Final Selection Awards Fourteen Projects for Funding
Los Angeles, CA (November 24, 2003) Latino Public Broadcasting Chairman Edward James Olmos announces the winners of the fifth annual 2003 open call process for Latino themed projects for public television. Fourteen projects were picked out of one-hundred and thirty applicants from across the United States to receive funding.
Mr. Olmos states, “We congratulate this year’s winners and thank all of the filmmakers that submitted this year. I am thrilled that we can help these talented filmmakers voice their stories.”
Executive Director Luca Bentivoglio comments, “This year we saw an increase of applicants of over 40%. This is an indication that the creative community is becoming aware of the resources that LPB offers.”
Every year LPB hosts an open call process for projects that address Latino themes and issues in the community. Independent filmmakers submit proposals for funding at various levels including research and development, production, post-production, and outreach. LPB is one of the few organizations that funds at the seed level.
The proposals go through a first round of readers who select those that go on to the second round. In the second round, a panel reads the remaining proposals and discusses the projects to be awarded. This year’s panel was made up of programming executives, local station managers and directors, academics, and other funding organization members.
California filmmakers dominated this year’s open call with a 40% submission rate followed by New York (23%), Texas (7%), Florida (5%), Massachusetts (4%), New Mexico & Illinois (3%). Submissions from other states included: Arizona, Missouri, Puerto Rico, Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Maryland, Kentucky, and Connecticut.
The 2003 awarded projects (alphabetically) are as follows:
Abriendo Camino: Puerto Ricans and Educational Reform
Director/Producer: Lillian Jimenez
Documentary, 1 episode/ 60 minutes
Beyond The Dream: California and the Rediscovery of America
Producer: Paul Espinoza
Documentary, 4 episodes/60 minutes
Brave New Valley
Writer/Director/Producer: Jennifer Maytorena Taylor
Documentary, 1 episode/60 minutes
Chicano Rock!
Executive Producer: Jon Wilkman
Documentary, 1 Episode/ 90 minutes
Cotton Fields, Crossroads and Tex-Mex Blues
Director/Producer: Hector Galan, Galan Productions, Inc.
Documentary, 1episode/60 minutes
Crossing Deadly Waters: The Last Hope for the American Dream
Producer: Josie Mejía Beeck
Documentary, 1episode/60 minutes
God Willing
Writer/Director/Producer: Evangeline E. Griego
Documentary, 1 episode/60 minutes
Lalo Guerrero: The Original Chicano!
Co-Producer/ Co-Writer: Nancy de los Santos and Dan Guerrero
Documentary, 1 episode/ 60 minutes
My Americas
Series Producer: Janice Alamia/ Hispanic Telecommunications Network, Inc.
Documentary, 13 episodes, 30 minutes
Rebel
Director/Producer: Maria Agui Carter
Documentary, 1 episode/ 60 minutes
Revolución: Visions of Cuba since the Revolution
Writer/Director: Nicole Catell
Documentary, 1 episode/90 minutes
Simon Bolivar and the Liberation of South America
Production: Patricia Aste, Koval Films, LLC
Documentary, 2 episodes/ 60 minutes
The Head of Joaquin Murrieta
Director/Producer: John Valadez
Documentary, 1 episode/60 minutes
The Last Conquistador
Director/Producer: Cristina Ibarra
Documentary, 1 episode/ 60 minutes
About LPB
Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) supports the development, production, acquisition and distribution of non-commercial educational and cultural television that is representative of Latino people, or addresses issues of particular interest to Latino Americans. These programs are produced for dissemination to the public broadcasting stations, and other public telecommunication entities. By acting as a minority consortium, LPB provides a voice to the diverse Latino community throughout the United States.
The goal of LPB is to create a structure and process that allows Latino artists, the public broadcasting resources, community, government and the private sector to bring their resources and creativity to the service of the public. LPB has funded more than forty projects for public television since its creation in 1998.
LPB is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, non-profit corporation created by Congress in 1967. The mission of CPB is to facilitate the development of, and ensure universal access to, high-quality programming and telecommunications services. It does this in conjunction with non-commercial educational telecommunications licensees across America.
CONTACT:
Lourdes Ortega
Ortega Public Relations
Direct line: 310.316.3313