"AL OTRO LADO" by NATALIA ALMADA AL OTRO LADO follows three musicians who journey from the drug capital of Mexico to the United States singing songs about immigration and drugs. From the mountains of Sinaloa, Mexico where opium and marijuana grow in abundance to the Sea of Cortez where the contraband is trafficked to the "gringos," we will look at the economic crisis that forces so many to turn to drug trafficking or to risk their lives crossing the border illegally into the United States.

Natalia Almada was born in Mexico and was raised in both Mexico and the United States. She received her  Masters of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design and she currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Al Otro Lado is Natalia Almada's debut feature length documentary. Her  experimental short, All Water Has A Perfect Memory, about a  cross-cultural family remembering the loss of a child, was an official selection of the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, was awarded best short documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, and a gold plaque award at the Chicago International Film Festival.

"EL TIGRE" by MARTA MASFERRER EL TIGRE traces the life and death of Rolando Masferrer, leader of a group known as “Los Tigres” who was killed in a car bomb in Miami in 1975, and is one of the most controversial political figures of 20th Century in Cuba. As Castro’s archenemy, Masferrer was seen as either a fearless hero or a paramilitary gangster. While Masferrer was known for being a very violent and dangerous man in Cuba, he was also the editor of LA LIBERTAD, a newspaper in which he often condemned “terrorist acts” in the anti-Castro community.

Marta Masferrer was 1 of 6 directors selected for the RIPFest #5 – “Thrillers” competition in NYC where she directed a short film called STRUNG. She recently completed BAD BEHAVIOR (2003 Sundance Lab Finalist) and is developing her feature documentary, EL TIGRE. She is a Fellow of the 2004 NALIP Latino Writer’s Lab and Latino Producers Academy where she won the UCLA Professional Screenwriters Program’s Scholarship.

"LA BRUJA" by FELIX RODRIGUEZ LA BRUJA is the compelling story of Caridad De La Luz, a young Puerto Rican performance artist, who is struggling to make it big in New York. Being poor and from the Bronx, are only a few of the obstacles she battles daily. We all have dreams we want to fulfill but unfortunately life gets in the way. In LA BRUJA, we witness the challenges Caridad has to deal with on a daily basis and how her determination allows her to rise above them. This is the story of a woman who sets out to be a star while trying to juggle the responsibilities of a husband and two young children.

Felix Rodriguez received his Masters of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. An artist trained in several disciplines including dramatic writing, directing, and producing, Felix was an associate producer for Breakfast Time, a live national morning show of Fox’s cable network, f/X. He has worked as camera operator, editor, producer, and director for, WNET, Exponents Inc, The Avon Centre, and for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis’ media department. Felix was the assistant camera operator for the 2001 Bravo documentary: The Palladium: Where Mambo Was King. He is the recipient of the 2002 Gay Men’s Health Crisis’ James Baldwin/Julia De Burgos Award for giving the ballroom community hope and life through his art. Felix most recently worked as an assistant editor for NBC’s Dateline.

"BACK2 CALI"  by MERCEDES JIMENEZ BACK2 CALI began when the filmmaker, Mercedes Jimenez returned to her city of birth and was led to the boys of Casa Mariano Ramos, an institution located in the heart of Cali, Colombia, that shelters some of the forgotten “street kids” of this town.
Mercedes Jimenez is Cali native, New York bred and Miami spiced filmmaker.  Mercedes completed her studies in sociology and anthropology, and continues to view life thru that lens.  Currently working on her first feature length social documentary, BACK2 CALI.

"OUR WOMEN, OUR STRUGGLE" by MELISSA MONTERO OUR WOMEN, OUR STRUGGLE will be a compelling hour-long documentary that chronicles the lives of four Puerto Rican women activists -- Isabel Rosado, Lolita Lebron, Dylcia Pagan, and Esperanza Martell, who dedicated their lives to ending social injustice. Collectively these women will speak on the historical struggle of Puerto Rican Independence while also sharing their contributions to the movement. This project is important because it will document and preserve the legacy of these courageous woman and their life long commitments.

Melissa Montero is a 22 year old aspiring Latina filmmaker living in Queens, New York of Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian heritage.  She along with two other women produced and directed a non-broadcast 10 minute promotional video/documentary on Casa Atabex Ache, a non-profit organization that does healing and transformation work for women of color.  Melissa has also taught video production classes at the Grand Street Settlement After school Beacon Program where she produced and directed a short video on the program’s services.  Melissa is now working as a sub-clipper for NBC News and Archives.

"LEGALLY BLIND" by INGRID ROJAS LEGALLY BLIND recounts the personal story of two Colombian immigrants, Maria and Julio, who face their toughest battle after losing their vision during middle-age -- and their attempts to get back the small vending stand they lost during the WTC attacks. Legally Blind covers three years in the life of the filmmaker’s aunt and uncle as they navigate the aftermath of 9/11. The film captures the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love to overcome adversity.

Ingrid Rojas is a Colombian filmmaker living in New York City. She has worked as Associate Producer and Researcher for various PBS documentaries and currently works as AP on a series for The History Channel. She holds a BS on Film Production from the University of Texas at Austin. She’s the recipient of the Fall 2003 Film/Video Arts Foundation’s mentorship for her work as Director/Producer of the upcoming half-hour documentary titled “Legally Blind”.

"JUST LIKE YOU IMAGINED?" by VERENA FADEN (presented by (ScenariosUSA) JUST LIKE YOU IMAGINED? is the tale of three couples who make decisions that will make or break them. A glimpse into the lives of six young people dealing with dating, relationships and HIV.

Verena Faden is a Cuban American Filmmaker from Miami, FL. Verena won the Scenarios USA ‘What’s the Real deal?’ Miami scriptwriting contest in 2002. ‘Just Like You Imagined?’ is the professionally produced result of her winning script. She joined NALIP shortly after moving to New York last year to attend School of Visual Arts where she majors in directing and screenwriting. Since then she has completed 3 short films and is working on a PSA, screenplay, videography, and is currently in pre-production for her next short ‘Ollives’.

ABOUT THE MENTOR

Beni Matias is a founding member of NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) and currently serves as a member of its Board of Directors and is co-chair of this coming yearÕs sixth annual producer's conference -- "Catch The Latino Wave." She was the Executive Director of the Center for Arts Criticism, a Minneapolis-based non-profit. Before coming to CAC, she was Director of Production at the Independent Television Service and Executive-in-charge of Production at WNYC-TV. She has produced documentaries both for public television and independently, including El Corazon De Loisaida. She is a former AIVF board member, and has served on the boards of Intermedia Arts Minnesota and Women Make Movies. Beni is currently producing the documentary For The Record: Guam And World War II. Beni was recently named as Executive Director of AIVF and publisher of The Independent Film & Video Monthly magazine.

ABOUT THE DOCUGROUP INITIATIVE

The Documentary Mentorship Program for Emerging Producers provides 6-7 evolving documentary filmmakers with access to an experienced mentor over a six month period with an emphasis on documentary themes that range from traditional nonfiction form to the verité-style exposé approach, and receive consultations on focusing the project's concept/idea; financing and producing, capturing process-oriented or time defined events; packaging, marketing and distribution, among others. Participants may apply at any phase in their project's life -- from research and development to rough cut. The participants also meet in 15 collective sessions to discuss their project's progress, share resources and self critique each others work. The programs ends with a public screening of the the participant's work-in-progress.

ABOUT NEWLATINO FILMMAKERS SERIES (NALIP NY) - www.nalip.org/newyork  NewLatino Filmmakers is a showcase of emerging Latino directors/producers sponsored by the New York chapter of the National Association of Latino  Independent Producers (NALIP-New York) and organized in collaboration with the NewFilmmakers showcase at Anthology Film Archives.

ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES (NEW FILMMAKERS) - http://www.newfilmmakers.com NewFilmmakers, sponsored by Angelika Entertainment, and presented at the  Anthology Film Archives, is America's only year-round film festival.  NewFilmmakers  screens every Wednesday and is one of the few festivals in the world today  that is administered entirely by filmmakers.

[ Download a copy of the Screening Program Here ]

The Documentary Mentorship Program for Emerging Producers (DocuGroup) is funded through the generous support of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).