, tablets and Internet-enabled TVs.

Univision Networks President Cesar Conde called webnovelas "a natural extension" from telenovelas, the dominant programming on Univision. He described them as "extremely sticky" online, in part because of the cliffhangers and because they feature some of the biggest stars in Hispanic media.

Univision made the announcements Friday ahead of the network's upfront presentation to advertisers in New York City on Tuesday. The network plans to announce a dozen new shows at its upfront.

Univision also said Friday that it will continue to air the Latin Grammys for a decade.

The announcements came four days after Univision and ABC News announced the launch of an English-language news, entertainment and lifestyle venture.

Univision is one of the top five networks in the U.S., and often beats at least one of the top four English-language networks in the 18-34 demographic. Its networks, which include Galavision and Telefutura, boast an extremely young median age of 36.

"As Univision celebrates its 50th anniversary, marketers are facing the stark reality of a rapidly evolving media landscape and consumer base that looks nothing like it did in years past," Univision president and CEO Randy Falco said in a statement. "Today, at least 20 percent of marketers’ target market is Hispanic, so what was once considered a niche is now an undeniable, mainstream growth opportunity. Over 50 years, one thing has remained the same – Latinos live here, at Univision."

By Chelo Alvarez-Stehle, for Documentary Online Magazine

"I came to hate my olive skin and curly hair," actress Rita Moreno candidly confessed. Moreno was recalling her early film career upon receiving NALIP's Lifetime Achievement Award during the National Association of Latino Independent Producers Annual Conference that took place April 13-15 in Universal City, California.

Moreno, who co-starred in the 1961 film West Side Story, could not have foreseen that five decades later Latinos would watch more television, buy more movie tickets and consume more media than any other ethnicity in the US, yet would comprise less than 1 percent of Hollywood executives. Or that olive-skinned young girls and boys in some parts of the US would still be having a hard time integrating in their country as they dealt with issues of color, language and identity. This is the topic of NALIP's 2012 Estela Documentary Award, Precious Knowledge, a film produced by Ari Palos and Eren McGinnis, in which disenfranchised high school seniors become academic warriors and community leaders in Tucson's embattled Ethnic Studies classes while state lawmakers attempt to eliminate the program.

This fight for identity rages on despite the fact that there are 50.5 million Latinos in the US, who spend an estimated $1 billion on US filmed entertainment and command $1 trillion in general-market buying power.

Intent on redressing this disparity, among other topics, over 550 independent Latino fiction and nonfiction producers, directors, writers, performers and advocates met at a gathering that spanned three days of workshops, plenaries and case studies on film, television and documentaries.

Consultant Fernanda Rossi presented her "Packaging Your Documentary for Success" workshop. The self-anointed "Documentary Doctor" discussed the differences in financing sources between "the cultural model," where creators are king-especially in Latin American countries and Europe--and where films are financed by government subsidies, as opposed to "the market model" in the US, where creators are--or are often forced to be--the producers. Rossi encouraged attendants to use aposiopesis (leave action unfinished) as a closing technique in their trailers. And in her typically witty and engaging style, she highlighted the importance of the ‘Holy Trinity' of packaging-- treatment/pitch/proposal, warning attendees that not believing in that triumvirate could land them in the Bermuda Triangle.

Another popular panel was "Anatomy of a Hit YouTube Channel." Producer Michael Torres, whose latest project is Who Is Albizu Campos?, said, "The panel answered a lot of my questions about monetizing content from my documentary. I was pleased to learn that YouTube will change how it pays, from a pay-per-click model to a view-based model--i.e., how much time is spent watching the video, which really puts the emphasis on content."

At the heart of the conference were issues such as how to balance the need for producing content that reflects the culture and responds to the needs of Latinos as a collective body, and how to increase Latino representation in the pool of creators of universal content for universal audiences.

The fact that Natalie Wood played the lead role of Maria in West Side Story did not surprise many at the time, but the fact that that tradition is still going on today is in part the subject of Bandidos Never Die, a new documentary that was presented, along with other 33 fiction and nonfiction projects, in the conference's Latino Media MarketTM. The film, produced by Miguel Picker and Chyng Sun, explores "how Latinos are marginalized and vilified in the US media--with grave consequences." In the film, Moctesuma Esparza, the legendary producer and founder of Maya Pictures, describes how his father told him that the Hollywood depiction of Pancho Villa played by Wallace Beery in Viva Villa! (1934) "was poison. That it was poisoning my mind, distorting the image of what it was to be a Mexicano."

With the exception of Esparza, who obtained funding from McGraw-Hill in the 1970s for the La Raza series on PBS, efforts to amend that distortion and return dignity to the perception of the Latino identity through a documentary series have often failed to get funding. Jesus Salvador Treviño, of the DGA National Board, set up to do a series in the '70s about a comprehensive Latino history. He produced a one-hour pilot of La Historia that was broadcast by former LA-based PBS affiliate KCET, "but when Reagan came to power," Treviño recalled, "he placed people at the NEA, NEH and CPB that did not fund a lot of projects that were considered to be too controversial." In the '90s, Ray Telles and Rick Tejada Flores tried to produce a six-part documentary series entitled El Movimiento; funders, however, were already financing the Chicano series that was being produced by Treviño, and, as Telles puts it, "It was much narrower in focus, but funders felt they were already doing something Latino.

"It is impossible for independent filmmakers to get funding for this type of series," adds Telles, a NALIP Founding Member. "It takes a PBS station to do that. It is too bad that it took 17 years but, finally, it is coming to light with Latino Americans." Telles is producing one of the series' episodes.

Latino Americans, a three-part, six-hour documentary series, chronicles Latinos in the US from 1800 to present day. A co-production of WETA Washington, DC, Bosch and Company, Inc., and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), the series was born out of a collective effort conceived a few years ago by Jeff Bieber, WETA's vice president for news and public affairs programming (who produced The Jewish American series), Patricia Boero, then LPB's executive director, and Emmy Award-winning independent producer Adriana Bosch.

The series, scheduled to air in Fall 2013, may be an indicator that the ethnic content landscape has begun to change. The Latino community welcomed this long overdue series. However, although the series includes a robust line-up of Latino talent in key producing and creative positions, many did not understand why, when the Latino director initially hired to do the series' re-enactments dropped out, they turned to UK director David Belton. "We are writing you to express our deep concern that you have chosen to hire a non-Latino to direct the re-creations in the first two hours of The Latino Americans series," wrote a group of 19 Latino filmmakers to the series' producers. "We're baffled, given that WETA produced the controversial series The War, which initially ignored the role of military men and women of Latino heritage, only to have to revise the final version to amend the error--a mistake that began with the exclusion of Latinos on the production team."

When NALIP invited the series producers, including Sandie Viquez Pedlow, executive director at LPB, to attend the conference and hold a meeting to address this issue, they responded right away. "They came and put forth what they were doing, and we put forth our concerns," says NALIP's interim executive director, Beni Matias, about the meeting. "It was a wonderful win for the community. They expressed a ‘mea culpa,' they went away and did something about it. They hired Puerto Rico-based Mexican Sonia Fritz as co-director of re-enactments, and they are open to hear our recommendations for editors, a key part of the making of a documentary."

Still, the series producers feel they were not the only ones to be scrutinized. "The whole guiding principle of this project has been not only that it would be about Latinos but created by Latinos," says series executive producer Jeff Bieber. "From the beginning WETA reached out to Adriana Bosch and LPB to be our co-producers, and collectively we hired a host of producers. At the same time, there are many productions, even LPB-funded, that do not have an all-Latino team in key positions."  Bosch adds, "I thought that my being a Latina gave me the opportunity to have a director of my choice, but NALIP did not see it that way". Bieber notes, “A lot of the colleagues in that meeting use Anglo editors, and if you look at the LPB-funded programs' production credits, I guarantee you, because I have done this, all projects have Anglos in key positions.”

No Latino producer will dispute this point, and NALIP has a number of non-Latino members who participate in key positions in numerous Latino projects, but what placed the series in the spotlight is its historical significance. Filmmaker Vangie Griego, who serves on NALIP's Board of Advisors, led the appeal to the PBS series. "I am happy that they got to come to the table and address our concerns, but they have a big responsibility to make this series right," she maintains. "I am still very concerned on how they are going to keep hiring or not hiring Latinos."

"We heard their concerns and acted on it, but we should have [enough] confidence on our own power, creativity, and the story we tell that we should be able to hire people who may not be Latinos," counters Bosch. "This should be part of our maturing; otherwise, we cast ourselves in a corner."

"I agree with that no group should micromanage the hiring of individuals by a producer; They know what they are doing, they are professionals," says Jesus Treviño. "Of course to my mind, the whole controversy [with this series] was the legacy of the terrible thing that happened with The War series, when the irony is that Latinos were the most decorated during World War II. There has to be a degree of trust and dialogue between the series producers and Latino producers. That dialogue was not there with The War. But now we have to trust them and they have a responsibility to show our community that they can be trusted by hiring Latinos and producing a quality show that has balance and is representative of the community they are purporting to depict.

"This could be a good example of how community and producers can work together," notes Treviño. "Once that series is finished they are going to want to get the word out in our communities and our community representatives should be able to go out there and say, Look, this is a great series. And this is important because this is not Latino history, it is American History!"

Chelo Alvarez-Stehle is a journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Her current transmedia project includes the documentary SANDS OF SILENCE: A Personal Journey into the Trafficking of Women, and SOS_SLAVES social impact game.

Reel Rasquache 2012 has just released a partial list of the special events and honorees slated for its nine annual film and art festival, May 18-20 at the newly expanded CASA 0101 facilities in Boyle Heights.

This year, highlights include the opening-night world premiere of The Shifting, director Julio Saldarriaga's new street-level thriller that's part political story, part cop drama, part enlightening spiritual film, and a closing night awards ceremony honoring Chris Weitz, director of A Better Life, with the RRAFF's Pioneer Award. Actress Teresa Yenque is RRAFF Trailblazer Award recipient. Ms Yenque has a career that goes back to the 70s, in television, film and stage. Artist, composer, and performer Patricia Krebs is the festival Featured Artist this year and recipient of the Vision Award, while industry professional Diana Lesmez will be presenting a seminar on "Pitching your Project" geared to new filmmakers, as part of 'round-the-clock film programs, live music and dance performances, showcases, workshops, and roundtables, including a art exhibit featuring the works of Patricia Krebs.

The premiere is set for 7:00 p.m. Friday, May 18 at the newly expanded CASA 0101 facilities in the heart of the burgeoning Boyle Heights First Street arts corridor.

Now in its ninth year, The Reel Rasquache Art & Film Festival continues to bring together independent filmmakers from across the country and Latino advocates in the entertainment industry. Since it inception, it has showcased films by or about the U.S. Latino experience in all genres and formats-animation, dramatic and documentary shorts and features, experimental, webisodes, and, for the first time this year, a forum on cell phone filmmaking.

The festival's new CASA 0101 home is located near the corner of 1st and St. Louis Streets and includes a 99-seat theatre, art gallery, and learning center. Executive Director, John Ramirez states, "The 2012 CASA 0101 and Reel Rasquache partnership is a wonderful development that's rich with mutually rewarding collaborative possibilities." RRAFF 2012 Co-Director, Angela Maria Ortiz S. (www.sefijaonline.com) adds that the CASA 0101 and RRAFF12 bond is, "a perfect meeting of shared passion for and commitment to nurturing the arts of, in, and for Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles communities overall."

The Reel Rasquache Art & Film Festival (RRAFF), return to East Los Angeles thanks to the presenting sponsorship of CASA 0101. Was founded in 2000 by the Los Angeles actor, playwright, screenwriter and novelist Josefina Lopez (Real Women Have Curves, Hungry Woman in Paris). CASA 0101 is within walking distance of the Metro Gold Line Mariachi Plaza station, which makes it an ideal location.

Sony Pictures, The Walt Disney Company, and LA Metro have all signed on as major corporate sponsors for Reel Rasquache 2012. Additionally, Reel Rasquache has joined with the 2012 NCLR ALMA Awards(R) as cross-promotional media partners. Reel Rasquache 2012 will showcase some of the winners of CASA 0101's The Boyle Heights Latina Independent Film Extravaganza in a Sunday presentation called "Best of the 2012 BHLIFE." And the festival will have a substantial Metro presence both online and in print, when it will be featured in Metro's community calendar brochure. What's more, Corazon del Pueblo is supplying space for the Festival's Youth Filmmakers' Showcase Reception.

Tickets for the opening night event and the entire three-day festival are on sale at the CASA 0101 ticket office, 323-263-7684, and on the Reel Rasquache web site at www.ReelRasquache.org.

Now in its ninth year, the Accolade is a top-tier, international awards competition. We welcome your participation.

 

MovieMaker Magazine included The Accolade among the Top 25 Festivals "Worth The Entry Fee." The article said, "Past participants can't stop raving about the professional opportunities participation in this event has generated for their work."

  

Awards go to those filmmakers, television producers and videographers who produce fresh, standout entertainment, animation and compelling documentaries. It is a showcase for cinematic gems and unique voices.

 

Each year: In-kind $1500 production studio opportunity, in-kind $10,100 post production opportunity, and humanitarian award.

  

The Accolade receives entries from all over the world: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt,Finland, France, Guam, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, Martinique, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela.

 

Visit the competition's website for more information.

The final submission deadline for the American Museum of Natural History's 2012 Margaret Mead Film Festival is May 16, 2012. Held annually each fall, the Mead Festival was founded in honor of pioneering anthropologist Margaret Mead, one of the first anthropologists to recognize the significance of film for fieldwork. The Mead Festival screens documentaries, experimental films, animation, and hybrid works that increase our understanding of the complexity and diversity of the peoples and cultures that populate our planet.

For more information: http://www.amnh.org/programs/mead/submit/

By Mark Litwak

 

President Obama signed last week the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act, a collection of laws that dramatically relaxes regulations on raising capital for startup companies. The Act has provisions that for the first time will allow internet crowdfunding of small businesses, such as producing indie films. Crowdfunding is a method of raising capital by obtaining small amounts of money from a large number of investors. Although existing companies like kickstarter.com enable filmmakers to raise funding through donations (i.e. gifts), this new law, when it becomes effective, will allow filmmakers to raise up to one million dollars in equity investments by soliciting the general public without complying with the onerous security regulations currently in place.   

 

Up until now, it has been difficult for filmmakers to raise financing either through a public offering or a private offering. A public offering is made to the public at large and requires SEC approval. A company selling stock on the New York Stock Exchange is an example of a public offering. Registration for a public offering is both time-consuming and expensive, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, and not a realistic alternative for most low-budget filmmakers. A private offering, on the other hand, is generally restricted to people the promoter already knows, or as the law states, with whom the promoter has a "pre-existing relationship." Advertising is generally prohibited. While a private offering is not nearly as expensive as public offering, the fees for the creation of a Private Placement Memorandum (PPM) can easily exceed $25,000, which is not an insignificant expense for a small entrepreneur.  

 

The new law had bi-partisan support. It passed Congress with a 73-26 Senate vote and a 380-41 House vote. It allows non-accredited investors to participate in funding rounds. Non-accredited investors are essentially everyone who is not rich. In the past there have been significant limitations on the number of non-accredited investors a filmmaker could accept in an offering, typically no more than 35.The SEC has 270 days to implement additional regulations, and it is not clear at this time how restrictive or liberal these rules may be.  

 

So it will be early 2013 when filmmakers will be able to actually start raising funds. Investors with a net worth under $100,000 are limited to investing the greater of $2,000 or 5% of their annual income or net worth, whichever is greater. Wealthier investors can invest 10 percent of their annual income or net worth, not to exceed a maximum aggregate amount sold of $100,000. Offers must be made through a Broker-Dealer or a "funding portal" that is registered with the SEC, pursuant to rules and regulations to be developed.  Such intermediaries will need to provide detailed disclosures to investors and make sure potential investors confirm that they are willing to risk losing their entire investment.

 

The company seeking funding will need to disclose its financial condition including: a) If the target offering amount is $100,000 or less, then the most recent year's income tax returns (if any); as well as financial statements of the issuer certified by the principal executive officer of the issuer as being true and complete in all material aspects; b) If the target offering amount is over $100,000, but not more than $500,000, the issuer must provide financial statements reviewed by an independent public accountant; and, c) If the target offering amount is over $500,000, the issuer must provide audited financial statements. So crowdfunding is not going to be as simple as soliciting investors from your blog or facebook, and the costs may not be any less than what it currently costs to prepare a PPM. However, being able to use the internet to attract many small investors could make it much easier to raise funds. Investors risking $2,000 may be more willing to tolerate on the risks of filmmaking than those being asked to invest larger sums.  

 

Besides the ability to raise funds through crowdfunding, the Act made a major change to Reg D 506 offerings, which are offerings limited to sophisticated or accredited investors (i.e. wealthy people). For the first time the restrictions on public solicitations have been removed which means that the offering company could solicit investors including approaching them over the Internet. The SEC has 90 days to develop rules to implement this change.

Critics of the new law claim that these changes will open the floodgates for scammers to raise funds from unwary investors. With that in mind, investors may want to read the article I wrote for the Vanderbilt Law Journal about protecting film investors at:  click here

The entire text of the law is on my blog: click here

The International Documentary Association (IDA), along with Film Independent (FIND), National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), Women Make Movies, National Alliance for Media Art and Culture (NAMAC) and the University Film and Video Association (UFVA), claimed victory after lending their names to an amicus brief filed last year on their behalf on a pro bono basis by entertainment attorney Michael C. Donaldson in support of the documentary film community in which it urged the United States Tax Court to recognize that documentary films are overwhelmingly undertaken in pursuit of profit. U.S. Tax Court Judge Diane L. Kroupa ruled that producer/director Lee Storey can write off losses from her filmmaking despite failing to make a profit for six straight years. "Even if it takes six years, the making of a documentary, in spite of educational and public good, is also a business," said Donaldson, who further express that the win was particularly important since the issue has rarely been addressed in such a direct fashion by a court. In her 46-page decision, Kroupa not only deemed documentary filmmaking a legitimate business, but also acknowledged it as being one with a longer-than-normal unprofitable start-up phase - allowing Storey to claim the entirety of her losses.

 

The amicus brief was filed, by entertainment attorneys Michael C. Donaldson and Christopher L. Perez of Donaldson & Callif, LLP on a pro bono basis, in a case examining the IRS's challenging of the deduction of business expenses from the production of "Smile 'Til It Hurts: The Up With People Story" by documentary filmmaker Lee Storey. "Smile 'Til It Hurts" explores the history of the youth choir Up With People from its founding in 1965 on conservative ideals and cult-like ideology to its present-day incarnation and departure from its origins. Following an audit in the tax years 2006, 2007, and 2008, the IRS challenged the deductions Storey made for business expenses, which amounted to a purported $311,809.90 (applicable interest and penalties included). 

 

During the trial at the United States Tax Court on March 9, 2011, Judge Kroupa expressed her inclination to hold that Storey satisfied several factors in the nine-factor test. At the same time, however, she questioned whether a documentary, in general, could be for profit since by its nature it is designed "to educate and expose." Donaldson and the IDA understood that this statement could create a dangerous precedent for filmmakers if confirmed in a ruling. The amicus brief stated that a judicial pronouncement that documentary filmmakers are not engaged in a profit-making activity would have a chilling effect on the documentary filmmaking industry, as documentarians would no longer be able to claim deductions for their business expenses pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code. The brief argued that while filmmakers certainly do make films to educate and expose, they are for the most part engaging in a for-profit endeavor.

  

The amicus brief filed in Lee Storey's case represents the most recent effort undertaken by Michael Donaldson at the behest of IDA in its role as sole dedicated advocate for the rights of the documentary filmmaking community. Previous cases to which Donaldson and IDA have contributed include such topics as: freedom of speech, fair use, filmmaker exemptions to the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act), net neutrality, use of trademarks and copyrights, the ability to depict animal cruelty without fear of criminal prosecution, and supporting "Crude" director Joe Berlinger's battle to prevent turning the entirety of his film's dailies over to oil company Chevron.

The coalition includes:

Organizations

*       The International Documentary Association

*       Film Independent

*       National Association of Latino Independent Producers

*       Women Make Movies

*       National Alliance for Media Art and Culture  

*       University Film and Video Association

 

Individuals

*       Robert Kenner (Food, Inc.)

*       Liz Garbus Moxie Firecracker Films)

*       Annie Roney (Ro*Co Films International)

*       Meyer Shwarzstein (Brainstorm Media)

*       Rob Epstein (Chair of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Documentary Branch)

*       Eddie Schmidt (This Film is Not Yet Rated)

*       Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound)

*       Jaimie D'Cruz (Exit through the Gift Shop)

 

In The Matter Of: Lee & William Storey v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue: Docket No. 10230-10.

NALIP-NY and Tio Louie invite you to the Prime Latino Media Salon, a monthly series for Latino multimedia-makers and actors in the metro-New York area. A forum for Latinos and their supporters to connect and sustain one another in English and Spanish-language media, as well as feature a conversation with a speaker, screening or panel discussion.

We've moved from Tuesdays to the 2nd Wednesday of every month

Next one, Wednesday, May 9th, 6:30-10PM

Networking & Cash Bar: 6:30-7:30PM

SPECIAL PROGRAM: LATINOS CREATING ABOUT LATINAS

7:30PM: Tio Louie CONVERSATION with JOSEPH LA MORTE and Q&A. Known as Joe to many of us in the industry, few people have as much passion for Latino media as this gentleman. His muse is his wife, Gloria La Morte with whom he has collaborated on all his English and Spanish-language film projects whether she was in front of the camera, Director or screenwriter. From the film that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, ENTRE NOS to the award-winning HBO/NYILFF short script competition film, CRUSH, come and hear the behind-the-scenes machinations of a bona fide Producer and how their projects have gotten realized.

8:30PM: Manolo Celi screens his eight-minute film pilot, NUEVA YORK about Latinos in the Big Apple. The project received a grant from Discovery en Espanol and screened at the Tribeca Film Festival

9:00PM: Calling all entry, mid and senior-level screenwriters in English & Spanish. Meet Adrian Manzano (English) & Angel Luis Lara (Spanish) who want to set up respective Writer's groups and programs in New York.

Location: Casa Mezcal, 86 Orchard Street, basement lounge, Obra Negra, bet Delancey & Grand St.  Top notch restaurant located upstairs serves "best Mexican food in Manhattan."

Admission: NALIP members $5 and non-members $7 [membership: www.nalip.org]

In New York, we have declared 2012 the "Year of the Latina" and will showcase Latinas all year long behind or in front of the camera and Latinos who present Latinas in positive and affirming roles.

Taking place every second Wednesday of the month with the subsequent one on Wednesday, June 13th.

Joseph La Morte

He's a Producer who has been an independent filmmaker for 13 years. He produced the critically acclaimed feature narrative film in Spanish, ENTRE NOS. It has won over 10 international awards. La Morte's career began in 1999 when he founded Ex-Bo Productions. Under EBP he executive-produced DETAILS, which sold to HBO in 2000, and Alfredo De Villa's award winning film WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, which opened in theaters nation-wide in 2002. Other producing credits include LOVE AND LAUNDRY (Sundance 2005) and SANGRE (2005), among others. Joe is also a film editor. He has edited a number of feature documentaries including AUTUMN'S EYES, which received the Best Documentary Editing Award at the Woodstock Film Festival in 2006, CONNECT USA (2009), and Love and Laundry. In the summer of 2011, La Morte produced CRUSH, winner of the HBO/NYILFF short script competition. Joe is currently in development for the feature film SOLEDAD, the film adaptation of Soledad a novel by Angie Cruz.

Manolo Celi

Born in Caracas, he is known most as an award-winning advertising director who has worked on campaigns for State Farm, McDonald's, Walgreens, Downy, and Time Warner Cable. He has directed a number of award-winning short films that have played in festivals worldwide. Currently, he worked on his first feature, Tony Tango, slated for release in 2012.

Adrian Manzano

Heading the NY English-language Writer's Group, he is the writer/director of the Indie Feature Film, BQE.  He has written & directed a number of shorts and TV pilots, as well as documentaries.

Angel Luis Lara

He is the Co-founder of FUNAVE - Fundacion para las Narrativas Audiovisuales en Espanol - an organization that has created, in association with the Cervantes Institute of New York, the first Spanish-language school for screenwriters in the United States. Angel is a screenwriter and sociologist. He teaches television script writing in the International School of Film & Television of San Antonio de los Banos (EICTV) in Cuba and Methodologies for Social Research in the New School.

By Kamren Curiel

Gina Rodriguez is a firecracker. Even over the phone, you can picture her bouncing around like a boxer and making a million facial expressions. It's no wonder the 27-year-old actress picked up rapping so fast to play "Majo," a L.A. hip-hop artist in the movie "Filly Brown," scheduled to hit theaters in September.

She's still buzzing from the film's successful Sundance debut and its first L.A. screening at an April gathering of filmmakers produced by the National Assn. of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). But hip-hop wasn't always her thing.

"I was never into it," said the Puerto Rican L.A.-based beauty. "Rapping gave me a home to express myself differently than I'd been doing for the past 20 years. I realized I love to rap."

Rodriguez grew up between Chicago and Puerto Rico. Dancing came naturally to her, but acting was honed as a theater student at NYU. She moved to L.A. in 2009, and did a fellowship at NALIP. It was there, that she connected with filmmakers like Carmen Marron, who casted Rodriguez in her dance flick "Go For It!," which caught the attention of "Filly Brown" directors Youssef Delara and Michael D. Olmos.

"I ate up the script in 55 minutes," Rodriguez said. "It's a strong, powerful female lead, so I was instantly drawn to it."

Before she knew it, Rodriguez was witnessing a "Stand and Deliver" reunion on the "Filly Brown" set. Lou Diamond Phillips plays her dad and Edward James Olmos sings a duet with banda queen Jenni Rivera.

"I just watched the greats and hoped some of it rubbed off on me," said Rodriguez, who's now hooked on music.

Although she had never spit a flow in her life, Rodriguez was in good hands with "Filly Brown" producers Mico Olmos and Latin hip-hop personalities "Khool-Aid" and Edward "E-Dub" Rios.

Up next, Rodriguez is reuniting with Delara on a psychological thriller called "Snap" and plays boxer Seniesa Estrada in Olmos' next film.

The Public Media Content Fund is an open invitation to independent producers to submit proposals for a program, limited series or short web-based digital video (of no longer than 20 minutes) on any subject that relates to or is representative of Latino Americans that is appropriate for public television and/or one of its platforms.

Deadline: Monday, June 4, 2012 5 PM

Guidelines: http://www.lpbp.org/fundingguidelines.php

Online Application: http://www.lpbp.org/online_app.php

Application Instructions: http://www.lpbp.org/funding_Apps.php

FAQs: http://www.lpbp.org/faq.php

 

Content Priorities: Programs should bring new audiences to public media and have national relevance presenting a range of subjects issues and viewpoints that complement and challenge existing public media offerings. These programs should also aim to meet the current content priorities of PBS that include but are not limited to: Performing Arts and Drama, History, Science, News and Public Affairs. We are currently interested in projects that will help support PBS content goals in offering viewers, from all walks of life, programs that provide opportunities to explore new ideas and new worlds and broaden personal horizons. These projects should provide strong story-telling techniques that give voice to those not normally heard or seen. While proposals can take creative risks, selected projects must ultimately appeal to a wide variety of television and public media audiences. Projects that reflect personal or individual experience should have universal appeal.

 

Applicant Eligibility: You may submit only one application, for one project or limited series, per review period. If your proposal is among those advanced to the panel, you may be asked to submit additional supporting materials. An LPB-funded program must be the only version of the program. (A re-edited version of the LPB funded program cannot be re-packaged for another network). All funding requests must be submitted in accordance with LPB's guidelines. An independent producer or production entity (a partnership or organization of the individual producer or producers), which is/are creating programs on the Latino experience is/are eligible. These programs must be independent of the support of a film studio, commercial broadcast or cable entity, whether on a for hire, commission or employment basis. The producer or production entity must retain the copyright and have artistic, budgetary and editorial control over the proposed project.

 

Funding Categories and Requests: LPB funding will average between $5,000 and $100,000 for programs of most genres, including documentary, narrative, performance, mixed genre or new media. LPB will consider funding projects at any production stage. You may submit only one application, for one program or series, per review period. LPB Funding for each stage ranges as follows:

 

Research and Development $5,000 - $20,000 - Research and Development requests should provide funding for producers to fully develop their storylines, identify engaging characters and talent and complete a production proposal and budget. Eligible activities include: (i) research; (ii) clearance of life story rights or other rights necessary to initiate production; (iii) development of a script or treatment, including the hiring of writers; (iv) preliminary filming, if necessary prior to the commencement of principle photography; (v) completion of a production proposal and budget.

 

Production $25,000 - $100,000 - Production request should provide funding for producers to film, record and produce their programs, and may/may not include full completion of the program. Eligible activities include: (i) principle photography (including all production activities, hiring of crew, talent, clearance of rights for public media use; (ii) development of a website for the program and (iii) post-production (including editing and completion).

 

Post-Production $25,000 - $100,000 - Post-Production grants provide funding for producers to complete programs already-in-progress. Eligible activities include: (i) post-production (including editing and completion); (ii) clearance of rights required for public media use; (iii) development of a website for the program; and (iv) if approved by LPB, promotion and community engagement expenses for the initial release of the program.

 

Community Engagement $10,000-$25,000 - Community engagement requests should provide funding for producers to promote their programs to the public media community at large or to specific local or regional audiences. Eligible activities include: (i) creation of a website for the program; (ii) creation and distribution of educational print or electronic materials (including social media) related to the program; (iii) development and distribution of promotional materials for the program; (iv) activities related to community screenings of the program; and (v) other marketing and promotion related to the program and its distribution over public media.

 

New Media $5,000 - $20,000 - New Media request provide funding for producers to research, produce and complete “short form” (no more than 20 minute) programs for primary distribution over the Internet or another public television platform, and include vignettes, webisodes and other new media content. Eligible activities include: (i) research; (ii) clearance of rights necessary to produce, complete and distribute the program; (iii) all standard production and post-production activities; and (iv) creation of community engagement materials (including promotion and marketing materials).

 

For more information, please visit www.lpbp.org

In April we ran two letters about the new PBS series Latino Americans, currently in production. Many of you wrote to us weighing in on this very important conversation: why was a national PBS series on the history of Latinos in the US not hiring a Latino/a to direct the recreations? Others, including a group of distinguished Latino media makers,  also wrote to the series expressing their concern.

The creative team, including series executive producer Jeff Bieber, series producer Adriana Bosch, executive director of LPB Sandie Viquez Pedlow, and producers Ray Telles and John Valadez attended the Diverse Voices, Universal Content conference this past April and asked for a meeting with NALIP Board of Directors and members of the documentary community.  As Vangie Griego, NALIP Board of Advisors, recently wrote, “… we had a very lively discussion where people had a chance to bring up their thoughts about the issue at hand.  The Series team listened and acknowledged that they had made a mistake and where willing to find a solution, in spite of the fact that they are scheduled to begin shooting in 2 weeks.” (Griego was part of a group who also wrote to the Latino Americans series team.)

NALIP is happy to report back that the series team hired Sonia Fritz as co-director of the recreations.  “David (Belton) had been working on the scenes that had to be re-enacted since many month before with Adriana,” commented Fritz after her short stint with the series. “The scenes were scripted, two with dialogue the rest just visuals, and he had discussed them also with the DP with whom they had also worked together, so we both directed the actors, I more the ones that spoke Spanish.” NALIP is proud that this was a win-win for all involved. 

At the meeting we also discussed the need for the series to hire Latino editors. Since the meeting, we have suggested many qualified editors to the creative team. We know that they have been looking to fill an editorial position, but we do not know the status of this search. We are also working towards a win-win here.

NALIP looks forward to continuing our work with the Latino Americans series, for we know there will be much work to be done as they roll out the educational/ community engagement campaign. NALIP, as a non-profit, was created to foster and promote Latino creative talent: our first conference came about as a call to action because CPB had defunded the Latino minority consortia. This April we came full circle: only this time we are having a dialogue with our own community about the need for Latino media makers to create our visional history. The dialogue with Jeff Bieber, Adriana Bosch and other members of the creative team shows that positive change can come about if all parties have the best interest of the community at heart. 

We look forward to hearing the results of the editor search, and the staff and consultant needs for the series' educational campaign. We will continue to cover this as the series moves from production to outreach.

Andrew Frank presents the third in a series of workshops "How to Ask People for Money - a primer for the Individual Artist" on Monday May 7th 7 - 9 PM, at the Huron club of the Soho Playhouse, 15 Van Dam Street, near Ave. of the Americas, and the C, E, Spring Street subway stop. Presented as part of Dramatic Question Theatre's Second Stage events. 

Andrew Frank (associate producer Lombardi on Broadway, Executive Director of Making Books Sing, founding member of Manhattan Theatresource) has spent over 15 years raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for shows. 

While the context of this workshop is raising money for for theatre, many of the principles apply to raising money for film.

You don't need to have been at the previous two workshops to get a ton of info out of this one. 

More information at the Dramatic Question Theatre fan page on facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dramatic-Question-Theatre/304303551485

Reserve yourself a space for the workshop by clicking on this link:

https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/912786

New York City-based nonprofit organization Brooklyn Workforce Innovations invites film and television production professionals for a celebration and networking event on the evening of Thursday, May 17th.  The event - Breaking Boundaries - will offer valuable networking opportunities while celebrating industry diversity and a job training program that is connecting hundreds of diverse, low-income New Yorkers with significant career opportunities in the booming local television and film production industry.

 

Since the program launched in February 2006, "Made in NY" has trained nearly 350 individuals and placed highly-qualified PAs on more than 2,000 productions. Graduates have moved into advanced positions including Assistant Director, Camera Assistant, Script Supervisor, Assistant Locations Manager, Grip, Associate Producer, Set Decorator, Casting Coordinator, Set Costumer and more. Notably, graduates are now entering the unions including Local 52 and Local 600, the Director's Guild of America (DGA), Editors Guild and Local 764 (wardrobe union).

 

The Breaking Boundaries event will not only offer BWI's training programs with the critical operating funds they need to continue their important work, but will also honor some of the key supporters and industry leaders working to help low-income New Yorkers break into film and television production.

 

For more information about the event, BWI and to purchase tickets go to: www.bwiny.org/breakingboundaries

The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) announces the 2012 Latino MediaCon & Expo, presented by Univision, taking place July 20-21 at the Pasadena Convention Center at in Pasadena, just a few miles outside of Los Angeles, California. Worldwide pioneer and entertainment industry leader Haim Saban, Chairman and CEO of the Saban Capital Group will keynote speak at the luncheon on July 20. Eduardo Yanez, Mexican soap opera megastar, will also be present.

MediaCon will convene media advocates and influencers, industry executives and celebrity talent to network, discuss trends and gain insight on emerging issues. Timely panel discussions, notable keynote speakers and best practices in programming are some of the conference highlights planned. In addition to the title sponsor, other sponsors to-date include Nielsen, CBS, Warner Brothers, Comcast/NBC/Telemundo and General Motors.

"We consistently strive to improve the image of Latinos in the media and society," said Alex Nogales, National Hispanic Media Coalition President & CEO. "As our signature event, Latino MediaCon will provide us with a unique platform to highlight the industry's leading innovators and extraordinary Latino talent.

MediaCon panels will cover hot industry topics such as: 

* Decidimos: Will Latinos Decide the Presidential Election? 

* Latinos in Social Media: Technology Leaders in the Digital World 

* MediaCon Filmmaker Creative Series 

* Latinas Entertainment Institute 

* Access Hollywood: Cracking the Code to Success in Tinseltown 

* Case Studies in Excellence in TV Programming 

* MediaCon Celebrity Spotlight Series 

* Latino Moviegoers: The Powerful Audience That Hollywood Loves 

* Cable TV's Wild West of Programming 

* The A to Z of the Hollywood Guilds: Impacting and Influencing Your Industry Career

The two day MediaCon is uniquely designed as both a Latino media industry event as well as a Latino entertainment consumer showcase. The Entertainment Expo is scheduled for Saturday July 21, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Pasadena Convention Center. The Expo, which is free and open to the public, will highlight media properties, launches, upcoming programming, and diversity initiatives through 100 entertainment and media booths. Other scheduled attractions include musical performances on two stages, celebrity meet and greets and autograph sessions including appearances by DJs Art Loboe and Big Boy, to name a few.

For additional conference information or to register, log on to www.LatinoMediaCon.com or call (626) 792-6462.