There was one Latina filmmaker, Mabel Valdiviezo, among the five women filmmakers who won this year’s second annual Acceleration Grant for Emerging Filmmakers competition; a program of the Women In Film (WIF) and General Motors Corporation (GM) alliance designed to support talented filmmakers from under-represented communities.
In addition to Valdiviezo, the 2007 WIF/GM Acceleration Grant for Emerging Filmmakers’ winners are: Jamie Taucher of Sedona, Arizona, Julia Kots of New York, New York, Connie M. Florez of Honolulu, Hawaii and Joyce Lee of San Francisco, California.
The WIF/GM Acceleration Grant for Emerging Filmmakers is awarded to five up-and-coming women filmmakers, chosen through an application process overseen by a WIF selection committee of professional filmmakers and entertainment industry executives. The grant provides recipients with a broad-based understanding of the business of filmmaking through a six-day, full-immersion mentoring program, shepherded by WIF members, which include some of the industry’s most successful female talent.
“Once again, we had a tremendous response from women across the country. This year’s recipients of the Women In Film/General Motors Acceleration Grant for Emerging Filmmakers are all exceptionally talented. We congratulate each of these women for the initiative, drive and creativity that will help them establish and further their careers in film and television,” said Judith James, chair of the WIF/GM Alliance.
“Women In Film steadfastly believes in mentoring, fostering and supporting outstanding women from diverse communities. Previous recipients of both the WIF/GM Acceleration Grant for Emerging Filmmakers and the WIF/GM Opening Doors/Abriendo Puertas: The Acceleration Grant for Emerging Latina Filmmakers have clearly been able to advance their careers in the entertainment industry as a result. The business and creative foundation provided to grant winners does open doors and benefits both the new talent and the industry.”
“Segmentation by Level of Acculturation” audio recording
Presenter Miguel Gomez Winebrenner
Discusses
- Assimilation versus acculturation
- Factors that affect Latino acculturation
- How to know if someone is acculturated
- Number of years necessary for acculturation
- Effects of immigration debate on acculturation
- Three main ways of segmenting Latinos
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Grant winners will attend individual and group meetings with film industry professionals who will review the national and international aspects of finance, marketing, distribution and legal subjects. They will meet as a group with a panel of studio executives and distributors in film and television to discuss the trends and criteria shaping the industry. They will also meet with international sales agents to discuss the current trends in buying and selling products for the international market.
Valdiviezo of San Francisco, California has been making documentary, narrative and experimental films for nearly 10 years and recently produced a segment for KQED’s SPARK arts series, profiling Chilean playwright Carlos Baron and Nobel Prize-winning poet and political figure Pablo Neruda. She serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco chapter of Women In Film and Television, and is former co-chair of the Film Arts Foundation. Her company Haiku Films is based in San Francisco.
She is developing a feature-length film entitled “Soledad is Gone Forever” based on her short of the same name, which has screened at several film festivals including the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Cine Mujer, Chica Luna and the Cannes Short Film Corner. The feature-length script was also selected for the 2007 Sundance Producer’s Conference. Valdiviezo was nominated for the Sundance International Filmmaker NHK Award.
Valdiviezo recently won the Best Screenplay Award for her feature length script “Soldedad is Gone Forever” at the Florida Media Market, a non-profit membership based organization whose goal is to educate and build a platform where independent film and media makers meet with international buyers, distributors and production companies to buy, sell and network.
Founded in 1973 in Los Angeles, Women In Film is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to women in the global entertainment industry. Its purpose is to empower, promote, nurture and mentor women in the industry through a network of valuable contacts, events, programs, workshops, finishing funds and scholarships.
The Women In Film/General Motors Alliance was created to support women in the entertainment industry and to expand Women In Film chapter programs across the country. General Motors is the National Presenting Sponsor of Women In Film.
“Beyond the 30 Second Spot” audio recording
Listen to a 105-minute discussion
Panelists Ivan Cevallos, Hunter Heller, Kitty Kolding and Cynthia Nelson
Our panel of national experts discuss
• Challenges of measuring the impact of the 30-second ad spot
• Innovative tools are useful to reach Latinos
• Changes in marketing to Hispanics
• On which market segment are the changes most relevant
• Effects of technology and time shift on consumer behavior
• Role of multi-screens
• Getting started
• Tips for marketing professionals
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