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ABOUT UShistoryCine Las Americas (CLA) began in 1997 as a Cuban film retrospective sponsored by the Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin, Texas. While programming the initial event, the organizers realized that although Austin was building its reputation as an important city for producing and showcasing independent film, films made by and about Latinos were largely absent from the community's cultural landscape. The overwhelming success of the first festival proved that there was an audience for these under-represented voices. With support from the City of Austin and the Texas Commission on the Arts, as well as the local Latino community, CLA made a commitment to become a vehicle for the inclusion of films from all of the Americas, and since 1998, the annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival has steadily grown to become an internationally recognized event. In 2001, CLA became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Soon after gaining its non-profit status, CLA partnered with the Austin Independent School District (AISD) and moved its offices to Johnston High School in East Austin, where it established a Media Arts Center, implementing educational and mentoring programs to support the District's Dropout Prevention Campaign. During this time CLA offered Johnston High School students hands-on bilingual opportunities in multimedia production, event production, and non-profit organization management. Most significantly, students produced Emergencia, the youth component of the film festival, in which they received entries from around the country, previewed them in order to curate a program, granted awards for the best work and produced a day of free screenings within the frame of the international film festival. In 2003, professional musician Brian Ramos approached the organization with a proposal to include a bilingual Digital Music Production curriculum in its after-school programs. This curriculum later received support from the Webber Family Foundation and the City of Austin’s GTOP’S grants, allowing Mr. Ramos and other guest artists to instruct and mentor dozens of students at a recording studio inside CLA’s classroom at Johnston High School, where students were able to write and record music and lyrics in a professional studio environment. From 2002 to 2005, the film festival was also produced from Johnston High School under the direction of Eugenio del Bosque, consistently increasing the event’s sponsorship base as well as the number and quality of entries received each year. In 2003, the festival extended its program to include indigenous work from the Americas, established competitive sections granting juried and audience awards, and put Austin on the world map of Latino film festival destinations. In 2004, American Airlines became a sponsor of the festival, allowing the event to invite participating filmmakers to personally present their work in Austin. In 2005, CLA’s contract with Johnston High School came to an end, opening a new development cycle for the organization. CLA found a larger home for its staff in the heart of East Austin, previous Film Festival Director Eugenio del Bosque became the new Executive Director. Both the relocation and leadership transition have expanded CLA's vision by providing the necessary tools to further its mission. Under this new cycle, CLA has expanded its bilingual Digital Music Production (BeatLab) program to under-served student populations around Austin, engaging over 120 Hispanic and African American students at over eight AISD schools. Since 2005, Cine Las Americas has presented more than 300 films at its annual film festival and at various screenings across the state of Texas, collaborating with institutions such as The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) and the South By South West Film Festival (SXSW). During this time, the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival has established itself as one of the most prestigious of its kind in the country, consistently growing its sponsorship and audience base, and offering artistic excellence, business opportunities and cultural exchange to audiences and film professionals alike. In 2007, long time festival collaborator Jacqueline Rush Rivera formally joined CLA as Director of Programming. In April of that year, CLA celebrated its tenth anniversary with an expanded film festival. During the eight day event, the festival hosted more registrants than any previous year, and integrated many new projects into its infrastructure, including a works in progress section, industry panels, and opening night festivities at the Paramount Theater. The festival program presented many Texas, United States and World Premieres, and continued to foster established collaborations with organizations like the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) and the Austin Film Society (AFS), as well as many local businesses. Cine Las Americas is a unique, multicultural organization that offers cultural experiences and business opportunities for Latinos in film and media arts, and brings media arts education to minority youth in Austin. While the international film festival seeks to become an institution in the international film business and trade, fostering multi-national film production, and accessing emerging markets and diverse audiences, Cine Las Americas remains a community oriented Media Arts Center, offering diverse opportunities for culture, education and fun. Cine Las Americas is for everyone. Go to the following pages to learn more about Cine Las Americas: |
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This project is funded in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts. Cine Las Americas © 1997 - 2008 | ||