Congratulations to NALIPster Juan Martinez Vera whose film, ‘SPARK’, won the 22nd Annual DGA Student Film Award in the Latino Category. 'SPARK' was part of the official selection and screened during the NALIP's Media Summit back in June. The short film, is inspired by the violence in Venezuela following a teen who seeks for his father in the midst of protests.

SPARK is an incredible film directed by Juan Martinez Vera, a student at the University of Southern California. Every year the DGA chooses a selected few of outstanding student films from different universities to highlight minority & women creators. 'SPARK' is a film inspired by the student protest that shook Venezuela in 2014 starring, Oscar, a 19-year-old Venezuelan student.

In the film, Oscar along with his mother and friend create a bluetooth based software called SPARK to create a campaign which pressures the government to find Oscar.

For more information on SPARK and to view trailer visit: http://www.sparksloanfilm.com/

NALIPster Sabrina Almeida, one of the Latino Lens: US Hispanic Drama Series Incubator finalists along with fellow NALIPster Maria Escobedo, and a great cast of Latino actors are part of the 2016 Latino Scene Showcase presented by the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) and the Los Angeles Theater Center.  The showcase highlights seven scenes written by NHMC Writers Program alumni and performed by Latino actors.

Sabrina Almeida hails from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. She has a BS from MIT and an MFA from USC. She has a wealth of experiences that inform her scripts, from working as a systems engineer on the Cassini spacecraft, to driving off a cliff. Sabrina writes serialized, character-driven dramas with strong, logic-based procedural elements. She recently attended the Latino Lens Fest & Showcase, where Televisa and Univision announced her as one of the four finalists for the Latino Lens: US Hispanic Drama Series Incubator.

The Latino Lens Festival & Showcase 2016 presented by NBCUniversal, took place Sunday, October 30 at the Avalon Hollywood. Thank you all for the support, it was an honor to host the second annual Festival and Showcase!  Let’s take a look at the highlights of a successful, energized and inspiring evening!

The Short Films Presentation

NALIP was honored to have the fellows of the Latino Lens Short Narrative Incubator present the Directors of the shorts featured during the Showcase. The four shorts, ‘Mosca’ by Lizette Barrera, ‘Toyed’ by Jokes Yanes, ‘Disco Inferno’ by Alice Waddington and ‘Blast Beat’ by Esteban Arango were highly praised and received incredible responses by the audience. Congratulation again to the filmmakers!

NALIP Announced the Winners for Best Latinx and Latin American Films

Thank you to all of the NALIP members who made their vote count! The winner for Best Latinx film went to ‘Don’t Breathe’ by Director Fede Alvarez. Rodo Sayagues co-writer and co-producer of the film was present to receive the award and gave a great speech.

Pablo Larraín Latino Lens Award Recipient

The big winner of the night was the acclaimed Director Pablo Larraín, who picked up the award for Best Latin American Film for ‘Neruda’ and received NALIP’s Latino Lens Award for Best Director. It was an incredible moment for NALIP and Latino content creators present to see such a talented director receive the acknowledgement for his hard work and dedication. It solidified the work of Latino artists everywhere and inspires new generations to lead in the industry.

The night concluded with a live performance by Cunyá during the industry mixer. They were introduced by the lively and humorous Chonga Girls. The band spread the passionate and infectious afro-caribbean rhythm of plena and bomba all across Hollywood! It was a night of culture, art, community and celebration.

NALIP wants to send a special thank you to our sponsors and supporters who made the night a success! 

NALIP is proud to partner up with AFI and promote AFI FEST presented by Audi. AFI Fest takes place November 10-17 at the Dolby Theatre, TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. 

A program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST presented by Audi is a celebration of global cinema and today’s Hollywood, an opportunity for master filmmakers and emerging artists to come together with audiences in the movie capital of the world. AFI FEST is the only festival of its stature that is free to the public. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for both Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®.

NALIP is excited host a slate of incredible films at AFI Fest:

NALIP is proud to partner up with AFI and promote AFI FEST presented by Audi. AFI Fest takes place November 10-17 at the Dolby Theatre, TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. 

A program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST presented by Audi is a celebration of global cinema and today’s Hollywood, an opportunity for master filmmakers and emerging artists to come together with audiences in the movie capital of the world. AFI FEST is the only festival of its stature that is free to the public. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for both Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®.

NALIP is excited host a slate of incredible films at AFI Fest:

OSCURO ANIMAL

Gorgeously shot and paced with patient rigor, feature debut director Felipe Guerrero’s OSCURO ANIMAL follows three Colombian women who are all brutally affected by the country’s armed conflict. Rocio returns from a routine laundry trip to find her small village gutted; homeless, she travels to Bogotá (but not without more violence en route) and finds some solace when she strikes up a friendship with a young city girl. La Mona also finds herself heading to the city, after bravely freeing herself of the abusive paramilitary who has impregnated her. Nelsa, herself a paramilitary, is similarly at the lustful mercy of her fellow male soldiers; she too departs for Bogotá. Practically dialogue free and haunted by the painful silences of loss and trauma, this startling vision imagines women who have experienced the unimaginable, and yet still take their fates in hand, heading to a shared destination. — Beth Hanna

http://afifestpress.afi.com/afi-images/2016-festival-images/new-auteurs/oscuro-animal

The lives of a young mother, and her husband and brother are thrown into upheaval with the arrival of a mysterious woman who shows them how to access the most intense pleasure they’ve ever known.

Alejandra is a young mother who works at a factory and takes care of her two boys. Her husband Angel spends nights away from home, involved in an extramarital affair and neglecting his wife’s sexual needs. Her brother, Fabian, is a nurse at the local hospital who is involved in an unhealthy relationship with a married man. When the mysterious Veronica shows up wounded at the hospital, all of these characters’ provincial lives are thrown into upheaval as she shows them something that allows them to experience pleasure purely and more intensely than they have ever known. In many ways a spiritual sequel to Andrzej Zulawski’s POSSESSION (1981), director/writer and AFI FEST alum Amat Escalante explores the notion that our base instincts, sexual wants and desires often conflict with values and taboos ingrained in us as a society. The film brilliantly uses fantasy elements to explore what would happen if something allowed us to access pure sexual gratification. — Jenn Murphy

Don't miss the opportunity to watch these and all of the films to be showcased at the AFI Fest. Tickets available now!

Connect with AFI FEST at facebook.com/AFIFEST, twitter.com/AFIFEST (@AFIFEST),instagram.com/americanfilminstitute (@americanfilminstitute) and youtube.com/AFI.

 The IRP is offering intensive training for filmmakers seeking to sharpen their reporting and storytelling skills, bulletproof their stories and break new ground. The workshop includes one-on-one coaching, as well as ongoing consultation on individual projects for up to a year.

Who should attend: Independent filmmakers and journalists with multiplatform projects that include a documentary film. Women, minorities and those from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply.

Instructors: Veteran producers and reporters from the IRP and elsewhere, including IRP Director Lowell Bergman; Gary Bostwick, media attorney; and Dawn Porter, award-winning documentary filmmaker; and Kerry Smith, senior vice president of editorial quality at ABC.

Tuition: $1200. Includes course material and some meals. Does not include transportation and lodging. (Full and partial scholarships are available.)

Generous support provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation 

For more information visit: investigativereportingprogram.com