The 2nd annual Panamanian International Film Festival L.A. is set to open on November 5 - 6, 2016 in Downtown Los Angeles. In its second year, the Festival has expanded to 11 films by International & U.S. Latino Filmmakers. The Festival will also feature industry panels, which NALIP will participate in, Q&A’s with filmmakers, and networking opportunities.  

PIFF/LA is co-produced by The Viva Panama Organization(VPO) and NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) along with the support of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP).“This two-day festival is designed to cast a spotlight on emerging film artists in Panama and the Americas while facilitating professional exchanges and networking opportunities,” said Carlos Carrasco, Festival Director. Carrasco, who was born in Panama, is known by global audiences for his roles in Speed and Taylor Hackford’s Blood In Blood Out.

PIFF/LA will take place at two Downtown Los Angeles locations: South Park Center, 139 S. Hill St. ($5 parking available at 1133 S. Olive St.), on Saturday, November 5th and Regal LA LIVE Stadium,1000 W. Olympic Blvd., on SundayNovember 6th.

To view the films being screened and for more information go to the official Facebook page.

To purchase your ticket via this link!

This year’s Latino Lens Festival and Showcase will feature a Showrunners’ Master Class, Presented by NBCUniversal, with show runner, Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (The Carmichael Show, NBC) & veteran writer and story editor Benjamin Daniel Lobato (Queen of the South, USA Network).

The Showrunners Masterclass panelists will detail what it takes to become a successful show runner and show writer and the responsibilities attached to the title. They will discuss how to run a successful writer's room and how to influence a team. Other topics of discussion will include: developing the creative vision of a show, securing a show's ratings and seasonal progression and the increasing impact of diverse voices in television.

Benjamin Lobato is currently writing for Queen of the South (USA). Previous writing credits include: ICE (AT&T Audience Network), Shades of Blue (NBC), Gang Related (Fox), Against the Wall (Lifetime), The Unit (CBS), and Justified(FX); for which he, along with the writing staff, received a Peabody Award, and WGA Nomination for Best New Series. He holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and degrees in Media Arts and Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. Before beginning his career as a screenwriter, he served as a member of the military’s elite Joint Counter-Narco-Terrorism Task Force.

Danielle Sanchez-Witzel serves as showrunner and executive producer on NBC’s “The Carmichael Show” and has also worked on shows like Fox’s “New Girl,” “The Millers” on CBS, and NBC’s “Whitney” and “My Name Is Earl.” Sanchez-Witzel is a graduate of Stanford University where she worked as a baseball play-by-play announcer for the university radio station. Additionally, Sanchez-Witzel worked in advertising for several years prior to receiving her M.F.A. from the UCLA Graduate School of Film and Television.

Join the Showrunners Master Class Sunday, Oct. 30th at the Avalon Hollywood. Click here to see the full schedule lineup for the 2016 Latino Lens Festival & Showcase!

NBCUniversal teams up with NALIP as presenting sponsor for this years Latino Lens Festival & Showcase 2016. NBCUni has worked with NALIP in the past and they continue to expand diversity in media. The Showcase is a place to engage with other creators and like minded people to receive great insight from industry professionals and learn how to slowly expand Latino content in entertainment industry. The second annual Latino Lens Fest & Showcase will feature the Emerging Content Creators Workshops, a series of Master Classes, Shorts presentation & exposure to content from up and coming talented individuals. Check out the rest of the scheduled programming at Nalip.org and don't miss out on any of NBCUniversal programs including ‘Superstore’ starring America Ferrera.

Check out NBC.com and Nalip.org

It is no secret that virtual reality is on the rise and the new generation of Latino content creators is embracing this technology. NALIP featured Google Cardboard at this year’s Media Summit where attendees were able to test the hardware and we continually look for opportunities to explore the platform in our programming. Sports Illustrated (SI) is following in the success of their first VR feature, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit VR Experience, with “Capturing Everest.”

SI acquires a virtual reality documentary series from Endemol Shine Beyond USA about four climbers summiting Mount Everest. “Capturing Everest” was shot on location over a two-month period in April and May of 2016, so reports Variety. In order to gather all the footage the production team used GoPro VR rigs including stationary, body-mounted and zipline rigs.

President of Endemol Shine Beyond USA, Bonnie Pan, said the company “wanted to find a way for this to live inside the SI brand” and therefore did not shop the series.  Endemol Shine Beyond USA is the digital division of Endemol Shine North America. Endemol Shine partnered with NALIP this year for our Annual Media Summit where co-CEO Cris Abrego delivered a signature conversation on his life and ascension to his high profile position in one of the leading companies in media.

Variety reports the series will be available on Life VR, on iOS and Android, with programing available across Google Cardboard, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus. It will also be supported as a 360-degree video on mobile devices and desktops.

NALIP continues to work on bringing this technology to our programs and events, like this year’s Latino Lens Festival and Showcase that will feature a VR Workshop presented by Holotrope. We hope that in doing so the Latino community will be poised to lead the charge on this futuristic frontier.

Watch the trailer for “Capturing Everest” here.

Image Courtesy of The Playlist 

Fede Alvarez, who directed and co-wrote this summer’s box office hit, “Don’t Breathe,” has reportedly signed with Sony Pictures to direct “Incognito,” an adaptation of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ limited comic series of the same name.

The story follows “Zach Overkill, a super villain who is in the Witness Protection Program after testifying against a powerful hero, The Black Death,” reports Indiewire. “Though required to take a drug that eliminates his superpowers and work a nondescript mail job, Zach becomes restless and finds a way to regain his powers, forcing him to decide whether to use them again or stay in the safety of his regular job.”

Daniel Casey, who wrote “10 Cloverfield Lane” and James Franco’s film “Kin,” has been brought on board to work on the script.

Sony Pictures has not announced a release date for this film yet.

After the success of his low-budget film, which grossed over $140 million worldwide, it’s no surprise Alvarez has become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after directors.

NALIPsters are excited to see what’s next for Fede Alvarez!

This year NALIP’s current official members and a select committee of industry professionals will vote to select the winner in each category for Film of the Year. The two categories selected are:

The Latinx category features the best in US Latino and breakthrough Latinx filmmaking talent. These films could include a documentary, animation or feature. Get to know about the films in this category and the NALIPsters behind them:

‘La Granja’ (2015)is a film about three intersecting stories, promising young boxer, a barren midwife and a lonely kid with a bike all in pursuit of happiness and it’s unanticipated consequences during a difficult time in Puerto Rico. NALIP had the pleasure of screening Angel Manuel Soto’s film La Granja at last year’s Latino Lens Showcase, since then NALIP continues to support his career and film most recently screening at FICG in LA 6, where NALIP will be present.

‘Hands of Stone’ (2016) is the legendary story of Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel and how both their lives were impacted by each other and their past and in their own way achieved redemption. Director, Jonathan Jakubowicz and lead actor Edgar Ramirez both did a compelling interview with NALIP where they expressed the difficulties and the process of creating such an inspiring film.  

‘Lowriders’ (2016) a film by Ricardo de Montreuil is about a young street artist on East LA who is caught between his father’s obsession with the lowrider culture, his ex-felon brother and his own need for self expression. Ricardo de Montreuil recently attended and was a speaker at this past June’s NALIP Media Summit.

‘Don’t Breathe’ (2016) a film that currently has record breaking numbers at the box office is about a group of friends breaking into the house of a blind man only to find out he isn’t as helpless as he seems. NALIP is a long time supporter of Fede Alvarez and his work.

‘Memories of a Penitent Heart’ (2016) a documentary film by long time NALIPster Cecilia Aldarondo is about Miguel who dies of AIDS, his niece tracks down his gay lover and cracks open a Pandora’s box of unresolved family drama. Cecilia Aldarondo was a participant in the 2014 NALIP Latino Media Market with this project and screened the film at this years Media Summit.

The Latino International category includes films receiving noteworthy attention prior to festival and award season. NALIP believes any of these films can be taken for your award consideration. Get to know the films nominated:

The Distinguished Citizen (2016) Argentinian film by Directors Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn about Mr. Mantovani, after refusing big and prestigious awards all over the world, Literature Nobel Prize winner, accepts an invitation to visit his hometown in Argentina, which has been the inspiration for all of his books. It turns out that accepting this invitation is the worse idea of his life. 

Neruda (2016) A Chilean film by Director Pablo Larraín is about an inspector who hunts down Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, who becomes a fugitive in his home country in the late 1940s for joining the communist party.

Desierto (2016) A Mexican film Directed by Jonás Cuarón about a group of people trying to cross the border from Mexico into the United States encounter a man who has taken border patrol duties into his own racist hands.

Alias Maria (2015) A Colombian film Directed by José Luis Rugeles is a vision of Colombia's inhuman armed conflict, seen through the eyes of a young and pregnant girl soldier.

Breadcrumbs (2016) Directed by Manane Rodríguez is an Uruguayan Spanish film that addresses sexual violence suffered by a group of inmates and how years later decide to report it.

Regardless of the winner, NALIP believes, all of the following films should be in your short list for award consideration. Members will receive a separate voting ballot. Your membership must be current and in good standing to participate.

Check out the trailers for each nominated films

Best Latinx Film

Nominees:

La Granja (2015) - Angel Manuel Soto

Hands of Stone (2016)- Jonathan Jakubowicz

Lowriders (2016) - Ricardo de Montreuil

Don’t Breathe  (2016)- Fede Alvarez

Memories of a Penitent Heart (2016)- Cecilia Aldarondo

Best Latino International Film

Nominees:

The Distinguished Citizen  - Argentina

Neruda (2016) - Chile

Desierto (2016)- Mexico

Alias Maria (2015) - Colombia

Breadcrumbs (2016) - Uruguay

Become a member at Nalip.org and be eligible to vote for your favorite!

This year NALIP’s Current Official Members and a select committee of industry professionals will vote to select the winner in each category for Film of the Year. The two categories selected are:

• Latino International which includes cinema receiving noteworthy attention prior to festival and award season. NALIP believes any of these films can be taken for your award consideration.

• The Latinx category features the best in US Latino and breakthrough Latinx filmmaking talent. These films could include a documentary, animation or feature.

Regardless of the winner, NALIP believes, all of the following films should be in your short list for award consideration. Members will receive a separate voting ballot. Your membership must be current and in good standing to participate.

Check out the trailers for each nominated film

Best Latinx Film

Nominees:

La Granja

Hands of Stone

Lowriders

Don’t Breathe

Memories of a Penitent Heart

Best Latino International Film

Nominees:

Distinguished Citizen - Argentina

Neruda - Chile

Desierto - Mexico

Alias Maria - Colombia

Breadcrumbs - Uruguay

Become a member and cast your vote at Nalip.org