The next film to be introduced is "Tapuia" , from our September Film Festival lineup!
Synopsis: "Bianca, a young Italian-Brazilian, while during her work sees in the forest, Arú, an enslaved indigenous woman, which creates a serious problems in her life and in your family's life."
Directors: Begê Muniz (@begemuniz) & Kay Sara
Muniz:
Indigenous artist from Amazonas. As an actor, he participated in major productions such as Paula Gaitan's film "Luz nos Trópicos" (Berlin 2020). As a filmmaker, he directed the short film "Jamary," which was featured in prestigious festivals including the main competition at the Rio de Janeiro Festival 2021, and won 8 awards. His second short film, "Tapuia," was selected for the Clermont-Ferrand 2023 Market and will be showcased at the New Filmmakers Los Angeles 2024, as well as being selected for the Kinoforum Short Film Festival 2023, and Philadelphia Latino Film Festival 2023. Currently, Begê's newest short film, "Paranóia ou Mistificação," was selected for the International Documentary Short Film Festival of Kerala 2024 (India).
Sara:
Kay Sara is an Indigenous multi-artist, born on the border between Brazil and Colombia to parents from the Tariano and Tukano peoples of the Amazon. She has been involved in film and television since childhood, starring in titles such as "Uayna: Tears of Poison" (2010), Giorgio Diritti's "Un Giorno Devi Andare" (2013), "Before the Time Ends" (2016) by Sergio Andrade and Fábio Baldo, "The Black Earth of the Kawa" (2019) by Sergio Andrade, and the recent hit series "Aruanas" (2019). "Tapuia" marks her debut as a director.
Starring
Hercules Morais (@herculesmorais22)
Elisa Telles (@elisatelles_)
Get your tickets at https://www.newfilmmakersla.com/events/
Come watch the premiere of Alle Hsu's (@allehsu) "POP!" today at 7:30 pm during the "Program #3: Made in California."
Synopsis: "POP!” is a mother-daughter dramedy. “POP” follows the travails of an unemployed, thirtysomething Chinese American woman living at home with her mother, as she obsesses over ways to remedy or mask her adult acne in time for a family friend’s Chinese New Year banquet, where she hopes to reunite with an old high school crush."
Director: Alexandra Hsu @allehsu
Alexandra Hsu is a Chinese American director/producer from Orange County, CA. The primary motivation behind her work is to give voice to untold stories that stimulate conversation and help build bridges across cultures. She started making documentaries in college, where she realized her passion for authentic storytelling. Alexandra has directed three short films: Sophie (Hong Kong), Our Way Home (Long Island, New York), and Rencontres Paysannes/Farmers Dating (France). Each of these films have premiered at Oscar-qualifying film festivals, including Austin FF, Foyle FF, HollyShorts, and BendFilm, in addition to being screened around the world. She is now starting the festival run for POP!, her NYU thesis film starring Emmy-nominated actor Michelle Ang, as well as Unwavering, a short she was hired to direct.
Learn more about the festival and our other programs at https://www.newfilmmakersla.com
Join us TODAY at the August Film Festival & InFocus: International Animation program from 3 - 10 pm. We'll show a collection of animated work from across the world, a selection of California-made short films, and a collection of work created in the city of Angels itself. Meet us at the South Park Center in DTLA as we spotlight independent filmmakers across the globe!
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the link in @NFMLA's bio or www.NFMLA.org/events.
To round off our August Festival lineup, we have "THE RIDE!"
Synopsis: "When wannabe optimist Catherine fatefully picks up a teenage girl hitchhiking on the side of a desolate road, this pragmatist will learn that even on this lonely road, neither of them were ever alone."
Director: Christina YR Lim (@christinayrlim)
"Lim is a Korean-American writer/director who tells fish-out-of-water, genre-bending AAPI stories. She holds an MFA from USC’s School of Cinematic Art. She was a fellow of The Black List & WIF Feature Residency, Yale’s directing lab, Cine Qua Non Lab, and EAVE's Ties That Bind. Recently, her feature script GYOPO was selected for Wscripted's Cannes Screenplay List and The Black List x GM incubator fund with which she filmed a proof-of-concept. Her films have screened at Bentonville, Cinequest, and Catalina Film Festival, among others. Her first feature, B-SIDE: FOR TAYLOR, distributed by Buffalo 8 and EST Studios was released in 2024. She will be a fellow of Stowe x Sidewalk’s Story Lab and Reykjavík International Film Festival’s Talent Lab."
Learn more about the festival and our other programs at https://www.newfilmmakersla.com
Learn more about "THE ARRANGEMENT," part of our upcoming August Festival & InFocus: International Animation program!
Synopsis: "Allegorical look at the addictive nature of toxic relationships."
Director, Producer: Brett Maline (@breezy__f__baby)
Writer, Producer: Jessica Pohly (@jessicapohly)
Producer: Jake Isaacs
Cast
@jessicapohly
@redherington
@sujjang012
Learn more about the festival and our other programs at https://www.newfilmmakersla.com
Come see "BACK TO THE GARDEN" at our upcoming August Festival & InFocus: International Animation program!
Synopsis: "Set to Gardens & Villa’s luscious song “Back to the Garden,” this story follows a friendly Sasquatch who spots a group of hikers and unwittingly eats one of their special chocolates, embarking him on a magical psychedelic trip. But when he unwittingly bumps into the hikers face to face, his trip takes a turn for the worse."
Director, Writer, Producer: Steven Wilson (@grassgazelle)
"Steven Wilson is a Los Angeles based filmmaker who grew up in the California Central Coast. He started making short films in high school and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts for his work in film and animation. At UCLA he wrote and directed sketch comedy with award-winning comedy group The Wait List. Since college, Steven has directed commercials for big name brands, several award-winning short films, and a half-hour sci fi pilot for PlayStation."
@huthben
@gardensandvilla
Learn more about the festival and our other programs at https://www.newfilmmakersla.com
Learn more about "IN THE SHADOWS," part of our upcoming August Festival & InFocus: International Animation program!
Synopsis: "An unlikely duo–one a robot, the other afraid of robots–is forced to work together when they come under the haunting of a creature that plays in the shadows."
Director, Writer, Producer: Nico Isaque Barrett (@cosmic.frog)
"A passionate storyteller and 2D animator, Nico graduated from Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts with his thesis film, IN THE SHADOWS. Post-graduation, he continues to expand the story to develop it into a full series. Nico is openly transgender, and his experience as a queer creator is reflected in his art. With a growing social media presence under the handle @cyon_animation, Nico works on his portfolio while creating art and animation for the Brain Institute. He is local to the Los Angeles area."
Music Composer: @bb_brandon918
Learn more about the festival and our other programs at https://www.newfilmmakersla.com
Come see "SORRY GRANDPA HSAIO" at our upcoming August Festival & InFocus: International Animation program!
Synopsis: "Desperate for a promotion, a Chinese American woman enlists her “perfect” brother to help exploit her grandpa’s death anniversary for her company’s AAPI heritage month social takeover."
Director, Writer: Candace Ho (@_candaceho)
"Candace Ho is a Taiwanese American writer-director based in Los Angeles. She received her BA with Honors from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television with a concentration in narrative directing. Her work explores mental health, womanhood, coming of age, and navigating the gray areas of life and identity through a comedic and absurdist lens.
Her most recent short, SORRY GRANDPA HSIAO, was one of the ten films created as part of Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Indeed Rising Voices Season 3, and premiered at 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.
Her short films have screened at festivals across the country, including the Oscar-qualifying Austin Film Festival, and Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and have been highlighted in various showcases such as the Pritzker Pucker Studio Lab for Promotion of Mental Health via Cinematic Arts at Northwestern University and in the Asian Americans Media Screening at Pitzer College.
She is currently developing her first feature and pilot."
Producers: @mireia.vilanova, @selena_moon_cat
DP: @alleneho
Production Designer: @chenjeej
Editor: @faroukhvirani
VFX: @smilez94
Composer: @mattwmusic
HMU: @nydloh
Costume Designer: @afittingwithrocky
Practical FX: @nfeld
Casting: @natashawardcast
1st AD: @kennedy_lovegreen
Sound Design: @tisdstudios
Cast
@itsgalpalval
@daugherty_mark
Learn more about the festival and our other programs at https://www.newfilmmakersla.com
