Los Angeles, CA (date) – Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) today announced the six projects and their makers who comprise the first cohort of its new Latino Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship (LEFF), an innovative program designed to advance the careers of up-and-coming Latino storytellers entering the field of independent media. The recipients will be provided with a combination of production funding, mentoring, resource sharing, training, teambuilding, distribution and promotion. The fellowship will support the initial cohort of fellows over the course of two years and is made possible by a grant from the MacArthur Foundation.

“We’re thrilled to be starting this new program for emerging filmmakers looking for a way into the public media space,” says Sandie Viquez Pedlow, Executive Director of Latino Public Broadcasting. “This is a talented group whose projects reflect a broad spectrum of issues and viewpoints. We look forward to guiding their journey and sharing their films with audiences.”

The fellows and their projects are:

Ebony Bailey

The Afro “Mexpats”

This documentary will offer a nuanced exploration of the growing number of Black Americans who are moving to Mexico, giving a glimpse into the lives of the Afro “Mexpat” community.

Juan Carlos Davila  

There’s No Fish in the Sea

Desperately trying to adapt to climate change, fishermen in Vieques, Puerto Rico, are forced to navigate further into the open sea, risking their lives to catch sufficient amounts of fish to make a living. 

Arturo R. Jiménez and Edna Diaz 

Sangre Violenta/Sangre Violeta

In a country where an average of 10 women are killed every day, how did a movement of women protesting their rights to life and personal integrity find themselves the target of the Mexican government? In this short documentary, feminist activists reflect on the shared history that brought them here and consider the future of women’s rights.

Paloma Martinez

Co-Workers (w.t.)

Two co-workers bridge racial divides when they unite to organize their workplace for better conditions.

Raul Paz-Pastrana

Dark Skies

Weaving landscape and dark sky cinematography with poetic narrative stories from the peoples of the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado, Dark Skies is a meditation on memory, colonization, the environment, and their collective place in the cosmos.

Marcia Robiou

Protection Denied (w.t.)

This film explores the plight of undocumented survivors of domestic abuse in New York City. Wrongfully denied a path to citizenship by the police department, they are vulnerable to deportation, which can place them back in the hands of their abusers.

LEFF will provide production support, training and mentoring through three core components: 

• LEFF will fund the development and production of short documentaries (no longer than 15 minutes) that explore contemporary civic and social justice issues from the Latino-American perspective. LPB will distribute and promote the completed films across public media platforms and beyond.
• LEFF will provide production support, training and one-on-one mentoring over the course of the fellowship, pairing fellows with established Latino media makers as mentors. 
• Interactive Master Classes will be presented by LPB and taught by an exceptional team of Latino filmmakers. These classes will also be made accessible to a wider group of emerging Latino filmmakers invited by LPB. 

Photo: From left to right, top to bottom: Arturo Jiménez, Austin, TX, (credit: Lawrence Peart); Ebony Baily, Porterville, CA, (credit: Ebony Bailey); Paloma Martinez, Chicago, IL (credit: Paloma Martinez);  Raul Paz-Pastrana, Denver, CO (credit: Emily Parkey); Edna Diaz, Austin, TX, (credit: Elaine Almeida); Juan Carlos Davila, San Juan, Puerto Rico, (credit: República 21 Media); Marcia Robiou, Bronx, NY (credit: Marcia Robiou).