Cine Latino Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival

The 24th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) announces the new Cine Latino Award, which will be presented to the best Iberoamerican film screening at the Festival. Sponsored by the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) and the University of Guadalajara Foundation/USA, the winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize. PSIFF is scheduled to run January 3-14, 2013.

says Hebe Tabachnik, the Iberoamerican Programmer for PSIFF. “It creates the foundation for a growing cultural exchange between the Palm Springs International Film Festival and two of the leading organizations in the region: the Guadalajara Film Festival and the University of Guadalajara Foundation in USA. The reason Latin American cinema strikes such a chord with international audiences is because of the power of the stories and the dexterity in the storytelling. Cine Latino at PSIFF is our annual celebration of this powerful cinema showcasing the diversity, not only in subject matter and language, but also bringing exciting new works from regions with nascent filmmaking industries, as well as from established masters from Iberoamerica.”

“Being a part of the Palm Spring International Film Festival and giving this award, has a double meaning for our Festival,” said Iván Trujillo, the Festival Director from the Guadalajara International Film Festival. “On one side we continue to promote that every year, more and better films are being made, and on the other, we’re contributing to bring our cinema to the American public.” “The University of Guadalajara at Los Angeles, with the support of the University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America, Inc., is running an extensive program to extend outreach services to the Latino and Mexican community through the arts and a broad range of cultural activities,” said Lic. Raúl Padilla Lopez, President of the University of Guadalajara Foundation/USA. “We’re excited to be able to include the new Cine Latino Award for the best Latino film at the Palm Spring International Film Festival as a part of this program.”

Jury members include Juan Carlos Arciniegas (CNN en Espanol), Sydney Levine (IndieWire) and Iván Trujillo (Director of the Guadalajara Film Festival) will review 22 films to select the Cine Latino Award winner. This year’s eligible films are:

• 7 Boxes (Paraguay), Director: Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori
• After Lucia (Mexico), Director: Michel Franco
• Beauty (Argentina), Director: Daniela Seggiaro
• Blancanieves (Spain/France), Director: Pablo Berger
• Checkmate (Dominican Republic), Director: José María Cabral
• Clandestine Childhood (Argentina/Brazil/Spain), Director: Benjamín Ávila
• The Cleaner (Peru), Director: Adrian Saba
• The Clown (Brazil), Director: Selton Mello
• The Dead Man and Being Happy (Spain), Director: Javier Rebollo
• Drought (Mexico), Director: Everardo González
• The Girl (USA/Mexico), Director: David Riker
• Here and There (Spain/USA/Mexico), Director: Antonio Méndez Esparza
• La Playa D. C. (Colombia/Brazil/France), Director: Juan Andrés Arango García
• Multiple Visions (The Crazy Machine) (Mexico/France/Spain), Director: Emilio Maillé
• The Passion of Michelangelo (Chile/France), Director: Esteban Larraín
• Sadourni’s Butterflies (Argentina), Director: Darío Nardi
• The Sleeping Voice (Spain), Director: Benito Zambrano
• The Snitch Cartel (Colombia), Director: Carlos Moreno
• Tabu (Portugal/Brazil/France/Germany), Director: Miguel Gomes
• The End (Spain), Director: Jorge Torregrossa
• Una Noche (Cuba/UK/USA), Director: Lucy Mulloy
• White Elephant (Argentina/Spain/France), Director: Pablo Trapero

About The Palm Springs International Film Festival
The Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) is one of the largest film festivals in North America, welcoming 135,000 attendees each year for its lineup of new and celebrated international features and documentaries. The Festival is also known for its annual Black Tie Awards Gala, honoring the best achievements of the filmic year by a celebrated list of talents who, in recent years, have included Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Danny Boyle, George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron and Kate Winslet.

For more information, call 760-322-2930 or 800-898-7256 or visit www.psfilmfest.org.

About The Guadalajara International Film Festival
The Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) is an important place of promotion of Latin American cinema. We get response from professionals through the region, offering the opportunity to participate in different activities. For one week, in March, the FICG offers a selection of feature films, documentaries and short films. The Film Market is an essential platform for work and business. Meetings for projects in development. Training and dialogues on the various transformations that the audiovisual industry lives each year.

FICG is presented by the University of Guadalajara (UdeG), with the support of the Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE), National Council for Culture and Arts (CONACULTA), Jalisco State Government, Municipalities of Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlaquepaque, different institutions and recognized Mexican sponsors interested to promote film in the Iberia Peninsula and Latin America.

About The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America
The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America (UDG Foundation-USA) is an extension of Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara, A.C. and is made up of a number of prominent academic and social leaders. The Foundation works to attain private support from individuals, foundations and/or corporations in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the University of Guadalajara at Los Angeles.

The donations that the Foundation receives from one of the most important philanthropic regions in the United States go towards the relevant and high-quality academic and cultural activities of the University of Guadalajara at Los Angeles.