Miami Film Festival’s Encuentros Sidebar to Include Schnicer & Guardiola’s “Tigre”

Silvina Schnicer and Ulises Porra Guardiola will have a special encuentro in Miami…

The Miami Film Festival has unveiled its industry sidebar Encuentros, a selection of Latin American feature films produced partially or entirely by Ibero-American-based production companies currently in the postproduction stage, with the Argentine filmmakers’ latest project making the list.

Tigre

In addition to Schnicher and Guardiola’s Tigre, the program also selected Eugenia (Bolivia), directed by Martin BoulocqCamocim (Brazil), directed by Quentin Delaroche; and Los debiles (Mexico), directed by Raul Rico and Eduardo Giralt Brun.

The Encuentros sidebar was curated by Sandro Fiorin, from LatAm-specialty sales agent FiGa Films,

The projects will be matched with industry professionals, and a jury will award a $10,000 cash prize in completion financing, courtesy of the Knight Foundation.

“None of them were seen anywhere before,” said Fiorin on this year’s selection. “All remarkable in their own way, they represent what is happening at this moment in Latin America. The freshness and attitude are palpable, though the similarities and politics are buried deep inside each story. A total reflection of our times here in the U.S. and elsewhere,” he added.

Last year, the Encuentros winner was The Candidate, directed by Uruguayan actor Daniel Hendler, and an international premiere at the Miami fest this year.

The Festival also announced this year’s Miami Encuentros jury, formed by Dana Keith (Miami Beach Film Society and Cinematheque), Molly O’Keefe (Tribeca Film Institute), and the program creator Diana Sanchez (Toronto International Film Festival).

Additional prizes to be awarded include a DCP Mastering Service package valued at $5,000 presented by Madrid’s Aracne Digital Services; and a poster design service valued at $5,000 presented by Buenos Aires’ Boogieman Media.

Presented by the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation, Miami Encuentros will be hosted March 6-7 at the Faena Hotel Miami Beach.

The 34th edition of the Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival will run March 3 –12.

Nichols Lends Support to Everyone’s Kids, Everyone Gives’ National Giving Day

Marisol Nichols is fighting to eradicate child trafficking and human slavery…

The 40-year-old part-Spanish/part-Mexican actress recently lent her support to Everyone’s Kids, Everyone Gives’ National Giving Day on Tuesday, September 16.

Marisol Nichols

The campaign, hosted on crowdfunding site Razoo and featuring individual donors, fundraisers and more than 100 nonprofit organizations from all over the country, was seeking to raise $1 million during the special day of giving.

Nichols, whose philanthropic efforts on behalf of the fight have included multiple trips to Capitol Hill to help further anti-trafficking legislation, says its time to stop child trafficking, including sex trafficking, and human slavery.

“Everyone is born free and equal. We believe slavery was abolished with Abraham Lincoln; unfortunately human slavery is alive and well,” says Nichols, who first became involved with the issue through her mother-in-law Mary Shuttleworth’s organization, Youth for Human Rights International.

Nichols is chair of the advisory board for YHRI, which educates youth around the world about basic human rights, specifically the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In the U.S. alone, EKEG estimates 100,000 children are the victims of domestic trafficking each year, the equivalent of nearly 274 children per day.

Other supporters of the National Giving Day are Cindy McCain, musician Amanda Palmer, MTV Act, the Knight Foundation, Getty Images and Wondros.

“People aren’t aware of it and they think it only happens in Thailand, Africa or the Philippines but that’s not all, it happens here in America,” says Nichols. “The reason [human trafficking] is able to flourish so much is because no one knows about it, it’s kept in secret. … It is girls who are walking to school or who are taken at a mall, it’s girls being targeted and it’s everywhere, [human trafficking] knows no boundaries. In a normal world you would have people outraged and protesting in the streets if they knew [of the issue].”

A new public service announcement gives information on the issue as well as the number for the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline.

Coupled with the fundraiser, donors will be linked to a national public service announcement that will bring awareness to the National Human Trafficking hotline (888-373-7888), where people can call with anonymous crime tips or if they need help. Along with the fundraiser and PSA, Clear Channel Outdoor is participating in the campaign with a digital billboard push across 30 U.S. cities.

All proceeds from National Giving Day will be split between all of the participating nonprofit organizations.