~by Dena Burroughs
| THE LOS ANGELES LATINO FILM FESTIVAL (LALIFF)
- October 7-14, 2007 In this, it's eleventh year, the L.A. Latino Film Festival was the largest and the best to date. It was a week of feature films, documentaries and shorts turned in by filmmakers from the U.S., Latin America and Spain. It was also a week of mingling of the "Creme de la Creme" of Latino actors and industry in Los Angeles, in special events, workshops, and the Opening and Closing Galas, which included the music of Johnny Polanco y su Conjunto Amistad. All films, documentaries and shorts were actually entries into a contest to be judged by panels in their respective categories. At Sunday's Closing ceremony, the co-founders of LALIFF, Edward James Olmos and Marlene Dermer, and actriz Maria Conchita Alonso, presented the winning awards as follows: First Prize Short: "The Grass Grows Green: Life an Death from Behind the Recruiting Office Desk" (USA) directed by Jesus Beltran. As the winner, this short can be considered for the Academy Awards! http://www.myspace.com/thegrassgrowsgreen First Prize Documentary: "Invisibles" (Spain) produced by Javier Bardem (the actor in, i.e. The Sea Inside, The Dancer Upstairs, and the upcoming film, Love in the Time of Cholera) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZCDhqDlEkk First Prize "Opera Prima" Feature Film (meaning a filmmaker's first work): "Ladrones" (Spain) directed by Jaime Marquez. http://www.cinecin.com/mostrar_pelicula.asp?id=944 Best Script Award: "Madrigal" (Cuba) written by Fernando Perez. http://www.cinecin.com/mostrar_pelicula.asp?id=831 Best Director: Paul Leduc, with "El Cobrador" (Mexico) http://www.esmas.com/espectaculos/cine/617654.html Best Film: "El Corazon de la Tierra" (Spain and the U.K.) produced by Juan Carlos Orihuela http://www.elcorazondelatierra.com The winners received prizes such as thousands of dollars in film or laboratory services. Companies such as Farmers Insurance, The Los Angeles Times and Hoy newspapers served as Premier Sponsors along with a long list of businesses that, with their financial cooperation, made the festival possible. The new venue, The ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, was a wonderful addition to the Festival. ********************************* On a personal note, I had the thrill to speak to Puerto Rican filmmaker, actor and poet, Jacobo Morales, who presented the movie "Angel." "Angel" is an intense film that leaves behind food for thought - http://profile.myspace.com/228041340 and brings back, throughout its 108 minutes, the beautiful sound of the coquis. Also spoke briefly to Miguel Hermoso, the director of the movie "Lola, la pelicula" (Spain) as he stood by the dance floor admiring the Salsa steps of a couple dancing at the Closing Gala. http://www.dcine.org/wordpress2/2006/01/25/cartel-de-lola-de-miguel-hermoso/ My personal favorite was "La Edad de la Peseta" (Cuba and Spain), directed by Pavel Giroud. It is a touching story, set in the Havana of 1958, that tells the life of a 10-year old who eventually ends in Miami, and his grandmother. The soundtrack for this movie is great, including songs by Celia Cruz and La Orquesta Aragon. http://www.cubacine.cu/laedaddelapeseta/ ********************************* All of the movies above, the winners and the recommended, are available for purchase and viewing one way or another. Support Latino Film and Independent Film, and be in expectation of LALIFF 2008!
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