National Association of Latino Independent Producers

by MovieMaker Staff | Published January 7, 2007

Although the Spanish and Latin cultures have infused and enriched the roots of this country since its inception, their presence in mainstream American media is a fairly new development. With the success of movies such as Julian Schnabelâ€™s Before Night Falls and Marilyn Agreloâ€™s Mad Hot Ballroom, audiences are taking a greater interest Latin-American storiesâ€”though the journey is at times uphill. â€œLatinos are the largest minority in the United States with a swift growing economic presence but have remained sorely underrepresented in media,â€ says Kathryn F. Galan, the executive director of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP).

Instead of viewing this representational gap entirely as a negative, NALIP looks at growing the Latin community in media programming and moviemaking as a challenge, and an exciting one at that. Through various outreach efforts, from hosting a national conference to running workshops for screenwriters, producers and documentarians, NALIP plays a large role in supporting and developing the Latin voice. â€œOur organization grows as the field expands. We see more young artists attending film school and pursuing entertainment careers; we see Latino/a writers and directors accepted into industry training programsâ€¦ and we see Latino/a television programs, production companies and other signs of health in the industry,â€ Galan enumerates. With a roster of more than 1,000 members, NALIP shows signs of exponentially increasing its presence in the film world, playing a major part in bringing the Latin-American voice to mainstream cinema.

For more informationâ€”or to join the NALIP ranksâ€”visit their website.

Sound Off: In the Summer 2006 issue of MM, Darlene Caamano Loquet, the president of NALA Films, told journalist Lily Percy, â€œWe need to stop classifying stories as â€˜Latinâ€™ or â€˜African-Americanâ€™ or â€˜urbanâ€™ and instead just call them what they areâ€”great storiesâ€¦ We need to focus on making universally-themed stories with our people at the center.â€ What do you think about this idea with regards to the development of film from the Latin-American community?

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Comment by Robert David (Bob) Graham on 1/09/07 at 6:40 am

As a struggling white actor-writer with no money I was taken in by a Latina with her sister and 12 kids, aged less than a year to about 12, all in one ratty room up Argyle off da Boulevard of Broken Dreams. I am forever grateful for the intimate knowledge of such a beautiful culture I gained from that half-year back around 1984.
I also had the pleasure of working with Emilio Rivera as classmates at Los Angeles City College and I am so happy to know that he has been making a living as an actor for the past 15 years. Bro keep up da good work.
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Comment by Daniel Castro on 4/25/07 at 8:41 am

There’s a company called Jaman (http://www.jaman.com) that is very supportive of NALIP, I wouldn’t doubt it if some of it’s members are part of NALIP. They have an incredible catalog of independent films from Latin America. I highly recommend a film from Walter Salles called “Foreign Land”.

http://www.jaman.com/a/video/0kVBIBUEkr70/

We should support companies like Jaman that might not be “Latino” companies but are supporting “the cause”.
You can read my full review in my blog
http://www.insomne.net/blog/entretenimiento/jaman/

Comment by Marina Cisneros on 4/26/07 at 3:21 am

I know Jaman and they’re getting some great traction...there’s a Latina executive in there which is great, and their films (across the board) are fantastic. The best part though is meeting other industry execs and definitely a pleasant surprise to see other latinos in there. cheers. M/NYC

Comment by C. Cruz on 6/02/07 at 4:01 am

PBS had a special ‘The Brown Screen’ detailing Latino film achievements in which Rita Moreno said in part “if they only knew us they would come to love us” She was talking about the world at large. The Latin culture is so diverse & varied that EVERY film-maker(Latino or not)could tell a story with Latinos center stage for 100 years and there would STILL be plenty of material for more.

I’m an aspiring writer and my stories will one day fill movie screens the world over...God-willing of course!

Comment by C. Cruz on 6/02/07 at 4:14 am

Correction on PBS special its called:
The Bronze Screen: 100 Years Of The Latino Image In Hollywood Cinema - Directed by Nancy de Los Santos, Susan Racho & Alberto Dominguez.

“to err is human” Thank you all for allowing me to be…

Comment by Marine Engineers Beneficial Association on 11/28/07 at 9:58 am