Liz Cardenas is celebrating a special recognition…

The Latina producer and actress is one of the inaugural recipients of the Dear Producer Award, recognizing excellence in independent producing.

Cardenas is joined by Megan Gilbride, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon and Avril Z. Speaks as this year’s honorees, as selected by Dear Producer.

The prize sponsored by Maida Lynn’s Genuine Article Pictures was established to help lift the financial burdens on indie film producers and to help build the independent film community through leadership and mentoring. It’s different from other filmmaking grants in that it supports the producer and is not based on a project or specific work.

Each of this year’s recipients will receive an unrestricted grant of $50,000, attend a retreat focused on rest and community building, and commit to mentoring an emerging producer for one year.

Dear Producer is a digital platform founded by producer Rebecca Green, which was established to amplify the voices of independent producers and help make the industry more sustainable.

The platform looks to to challenge archaic business models that stifle diverse and original voices, and to advocate for innovation, transparency and fiscal responsibility from the industry.

Finalists for its inaugural Dear Producer Award included Jameka Autry, Diane Becker, Beth Levison and Danielle Varga.

Cardenas’ producing credits include 7 Days, Materna and Burros.