NALIP is excited to declare that NALIP member Jimmy Cohen’s documentary “Omar y Gloria” was declared best documentary at the Lisbon International Film Festival on July 2017. After receiving this award, “Omar y Gloria” was also screened at the Guanajuato International Film Festival and was recently invited to screen at the Monterrey International Film Festival.

Alumni of the Getty's Multicultural Internship Program, Image By: Christina House / For The Times

L.A. Times’ Carolina A. Miranda highlights the Getty’s Multicultural Internship Program, twenty-five years since its inception. Founded in reaction to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the Getty Foundation realized the lack of art organizations and meaningful initiatives/programs that reflected the diversity of Los Angeles. The idea behind the program was to establish a pipeline, providing paid internships for underrepresented minorities, who would get real-world professional experience and that would in return prepare them for their future professions.

Since the founding of the program, the growth has been evident and exponential. With 89 interns in the summer of 1993, and in recent years, reaching upwards of 3,200 funded internships and an estimated involvement of 160 Los Angeles art organizations. In recent news, the foundation is in record to invest over $12 million into the program. With Latinos making up half of Los Angeles, NALIP is excited to see the opportunities that will become available to the Latinx community through the Getty’s Multicultural Internship Program.

Click here to get more in-depth look.

Image by Fusion

Puerto Rican rapper and founder of Calle 13, Residente, or René Pérez Joglar, will star in a five-part limited series called “Residente”. Remezcla reports on the series which is based on the renowned rapper’s very own journey of self-discovery. After taking a DNA test, Residente felt compelled to travel the world in hopes of connecting with the numerous diverse range of cultures he found himself to be a part of. Due to the success of his feature-length documentary by the same name, Residente felt the need to expand and explore the material from beyond what was shown in the original doc. Be sure to catch the premiere of “Residente” this Sunday, August 6 at 8:30 p.m. on Fusion.

To read more and to watch the trailer click here.

“In a Heartbeat” garnered viral acclaim since its upload on Monday, July 31st. As of Wednesday, August 2nd, the video has accumulated over 7.5 million views on YouTube. The heartwarming animation centers on a young boy’s inner-conflict between listening to his heart and risking the possibility of being outed.

Entertainment Weekly touched on the short’s importance to diversity, they stated, “the film does much for inclusion, an area where major studios, and particularly animated films, often fall short. Its inclusivity and sweet tone instantly resonated with viewers…”. The online response to the film was particularly noteworthy, as many viewers instantly connected and related their own experiences with the short’s message.

Esteban Bravo, Mexican student filmmaker, co-directed and co-wrote the viral hit “In a Heartbeat” with colleague Beth David. The two senior Computer Animation students from Ringling College of Art and Design worked over a year and a half on the project and funded their thesis film project by a successful Kickstarter campaign.

“In a Heartbeat”is not yet finished with its success, as it will be showcased in various film festivals and as of now has already won several awards. We are excited to see the film and its filmmakers’ future accomplishments.

Here’s a list of the numerous awards it has won so far:

Official Selection Hollyshorts Film Festival 2017

Official Selection 2017 Animation Shorts Film Festival 2017

Official Selection Oaxaca FilmFest

Official Selection Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival 2017

Official Selection FM LGBT Film Festival

Official Selection Oniros Film Awards 2018

Official Selection ASIFA-SOUTH Animation Conference and Festival 2017

Official Selection Montreal International Animation Film Festival - ANIMAZE

Official Selection 2017 LGBTQ Shorts Film Festival 2017

Official Selection Hastings Film Festival 2017

Official Selection Los Angeles CineFest 2018

Official Selection Out Here Now: Kansas City LGBT Film Festival 2017

Official Selection The Atlanta LGBT Film & Music Festival 2017

Official Selection St Albans Film Festival 2017

Official Selection TAIS Animation Showcase 2017

Winner Lake View International Film Festival 2017

Winner HIMPFF 2017

Jury Award Winner NCGLFF 2017

Winner Alumni Choice Award Trinity Film Festival 2017

Click here to checkout the viral hit.

Recent Tech Arts awardee Jorge Gutiérrez and “Book of Life” Director, was recently announced to develop LEGO’s latest film. Its current working title is “The Billion Brick Race.” No further details on the film have been provided, but it was originally helmed by Jason Segel and Drew Pearce (who formed the original concept). The film’s development was first reported in March 2015 without any further hint on the plot details or characters being divulged. See one of the first articles that reported on the project here.

 The Time Warner Foundation has been a long time supporter of NALIP, we are thrilled to be collaborating for the next two years, as NALIP was recently awarded the Time Warner Foundation grant amongst six other outstanding organizations.The Time Warner Foundation granted organizations, "committed to developing and showcasing outstanding filmmakers, advance the ongoing work of the Foundation to support the next generation of storytellers for a global audience".