Find here the original link to the article: https://laopinion.com/2019/08/30/cine-latino-en-los-angeles-en-el-festival-newfilmmakers-la-infocus-15-con-barra-libre/
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) will present the annual NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema Festival on Saturday, September 14, 2019. The program will take place at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Academy in Hollywood.
This festival showcases a powerful lineup of local and international films from world-class emerging filmmakers from Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Spain, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Australia, Canada, and the United States in three short film programs.
Doors will open to the public at 3:30 pm, and the evening will include a pre-reception before each of the night's programs, where attendees can enjoy cocktails and mingle with industry professionals, festival organizers, and selected filmmakers in the lounge. The event will conclude at 11:00 pm. Tickets are available for $15 for all-night access passes, providing entry to all three film programs with an open bar throughout the event.
InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema Shorts Program #1
- "Argemira" – Directed by Bosco da Costa
Brazil/Canada U.S. Premiere
A visually rich documentary narrating the life of an 85-year-old nun who had to overcome numerous obstacles to achieve her childhood dream.
About the Director: Bosco da Costa is a Brazilian filmmaker born in Recife, Pernambuco. Da Costa studied Law at the Faculdade de Direito do Recife but decided to switch careers to pursue his true passion in life: filmmaking. Da Costa moved to Toronto, Canada in 2017 to study Film and Television at Centennial College.
- "Taylor and Vanessa" – Directed by Christina Santa Cruz
USA
Taylor and Vanessa explore what it means to be in danger.
About the Director: Christina Santa Cruz is a filmmaker and installation artist. She has exhibited her work at various festivals and exhibitions, including the Underground Film Festival in Chicago, the Unknown Film Festival in Portland, Norcal Nosiefest, Other Places Art Fair, and the Sunspots Cinema. Her education includes a Bachelor's degree in Film from the University of Central Florida and a Master's degree in Art and Technology from the California Institute of the Arts.
- "Insomniac" – Directed by Anna Victoria Salinas
USA
A journey through a night of insomnia.
About the Director: Anna graduated from the UCLA MBA program in screenwriting and is a member of the Sundance New Voice Lab 2018. She has produced numerous short films and performs in the all-Latino sketch duo John Baxter, whose film "Sync" has screened at the Los Angeles Comedy Script Festival and the Funny Women's Festival.
- "Vanishing Act" – Directed by Astrid Domínguez
Mexico/Australia
In a country where violence against women is normalized, a young mother will jeopardize her own life to seek legal justice for the brutal murder of her daughter.
About the Director: Astrid is a director and writer from the State of Mexico. Her career began in advertising, directing over seventy commercials. In 2018, she graduated with an MBA in directing from VCA in Melbourne, Australia, where she developed her graduate short film "We Vanish / Las Desaparecidas." Her recent work as a director focuses on female subjectivity, human rights, and gender issues.
- "Something to Believe In" – Directed by Fany de la Chica
USA/Spain World Premiere
Alba is about to make her communion and asks Jesus Christ to kill her sick grandfather.
About the Director: Fany de la Chica is an award-winning filmmaker, singer, and educator originally from Andalusia (southern Spain) and based in Harlem – New York. She studied an MBA in Directing/Screenwriting at Columbia University in New York. Her films have been selected in over a hundred international film festivals, broadcast on television, and awarded. Her work has been published in CINEWOMEN and The Hollywood Reporter. She won a university Emmy Award for her short film "Something to Believe In" and the Glamour magazine New View Award for her short film "The Looking Ceremony."
InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema Shorts Program #2
- "Thank You for Calling" – Directed by Priscila Torres
USA World Premiere
Trapped in an endless immigration process, a Salvadoran immigrant makes a quick decision that could jeopardize her marriage and future.
About the Director: Priscila Torres was born and raised in El Salvador. In 2013, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the Universidad Don Bosco in San Salvador, El Salvador. That same year, she was chosen as the recipient of the Robert Redford/Milagro Initiative Unique Voice to study film in Santa Fe, New Mexico. During that time, she also volunteered multiple times for the Sundance Film Festival and Sundance Labs. She graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production from the Santa Fe University of Art and Design and has since worked on various productions as a production assistant and as an assistant to Carmen Ejogo in "The Girlfriend Experience," Season 2, and "Rattlesnake." Her script "Undercurrent" was selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Intensive Macon 2019.
- "La Casita Rosa" – Directed by Elvin Herrera
Mexico/USA
An exploration of the humanitarian work carried out by Las Patronas, a group of determined Mexican women helping to feed immigrants traveling on top of freight trains heading north to the United States.
About the Director: Elvin Herrera is a documentary filmmaker and video editor. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in 2015 and a Master of Arts in Film and Television from Mount Saint Mary's University in 2017. Herrera has worked in post-production for the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, Spotify, and Compathos TV.
- "Has This Happened to You? (This Happened to You)" – Directed by Ana Maria Estrada
Peru
An elderly couple returning to their country thirty years after emigrating discovers how much everything has changed and how vulnerable they are.
About the Director: Peruvian by birth, Ana Maria Estrada resides between the cities of New York, Lima, and Miami, allowing her to work on various artistic projects. Her love for the performing arts began at an early age, and she decided to hone her talents by studying acting in New York, Los Angeles, and London. She also studied film at the prestigious New York Film Academy.
- "Finding Shelter" – Directed by Marissa Chibas
USA
This documentary captures the stories of several unaccompanied minors seeking refuge in the United States and how their real-life experiences became the internationally acclaimed 2016 play.
About the Director: Marissa Chibas is a writer, performer, and filmmaker. Her solo exhibition, the daughter of a Cuban revolutionary, has toured the United States, Europe, and Mexico. Her silent film/performance piece, "Los Angeles de Clara," was featured at the REDCAT NOW Festival and the San Diego Latino Film Festival. She conceived and wrote the play "Shelter," which premiered at Lincoln Park and was presented at the Kennedy Center.
Processing Station: Directed by Rodrigo Espinosa
USA
When an optimistic man is hit by a car and dies, he discovers that the afterlife operates like the DMV, and a written test based on religion will determine his fate.
About the Director – Rodrigo is a Mexican director focused on comedy. He lives and works in Los Angeles.
InFocus: Latinx and Hispanic Cinema Shorts Program #3
- "Kiss Me Malibu" – Directed by Mikel Arraiz
Spain
A horror comedy music video about the insecurities and overthinking that TV programs, religion, culture, and belief systems create in us during romantic relationships and courtship.
About the Director: Mikel Arraiz is a director and editor who studied Telecommunications at the Public University of Navarre (UPNA). He has created several music videos for Spanish bands, broadcast on MTV, and has written four scripts, earning him various awards.
- "And the Brave Shall Rise" – Directed by Adam Schlachter
USA
Cindy Polo, a homemaker and social activist, runs for office after the Parkland high school massacre to help inspire change in the Florida Legislature.
About the Director: Adam Schlachter, born in Puerto Rico and raised in Miami, graduated with an MBA in Directing from the American Film Institute, completed a Certificate in Screenwriting at UCLA, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Production from FSU. His thesis, "My Backyard Was a Mountain," was Oscar-qualified, won an Imagen Award, received grants from Kodak and Panavision, and screened at over two hundred film festivals. Adam was selected for the CBS Director's Initiative, NBC-Universal Writers Showcase, WGA IWC, HSF/McNamara Arts Grant, Caucus Foundation Grant, and MMPA Diversity Scholarship. He is in post-production on a film, "Hair In A Bag."
- "Caminante, Caminante: The Legend of Huay Chivo" – Directed by Luis Quijano
Mexico/USA
In a rural village in Yucatán, Mexico, two young missionaries seeking religious conversion go against the town's beliefs and awaken a monster from a popular legend.
About the Director – Luis Quijano is a Mexican filmmaker born and raised in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. At 18, he moved to Mexico City to study "Media and Communication," where he made his first short film, "Me Gusta Más Crudo," with two classmates. In 2015, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film, studying at the New York Film Academy in Burbank, CA, and graduating in 2018. His latest project, the horror short film "Caminante, Caminante: The Legend of Huay Chivo," is making rounds at film festivals worldwide. Meanwhile, he is developing two feature films: "Caminante, Caminante," based on this short film, and "This Is What We Are," a cannibal horror film.
- "Until Dawn Comes" – Directed by Aaron Acuña
Costa Rica
An unexpected message from the past makes Carmen get off the bus and run to town to sing a song to an old lover. With the reluctant help of her sister, she will embark on a quest for the pieces of her past she thought were behind her.
About the Director: Aaron earned a degree in Film and TV from Veritas Film School, a Bachelor's in Psychology from the University of Costa Rica, and an Associate in Web Development from CENFOTEC. Aaron has experience in film, production, scriptwriting, and editing. He has directed and written 3 award-winning short films and produced several documentaries.
- "A Low Budget Film" – Directed by Paulo Leierer
Brazil
West Coast Premiere
A mix of corporate film, archival material, documentary, and performance, the film is an attempt by scientists from the "Brazilian Institute of Alternative and Secondary Importance" to fight the lack of funds, institute closure, and keep their dreams alive.
About the Director – Paulo Leierer is a Brazilian director and screenwriter working on developing and writing projects, especially comedies, with major Brazilian production companies. He directed a comedy series screened on Comedy Central and Netflix and has showcased short films at festivals such as the São Paulo International Film Festival, Durban International Film Festival, Hannover International Film Festival, Bogotá Short Film Festival (Oscar Qualifying), and more.