Check Out Partner News From August 17, 2018.

Congratulations to NALIP member and Latino Media Market fellow Sara Seligmans, for her script “Plan V” that was pitched at the Latino Media Market in 2011 was sold to video cine and will have a wide theatrical release in theaters in Mexico on August 17. 

"Plan-V" tells the story of three friends. After one of them is left heartbroken by her first love, her friends convince her that the only way to find a man that will love her and honor her is by finding a virgin. So their quest begins; it turns out that finding a virgin is a lot harder than they expected! In the end they will find something much more important than a Virgin. With this romantic-comedy "Plan-V" breaks the mold placing women in "control" of the seduction game, and not just the bystanders that they are often portrayed to be.

We are excited to present to you NALIP Member, Sara Seligman’s success story! The journey wasn’t a  straight path for Seligman who worked as a production supervisor on Fox’s “The Mindy Project.” In December 2007, shee was introduced to NALIP through  a student in New York, and from there the rest is history. As she became more involved with us, she applied for the Latino Media Market where she met filmmaker Christopher Mack who would  become her mentor.  Through our Latino Media Market, she learned how to  pitch her work,she describes the experience as “intimidating at first” however, she mentioned that it’s not a script or a monologue she’s trying to pitch but more of a passionate conversation about her work as a screenwriter. “My culture influences my writing, and my culture is a part of me,” she said as she explained how hard it is for her as a Latinx to detach herself from her culture.

“Plan V” is a romantic comedy film  releasing on August 17, 2018, in Mexico. It tells the story of three girls seeking to search their virgin soulmate after one of the girlfriends got cheated. Sara explains that the script had to be translated from English to Spanish and in that translation, there “was also a translation of culture and language.” She points out the importance of latinx culture and the impact we share in a diverse America, “we need to represent different views and connect with the work to adapt to unilateral points of view.”

Sara Seligman describes the importance of how NALIP played an essential role in meeting her mentor, Christopher Mack, a member of NALIP who has guider her journey. After years of pitching “Plan V” which was bought two years ago by Mexican film production, she describes her journey bumpy and not linear. Sara advises others to be patient and to have perseverance in their work. NALIP’s Executive Director, Ben Lopez has seen her grown and mentions the valuable resources NALIP has to offer to others in the hopes of becoming a screenwriter, director, and producer. Sara explains that the conferences that NALIP has held in previous years had helped her meet new people create new connections and learn so much information about the industry that has helped in her journey.

Kevin Palafox has appeared on televisions shows such Criminal minds and Grown folks. He will co-star in the upcoming feature film, Compton’s Finest coming to theaters this fall. He will also be appearing in the Master P feature film, I Got the Hook Up 2 coming out in 2019. Kevin has trained theatrically at Chabot College in Hayward, CA and in San Francisco at Intersections of the Arts under Margo Hall. He has also studied with acting coaches, Dustin Felder and Phaedra Harris. 

In addition to acting, Kevin has a passion for writing and filmmaking which is fueled by his drive to see diverse stories that reflect the world that we live in today. His first experience with writing came from a play he wrote in college. He eventually produced that play and put it on stage. This motivated Kevin to explore writing further and has lead to him acting, producing and directing. He currently has a short film in the festival circuit and is looking to submit his next short film very shortly.  

Kevin was born in Los Angeles, California and is of Mexican descent. When not working on projects Kevin enjoys hanging with his wife, dog, boxing and playing basketball. Kevin is looking forward to working on the next Emmy Award winning series and any feature opposite Mahershala Ali. 

Screening Information

You can catch Sole Addiction August 25th at South Park Center. Film will screen at 8:30pm. Head to www.soleaddiction.net/news for more information. 

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER HERE

Sole Addiction

I created Sole Addiction because I believe there is an opportunity for people of color to own our stories. I wanted the chance to play a role that went beyond the stereotypical types that I often audition for. I also wanted to build out a cast that reflects the America I know - full of color, diversity and culture. I created this film to talk about issues that are important to me such as the neighborhood I come from, gentrification, racism and tie this to a world where sneakers drive the characters. It’s a fun project that is comedic but also touches on serious issues that we deal with every day as people of color.

A leading advocate in inclusion in the industry, NALIP is providing more resources to aspiring filmmakers every year with events such as the NALIP Media Summit, the Latino Media Fest, and the Diverse Women in Media Forum, and events such as the Latino Lens Workshops and the Latino Lens Incubator Shorts.