Award-winning NALIPster film LOOKING AT THE STARS has announced its premiere at the LA Film Festival this June.  

The project, directed by NALIPster Alexandre Peralta, with cinematography by NALIPster Alejandro Ernesto Martinez B. started as a short film but received recognition in 2014 when it was presented the HBO/NALIP Documentary Filmmaker Award along with a $10,000 grant at the 2014 NALIP Media Summit, which allowed them to continue filming for the feature-length version of the film.

Now, the main cast is planning to travel from Sao Paulo during the Festival, to take place June 1 to June 9.

LOOKING AT THE STARS is a touching documentary that follows two dancers from the world’s first and only ballet academy for the blind located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Geyza, the company’s prima ballerina and an instructor at the school takes center stage in this film that was shot in Brazil over a period of three years. She is joined in this remarkable cast by her protégée, Thalia, a teenager with the dream of overcoming her disability and become the best version of herself.

Congratulations to the filmmakers! NALIP is a proud supporter of LOOKING AT THE STARS. Projects like these are what drives NALIP to continue with its mission of diversifying the entertainment industry to bring more Latino filmmakers to success.

We look forward to the premiere!

For more information, go to www.starsdoc.com

Tickets: LAFilmFestival.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/starsdoc

Instagram: @Lookingatthestarsmovie

Twitter: @BalletStarMovie

The LA Film Festival returns June 1 through 9th as a premiere platform for the exhibition of select new works from emerging and established independent storytellers with unique voices and innovative visions. Don’t miss the premiere of NALIP-supported "Lupe Under the Sun," filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes's moving portrait of a laborer in California's Central Valley. Learn more and buy tickets here: http://bit.ly/1TOOaUI

CBS Corporation is committed to the creation of opportunities that encourage variety in people, ideas, stories, and cultural backgrounds. It’s no wonder CBS Corporation continues to be at the forefront of increasing diversity and has been a loyal supporter of NALIP for well over a decade. We are thrilled to continue collaborating and thank Barbara Matos, Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion for CBS Corporation and member of the Board of Trustees of NALIP, for her integral role in expanding diversity efforts.

“Recognizing its influence as one of the world’s leading media companies, with assets that include national television networks, local TV and radio stations, interactive and outdoor media and a publishing house, CBS Corporation strives to use its power and reach for the public good. Its commitment to quality news coverage, community outreach and support, public service announcements, diversity efforts and socially responsible content across all its divisions has earned CBS the distinction of being a public trust.”

Check out CBS HERE

A Special Thank You to all of our Sponsors

NALIP sincerely thanks all of our generous sponsors for their continual support.  Because of their financial involvement, our organization continues to be very successful in helping content creators further advance projects and matching industry leaders with talent. We have exciting plans for our upcoming NALIP Media Summit, which would not be possible without the contribution of our sponsors.

If you have questions regarding your sponsorship or would like to know how you can support NALIP, please email Karla, NALIP’s Outreach Coordinator, at [email protected]

aerogrammestudio.com

These rules were originally tweeted by Emma Coats, Pixar’s Story Artist. Number 9 on the list – When you’re stuck, make a list of what wouldn’t happen next – is a great one and can apply to writers in all genres.

1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
2. You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
3. Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4. Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
5. Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
6. What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
8. Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
9. When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
10. Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
11. Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
12. Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
13. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
14. Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
15. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
16. What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
17. No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
18. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
19. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
20. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
21. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
22. What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

Check this out on aerogrammestudio.com

As the voice of young Latinos, mitú is searching for the next generation of storytellers, animators, and digital content creators. mitú’s Digital Bootcamp, brought to you by the mitú Accelerator program and in partnership with CreatorUp will boost your writing, filming, editing and production skills!

Some Deets:

• It's FREE
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• Open to Los Angeles resident, ages 18-24
• Bootcamp runs June 17 - July 22, 2016
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• Unlimited access to Creator Up's online courses

Go to http://bit.ly/AccOrg to apply!