Image courtesy of IMBD

Frida Torresblanco is a producer on the new film Disobedience. The film is directed by Sebastián Lelio, recent Academy Award winning director of the Chilean film A Fantastic Woman. 

In 2006, Torresblanco produced with Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro Pan's Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo del Toro, a production which was awarded with three Oscars and another three nominations at the 79th Academy Awards, as well as three wins. Torresblanco then completed production on a documentary directed by Alfonso Cuarón entitled The Possibility of Hope. The following year, in a continuation of the awards whirlwind, The Hollywood Reporter named Torresblanco one of the 50 most powerful Latinos in Hollywood and placed her as number 13 on their Hispanic Women Power 25 list. Torresblanco also produced Rudo Y Cursi- directed by Carlos Cuarón and starring Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna. The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and has gone on to be one of the highest-grossing films in Mexican history.

In 2010, Torresblanco, as CEO and founding partner along with Eric Laufer and Giovanna Randall, launched her new film production company, Braven Films. The company aims to be a space for filmmakers to freely create universal, contemporary, intelligent movies that will appeal to large audiences with a unique voice. 

Disobedience stars Rachel Weisz, who plays a woman returning to the community that shunned her for her attraction to a childhood friend, Rachel McAdams. Once back, their passions reignite as they explore the boundaries of faith and sexuality. 

The film will be released in theaters on April 27th. 

NALIPster William D. Caballero was awarded the 2018 Guggenheim fellowship, the foundation's 49th competition. The fellowship was given to 173 diverse scholars, artists, and scientists out of almost 3,000 applicants. Awardees are appointed on the basis of prior achievement and exceptional promise. 

The great variety of backgrounds, fields of study, and accomplishments of Guggenheim Fellows is one of the unique characteristics of the Fellowship program. In all, forty-nine scholarly disciplines and artistic fields, sixty-nine different academic institutions, thirty-one states, and three Canadian provinces are represented in this year’s class of Fellows.

William D. Caballero is a multimedia filmmaker and writer that tells big stories using small figures. His 3D printed macro-protagonists examine American, Latino, gender/sexuality, and existential identity, becoming hosts to discussions on issues far larger than they. This is sometimes accomplished with humor and other times through somber introspection, allowing each new miniature world to take on new traits across many eclectic genres, using the medium of film and video.

Statement from William D. Caballero:

Growing up in a trailer in my grandmother's backyard, it seemed like opportunities for success were limited. And yet, through the support of my parents, I learned at a young age to trust in my creative voice.

Time and time again, I poured my heart and soul into each and every new video/film/music project, feeling with absolute urgency to communicate my passion and share it with others. Amongst my many MANY failures (i.e., lackluster projects, grant rejections, internal doubts/fears, etc.), there were some successes, but most importantly, each creative venture I undertook brought me closer to finding my voice.

Hence, today is the culmination of my steadfast determination to use my art to empower, enlighten, and express.

I am utterly flabbergasted and awestruck to be the recipient of such a tremendous opportunity. I am one of 175 super-talented and innovative individuals chosen for this prestigious fellowship. The fellowship was open to artists, filmmakers, writers, and scientists, of varying ages, genders, and ethnicities from across the USA and Canada, and receiving it makes me feel so humbled and incredibly fortunate. It is even more remarkable that I am only one of three Latinx filmmakers chosen from across the country. 

I plan on using the funds to create an animated short film work based on my Puerto Rican-American family and culture, though I won't divulge too much information at this early stage.  I do want to take a moment and thank those four individuals who wrote letters of recommendation for me, helping bolster my application. I do not know where I would be without the help of individuals like Ben Lopez (NALIP), Sylvia Bugg (CPB), Adrianna Gallego (NALAC), and Jorge Rojas (Utah Museum of Fine Arts).