Top Honors Go to Hector Galán’s “Visiones: Latino Art and Culture”
LOS ANGELES, CA, JUNE 20, 2005 — Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), a non-profit organization funded by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, announced today that “Visiones: Latino Art and Culture,” won the Imagen Award for Best Documentary. Produced by Latino television veteran Hector Galán, the six-part documentary travels throughout the United States, tapping into the often hidden wealth of Hispanic artistry.
“That the first PBS series to focus exclusively on Latino artistic expression in the U.S. won this year’s Imagen Awards is a resounding vote of approval for the work we are doing,” said Luca Bentivoglio, executive director, Latino Public Broadcasting. “‘Visiones: Latino Art and Culture,’ a co-production of Galan Incorprated and The National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, is the type of program that finds a home in public broadcasting, where the ultimate goal is to share unfettered knowledge, art, news or culture with viewers. We are very proud to have funded Hector Galán in this rich, multi-faceted series.”
The Imagen Awards ceremony was held Friday, June 17 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. A sold-out crowd of celebrities and supporters of the Latino entertainment community attended the black tie gala that recognizes individuals, series as well as films and their contributions to the entertainment industry.
“The tapestry of Latino art is so intricate and diverse, that even a documentary such as ‘Visiones: Latino Art and Culture’ only scratches the surface of what Latinos are creating in our country. I am extremely proud to be a microphone for their work, to document their art, to publicize their culture,” said Hector Galán.
“Visiones: Latino Art and Culture” was one of the first projects LPB supported. Currently, it holds a yearly competition that invites independent producers to submit proposals for funding on Latino-themed programs or series. This year’s 2005 Open Call competition ended on June 6, 2005 with over 100 entries from across the country. Submissions included documentaries, documentary series, experimental, animation, drama and comedy from over 18 states. Winners will be announced in November 2005.
The Imagen Foundation
With financial support from Norman Lear’s Embassy Communications, staff support from NCCJ, the cooperation of many entertainment companies, the leadership of Helen Hernandez and a voluntary advisory committee of professionals and community leaders, the Imagen Awards became a successful enterprise. Since 1985, the Imagen Awards competition has brought out the best and most talented portrayal of Latinos in television and film. For more information on the organization, please visit www.imagen.org.
ABOUT LPB
Created in 1998 by Edward James Olmos and Marlene Dermer, Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) is a non-profit organization funded by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting. LPB’s mission is to support the development, production, post-production, acquisition and distribution of non-commercial educational and cultural television that is representative of or addresses issues of particular interest to U.S. Latinos. These programs are produced for dissemination to public broadcasting stations and other public telecommunication entities. Mr. Olmos is presently LPB’s Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Contact: Maite Saralegui
323 650 2236
maite_saralegui@yahoo.com