Latino Public Broadcasting Announces Funding
LOS ANGELES - Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), a non-profit organization funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, announces 20 newly funded programs as part of its twelfth annual Public Media Content Fund, formerly Open Call. The funding initiative invites independent producers to submit proposals for funding on Latino-themed programs or series.
“For the first time, LPB is supporting digital media projects as well as broadcast content that will appeal to diverse, younger viewers on the big screen as well as the small screen, with stories that unearth our past and point the way to our countryÂ’s future,†said Edward James Olmos, LPB Chairman. “Now more than ever, these stories are crucial to helping us understand each other, across generations and geographies, beyond culture and class.†“We are proud to support such a wide range of important topics, from gay teens in Los Angeles, to the struggles over the curriculum and immigrant rights in Arizona, the historical significance of Cesar Chavez and the cultural legacy of Puerto Ricans and Cubans. These stories will touch viewersÂ’ hearts.†said Patricia Boero, LPB Executive Director. Every year LPB invites independent filmmakers to submit proposals in various stages, from research and development, to production, post-production, new media and community engagement. All proposals are reviewed by a selected group of public television professionals, local stations programmers, independent filmmakers, academics, and executives from other funding organizations. This year, twenty (20) proposals were selected for funding. Emerging filmmakers comprise 35% of total funded producers; mid-level producers make up 45%; veteran filmmakers constitute 20%. Over half of the awarded programs have never been funded by Latino Public Broadcasting before - a direct result of an extensive outreach program for independent filmmakers throughout the nation. As far as funded producers, 52% are women. The funding category breakdown is as follows: Research and Development – 15%; Production – 40%; Post-production – 25%; New Media – 15%; Community Engagement – 5%. The final slate of programs represents filmmakers from different regions within the U.S. including California, New York, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona. The 2010 awarded projects (alphabetically) are as follows: Broadcast Above the Fold Producer: Roberto Gudiño Category: Production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes A one hour documentary about a group of young Latino journalists who respond to negative portrayals of Latinos in the Los Angeles Times by writing their own stories. They were vindicated in 1984 when they became the first Latinos to win the Pulitzer Prize. The Arizona Project Producers: Carlos Sandoval/Catherine Tambini Category: Research & Development; 1 Episode/90 Minutes A feature-length verité documentary that will chronicle the emotionally charged battle over SB1070, ArizonaÂ’s controversial immigration law. El Béisbol: The Story of Latinos in Baseball Producers: A.P. Gonzalez/Nancy Oey Category: Production; 2 Episodes/60 Minutes A two-hour documentary that takes an in-depth look at Latinos and Baseball, emphasizing the rich history, social struggles, phenomenal growth and eventual triumph of Latino players of Latin American and Caribbean heritage. El Bús Producer: Maria Hinojosa Category: Research & Development; 4 Episodes/60 Minutes A mosaic of the stories found along the way as Maria Hinojosa journeys through America; providing a snapshot of communities that are increasingly diverse and coping in creative ways to survive in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. CesarÂ’s Last Fast Producer: Richard Ray Perez Category: Production; 1 Episode/90 Minutes A multi-platform, cross-media documentary film about the private sacrifice behind Cesar E. ChavezÂ’s struggle for the humane treatment of farm workers and the impact ChavezÂ’s legacy has on a new generation of organizers fighting today. ¡Coquito! Producers: Bienvenida Matias/Sonia Gonzalez-Martinez/Tami Gold Category: Research & Development; 1 Episode/60 Minutes More than bragging rights, the Coquito Master contest gives Puerto Ricans a platform to put their imprint on their culture through the making of this traditional Christmas drink. Farewell, Ferris Wheel Producers: Miguel Martinez/Jamie Sisley Category: Production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes An examination of the endangered American carnival and the small Mexican town of Tlapacoyan, which provides one third of AmericaÂ’s carnival labor. El Jardin Producer: Natalia Almada Category: Production; 1 Episode/90 Minutes Through the night-watchmanÂ’s vigilant eyes we enter into the world of El Jardín, a cemetery in the drug heartland of Mexico where the lives of guilty and innocent intersect in the shadow of this bloody conflict that has claimed nearly 30,000 lives. Making Viva Max Producer: Jim Mendiola Category: Post-Production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes In 1969, a Hollywood movie crew making a comedy about Mexicans retaking the Alamo, fights the Daughters of the Republic of Texas for permission to shoot their film on the historic grounds of the “sacred shrine.†¿Más Bebes? Producers: Virginia Espino/Renee Tajima-Peña Category: Post-Production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes A one-hour documentary that reveals the disturbing history of hundreds of Mexican-origin women who were coercively sterilized at Los Angeles County Medical Center – USC during the late 1960s and 1970s, often based on little more than the question “More babies?†Mosquita y Mari Producer: Aurora Guerrero Category: Production; 1 Episode/90 Minutes In a fast-paced immigrant community where dreams are lost to economic survival, two young Chicanas contemplate life when they stir sexual desires in each other. Now en Español Producer: Andrea Meller Category: Production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes In a feature documentary that chronicles the ups and downs of being a Latina actress in Hollywood, Now en Español addresses issues of Latino identity and representation through the lives of five dynamic women who dub “Desperate Housewives†into Spanish. Precious Knowledge Producer/ Director: Eren Isabel McGinnis/Ari Luis Palos Category: Post-Production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes Tucson High School students engage in a historic civil rights battle to save Mexican American Studies at their school as state lawmakers fight back. Rainbow Coalition Producer: Ray Santisteban Category: Post-Production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes The exploration of the rise and fall of a multi-ethnic political movement in Chicago comprised of African Americans, Latinos, and poor southern Whites. Ruben Salazar: The Man in the Middle Producer: Phillip Rodriguez Category: Production; 1 Episode/60 Minutes The story of the life and mysterious death of one of the most prominent Mexican American journalists of the 20th century. Unfinished Spaces Producer: Alysa Nahmias Category: Post- Production; 1Episode/60 Minutes Fifty years after the Cuban Revolution, three architects resume their first project – CubaÂ’s National Art Schools – left unfinished in 1965 when their creative visions came head to head with the political realities of the Revolution. New Media CaminosMedia.org Producer: Juan Carlos Zaldivar A web-action project that takes a pro-active approach to citizen journalism and the immigration reform, allowing web visitors to create their own media and enabling them to forward short media content to their representatives in congress. Clara como el Agua – Clear like Water Producer: Fernanda Rossi A ten-minute film about the origins of Clara, a light-skinned black girl with kinky, blond hair and gray eyes, who is teased by her dark-skinned peers; until she ventures into the magical waters of a bay to change her skin color, and possibly herself. New American Girls Producer: Mitchell Teplitsky A new media project that follows a year in the life of a group of smart teen Latinas in Denver aiming for careers in medicine, science, engineering – if they donÂ’t get deported first. Community Engagement Cruz Reynoso: A Man for all Seasons Producer: Abby Ginzberg 1 Episode/60 Minutes A one hour documentary that chronicles the life and work of Cruz Reynoso, including his commitment and struggle for equality and justice, working in the fields as a youth and presiding on the California Supreme Court. About Latino Public Broadcasting Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) supports the development, production, acquisition and distribution of public media content that is representative of Latino people, or addresses issues of interest to Latino Americans. These programs, including the series ‘VOCESÂ’, are produced for dissemination to the public broadcasting stations. Edward James Olmos is founder and Chairman of the LPB Board of Directors
