With Mighty Star Power and a Major Media Stage Hispanicize 2013 Unveils Official Film Festival Selections, Celebrities and Sessions

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• Latin America - español

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., April 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With mighty star power and a national Hispanic media and social media stage as the backdrop, Hispanicize 2013 organizers today unveiled the event's film festival selections, celebrity screenings and professional development sessions.  Hispanicize 2013 (http://www.HispanicizeEvent.com), the fourth annual Latino trends event, will take place at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach, April 9-13.

This year's feature film and documentary selections are: "Blaze You Out", "Aftershock," "Filly Brown", "Dreamer" and "Mission Park".  The special Documentary and Short Film Showcase night of the event will consist of a screening of the documentary "Los Wild Ones" and eight shorts.

Among Hollywood celebrities confirmed to attend the festival's red carpets and sessions are: Oscar nominee Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Vivica Fox, Nicolas Lopez, Gina Rodriguez, Carlos Ponce and more.  An Oscar-winning actress will be announced next week.

In the spirit of building synergies through collaboration, this year's festival was created in consultation with an advisory board that included Calixto Chinchilla, founder of the New York International Latino Film Festival; Jaie Laplante, executive director of the Miami International Film Festival and festival co-founder Bel Hernandez, CEO of Latin Heat Media.

"This is a tight film festival with movies, filmmakers and professional development sessions that will truly elevate the growing voice of current and future Latino filmmakers," said Manny Ruiz, organizer and creative director of Hispanicize 2013.  "During Hispanicize 2013 the Eden Roc hotel and our film screenings will be buzzing with celebrities and media in a way we believe will be very exciting."

"This year we wanted to focus specifically on the up and coming Latino filmmakers and it was a hard task but we feel that we have identified some of the top Latino influencers to pay attention to this year," said Roman Morales, the film festival's director. 

Special Hispanicize Film and Music Festival Badges for limited access to those portions of the event are available online for $150 at www.Hispz13.eventbrite.com.  Full access to the event can also be purchased online.  Hispanicize 2013 (www.hispanicizeevent.com) will take place April 9-13, 2013 at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach (REGISTER HERE).  

Among the presenters of this year's 19 professional development film sessions and workshops will be master class sessions with accomplished documentarian Joe Cardona ("Celia the Queen") and Det. Gomez of the hit syndicated reality show "Cheaters".  Sessions will feature topics ranging from funding your films to marketing movies to Latino audiences.

Below is a detailed, day-by-day schedule of the sessions and films playing at Hispanicize 2013.  Please note that all sessions will take place at the Eden Roc hotel.

TUESDAY, APRIL 9

Film related sessions include:

Picture Your Production Under a Low Budget Contract (sponsored by SAG-AFTRA)

Writer's Workshop: Screenwriting for Film and TV

Navigating the World of Tax Incentives and Film Commissions

Hispanicize 2013 will kick off with a special red carpet screening of "Filly Brown", the independent drama starring the late Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera, at Miami Beach's iconic Regal South Beach Cinema.  Notable about this film screening is the fact that the Hispanicize Film Festival is partnering with the Miami International Film Festival and Pantelion Films, a brand new synergy that only serves to bring more buzz to films playing at Hispanicize 2013.

Attending the red carpet will be Olmos, Rodriguez, Phillips as well as co-directors Michael Olmos and Youssef Delara.

FILLY BROWN
(USA, 2013, 80 min)
Directors: Michael Olmos and Youssef Delara.
Actors: Gina Rodriguez, Chrissie Fit, Lou Diamond Phillips, Edward James Olmos
Logline: FILLY BROWN is an inspiring and gritty portrait of a young artist (Rodriguez) striving to find her voice and seize her dreams without compromise. Majo Tonorio, aka 'Filly Brown' is a young, raw hip-hop artist from Los Angeles who spits rhymes from the heart. With a mother in prison (Rivera) and a father (Olmos) struggling to provide for his family, Majo knows that a record contract could be her family's ticket out. But, when a record producer offers her a shot at stardom, she is suddenly faced with the prospect of losing who she is an as artist, as well as the friends who helped her reach the cusp of success.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10

Film related sessions include:

Meet the Generation NEXT of Latino Independent Filmmakers

Casting Directors: What Works and What Doesn't

Making Films Latinos Love: Proven Successes, Big Franchises, New Approaches

On Wednesday evening the Regal South Beach cinema will host the official Opening Night Red Carpet premiere of this year's festival "Blaze You Out" followed by "Dreamer".  Among the celebrities attending this red carpet are Veronica Diaz Carranza, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Diego Joaquin Lopez, Mateo Frazier and Mark Adair Rios.    

BLAZE YOU OUT
(USA, 2013, 90 min)
Writers/Directors: Mateo Frazier, Diego Joaquin Lopez
Cast: Veronica Diaz Carranza, Elizabeth Pena, Q'orianka Kilcher, Raoul Trujillo, Mark Adair Rios and Jeremy Ray Valdez
Logline: An unyielding young woman ventures into the ruthless underworld of the town's heroin trade in order to save her younger sister's life.  (See the "Blaze You Out" trailer here: https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpWmd0NmNvQnRBSXNUQw

DREAMER
(USA, 2013)
Writer/Director: Jesse Salmeron
Cast: Jeremy Ray Valdez, Isabella Hofmann, Cory Knauf
Logline: Joe Rodriguez is an All-American young man. He's amiable, well educated and attractive. He's graduated from college and is working and excelling in his field. He's on his way to achieving the American Dream. That is until his employer discovers his undocumented status and the life he's worked so hard for begins to crumble around him. He must face the possibility of losing his livelihood, his family and, even, himself.  (See the "Dreamer" trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkDQT9PHgho&list=UU8WRL1ej77wR7Ij5a1KX0aA&index=1).

THURSDAY, APRIL 11

Film related sessions include:

15 Minutes of Genius Session: Filmmakers' Edition (1 hr., 30 min.)

Master Class: Detective Gomez Shares the Ultimate Cheat Sheet on Creating, Selling and Sustaining a Hit Reality TV Show (1 hr., 30 min.)

Master Class: Detective Gomez Shares the Ultimate Cheat Sheet on Creating, Selling and Sustaining a Hit Reality TV Show (1 hr., 30 min.)

The event's Documentary and Short Films Showcase, curated by Sundance Film Festival programming associate and film blogger Christine Davila of Chicana from Chicago, will take place at the Eden Roc Hotel.  Below is a description of the films in that program:

LOS WILD ONES
(USA, 2013, 95 min)
Director: Elise Salomon
Writers: Ryan Brown, Elise Salomon
Logline: Wild Records is an LA indie music label comprised of young Hispanic musicians, it is run by Irishman, Reb Kennedy. Wild is an unconventional family, reminiscent of the early days of Sun Records, all of its musicians write and perform 50s Rock 'n Roll. If Wild is going to continue to grow and reach broader audiences, its current business model will cease to work.

#POSTMODEM
(USA, 2012, 13 min)
Writers/Directors: Lucas Leyva, Jillian Mayer, 
Logline: A comedic, satirical, sci-fi pop musical based on the theories of Ray Kurzweil and other futurists, #PostModem is the story of two Miami girls and how they deal with technological singularity, as told through a series of cinematic tweets.  (View the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/56263224).

FIREWORKS
(USA, 2012, 11 mins)
Director: Victor Hugo Duran
Writer: Kevin James McMuillin
Logline: During the Fourth of July in South Los Angeles, a teenage boy and his brother scour the neighborhood for fireworks in order to win the admiration of a girl.  View the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/42566725. 

CLARA COMO EL AGUA
(USA, 2012 10 min)
Director: Fernanda Rossi
Writer: Fernanda Rossi
Logline: Clara is the only light-skinned and clear-eyed girl in an all-black neighborhood. Teased incessantly, the children claim her unknown father is actually a "gringo" tourist. However, Clara was told a different story, and to find out the truth, she will venture into the magical waters of the bioluminescent bay all on her own.  View the trailer here: http://www.fernanda-rossi.com

VINCENT VALDEZ: EXCERPTS FOR JOHN
(2012, USA, 12 min)
Directors: Mark and Angela Walley
Logline: Two years in the making, this beautifully shot and perfectly paced short documentary captures the creative process of painter Vincent Valdez, as the artist works on a series of pieces dedicated to a childhood friend John Holt Jr. an Army combat medic who died in 2009 after serving in Iraq. Visit www.WalleyFilms.com for more information.

EL COCODRILO
(2012, 15 min)
Director: Steve Acevedo
Writer: Alfredo Barrios, Jr.
Logline: A Mexican journalist and a cartel assassin collide in a diner, with tragic consequences for both. Starring Jacob Vargas.  View the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/48999841.   

ECHO BEAR
(USA, 2012, 6 min) 
Writer/director: Yolanda Cruz
Logline:  Bear, a single Latino man in L.A.'s Echo Park neighborhood, looks for love online. Fearing traffic, he searches locally, but soon discovers how geographic convenience can turn to heartache overnight.  View the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qzU3vOjXSs. 

REINALDO ARENAS
(USA, 2012, 3:29 min)
Writer/Director: Lucas Leyva
Logline:  Told from the point of view of a dying shark, 'Reinaldo Arenas' metaphorically captures the current state of the aging Cuban-American exile community, many of whom have still not come to terms with the Communist Revolution that changed their lives forever. The film culls from various Cuban films and works of literature to create not a singular voice, but a feeling of a particular moment in time.  For more information about this film visit http://www.borschtcorp.com. 

GABI
(2012, USA, 20 min)
Writer/Director:  Zoe Salicrup Junco
Logline: A Puerto Rican saying haunts single women in their 30's: "If such a woman is not married by this time, she must be a slut, a lesbian, or a prude." This is the story of that woman.  View the film trailer here: http://vimeo.com/14803579. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 12

Film related sessions include:

Financing & Securing Distribution for Your Film: Introduction to the Latino Film Fund

Thumbs Up: Meet the Fanatical Film Bloggers

Almost White: Author / Producer Rick Najera Shares Excerpts From His New Book about Latinos in Hollywood

The Hispanicize 2013 Film Festival will close with a red carpet featuring "Aftershock" and "Mission Park".  Among those appearing in this red carpet will be Vivica Fox, Nicolas Lopez and Jeremy Ray Valdez.

AFTERSHOCK
(USA, 2012, 90 min)
Director: Nicolas Lopez
Writers: Guillermo Amoedo, Nicolas Lopez and Eli Roth
Logline: In Chile, a group of travelers who are in an underground nightclub when a massive earthquake hits quickly learn that reaching the surface is just the beginning of their nightmare.  View the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wVgWKQjOVU.

MISSION PARK
(USA, 2013, 120 min)
Writer/Director: Bryan Ramirez
Logline: Four friends from the rough side of town grow apart when two are consumed by a life of crime, and the other two become FBI agents sent deep undercover - to bring down those childhood friends.  View the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CitYsSg5hug.  

SATURDAY, APRIL 13

Film related sessions include:

The Abbreviated Magnitude of the Short Film

Master Class: Creating, Shooting and Distributing Award-winning Documentaries (1 hr., 30 min.)

From Novelas to Hollywood: Making the Acting Switch

The rest of the film festival advisory board consists of: Ivette Rodriguez, CEO of American Entertainment Marketing; Hugo Perez, award winning producer and Director of Hispanic Marketing for The Zocalo Group; producer Piedad Palacios; director Adam Schlachter; and Monica Taher, Business Development Director Getty Images Hispanic and Getty Images Latin America.

Sponsorship and Registration Information

Sponsorship information is available by emailing [email protected] or by contacting: 203.364.4779.

To book a hotel room visit https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_gi_new&groupID=14723119   

The title sponsor of the event is Procter & Gamble.  As of today, other sponsors include: Target, Pandora, Telemundo, Bumble Bee Foods, Tide, NASCAR, Charmin, Lowes, Coca-Cola, MundoFox, Sherwin-Williams, Ford, McDonald's, The Clorox Company, Maseca, ViSalus, Swiffer, Fender, Radio Shack, Transitions, Avocados of Mexico, UnitedHealthcare, NBC Latino, Yo Soy Segundo, The Axis Agency, ESPN Deportes, The American Latino Museum, JeffreyGroup, NBCUniversal, Lanugo, Visit Orlando, Fox News Latino, AARP, Business Wire, Sensis Agency, PR Newswire, The Zocalo Group, El Sentinel, BajaLibros.com, The American Latino Museum, Marketwire, The St. Augustine Visitor's Bureau, Collective Bias and several more brands who will shortly be disclosed.  Media partners include Latin Heat Media, Getty Images Hispanic, Media Moves, Voxxi, Mamiverse, PRODU and Hispanic Market Weekly.

About Hispanicize 2013

Now in its fourth year, Hispanicize 2013 (http://www.HispanicizeEvent.com) (#Hispz13) is the iconic, largest annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in social media, journalism, advertising, PR, film, music and innovation.  

Hispanicize 2013 brings brands, media, marketers, celebrities, filmmakers, innovators and bloggers together in a unique creative environment focused on ideas and best practices.  The event is a launch pad for creative endeavors, new products, technologies, marketing campaigns, films, books and more targeting Latinos.  

Hispanicize 2013, a partnership of the Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA), Hispanicize and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), will be held at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach, April 9-13, 2013.

SOURCE Hispanicize 2013