Sure, we’ve got a long way to go with Latino representation in Hollywood, but we’ve also come pretty far, and if you need proof of the gains we’ve made over years of struggle just take a glance at the roster of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers’ 2015 NALIP Media Summit. From A-list celebs like Eva Longoria, Raquel Welch, Dascha Polanco, and Danny Trejo, to corner office execs from HBO and CBS, and even a guy described as a “Vine celebrity,” NALIP’s annual Media Summit is a veritable showcase of Latino media success stories. But in addition to reaffirming our presence across film, television, and new media, NALIP is living proof that en la unión está la fuerza, and this annual event also serves as a vital networking platform for Latino mediamakers across the country.
But you don’t have to be a member of NALIP to get in on the action at this year’s event. While the conferences, galas, and requisite after parties may be reserved for badge holders, the Media Summit will be holding a handful of opening night screenings in Los Angeles that even us badgeless fulanos de tal will have the opportunity to attend, provided you RSVP here and here before it’s too late.
Kicking off the festivities this Thursday, June 25 will be a screening of the feature documentary No Más Bebés, directed by Renee Tajima-Peña, which documents the efforts of a young Chicana lawyer fighting to hold the behemoth Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center accountable for shady sterilization practices carried out against L.A.’s Mexican-American population in the 1960s and 70s. Director Tajima-Peña and producer Virginia Espino will also be on hand for a post-screening chat.
Later that evening, audiences will be treated to a special preview screening of Cannes sensation Ardor, which features none other than Gael García Bernal and Alice Braga in starring roles. Directed by Argentine helmer Pablo Fendrik, Ardor invokes the tradition of the Spaghetti Western in its tale of a mysterious shaman who comes to the defense of a campesino family threatened by violent land grabbers. If you’ve ever wondered what Gael would look like as an Amazonian mystic, this film may be your only opportunity to find out.
Both screenings will be held at the Grauman’s Egyptian Theater in L.A., and will be followed by a Summit Launch party, which is open to all who attend the screening of Ardor. So go ahead and get yourself all fancied up, dust off that screenplay you never shopped around, and go rub elbows with the NALIP big shots. I think it goes without saying that this is a unique opportunity.
Both screenings on Thursday, June 25 are open to the public. RSVP for No Mas Bebes at 4:30pm here and Ardor at 7:30 pm here.
Sign up for a chance to win a Summit Media Maker Pro Pass to get access to the entire conference.
Ardor arrives in theaters on July 17 from Participant Media. More information on the film is available here.