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In Austin last month (April 22 through 30), the International Film Festival Cine Las Americas hosted over 100 films shot in South, Central, and North America, and included the participation of several cinematographers from all over the world.
Many of the films were based on true stories. Topics ranged from drug trafficking, poverty, immigration, sexual education to family issues, which are the main social and criminal issues in many South American and Latin American countries.
The festival opened with All Inclusive by Rodrigo Ortúzar Lynch, a comedy about how all the members of a Mexican-Chilean family of five deals with personal issues and how their decisions affect their relationships with one another.
Some of the notable documentaries were The Other Side of Immigration directed by Roy Germano, a tale about rural communities that migrate to the US and The Threat, by Luca Bellino, Silvia Luzi and Rodrigo Espina about the dictatorial path Venezuela's government is heading towards.
Sex With Love, a Chilean comedy about sexual education was a favorite. Many creative films such as Postcards from Leningrad, a feature film that mixed real life stories of the guerrilla with special effects and animation, as well as the animated short Voodoo Bayou were also enjoyable.
Cine Las Americas showcased several talented filmmakers such as former ACC student Sergio Carvajal. Carvajal took several classes at ACC and he then graduated from The University of Texas at Austin.
Carvajal participated in the Hecho en Tejas Film Competition at this year's festival with his short The Eyes of Javier.
"I was invited to apply to the festival by Jean Lauer who is the Associate Producer of Cine Las Americas. She is actually a very amazing lady who loves films and wants to really push emerging talent," said Carvajal.
The festival is a bridge for local and international filmmakers to expose their work, and for filmmakers like Carvajal this was a portal to opportunities.
Carvajal stated that "if you know what you want, you can make the best out of it. If you just don't have a clue, and you're expecting for a film festival to make you famous, then, maybe Cine Las Americas is not your best bet ... maybe filmmaking is not what you need to be doing either."
Carvajal's latest project, Cal Express, was selected to participate in this year's Tribeca Film Festival which is a big break for any filmmaker. None of these opportunities would have been possible if it wasn't for the enriching skills he learned when he began his career as a filmmaker at ACC.
"I can honestly tell you that meeting Geoffrey Schulman [Professor of Commercial Music Management], Tim Dittmar [Audio Engineering Instructor], Dan Childers [Audio Engineering Instructor], Robert Skiles [Commercial Music Instructor and] Joy Opp [Administrative Assistant] was one of the best things that happened to me."
The festival not only entertains, it opens vistas of opportunities for cinematographers and students, and educates our community.
"I truly enjoyed my years at ACC. I was able to start student organizations, put shows together and attend various classes that were priceless for my career development. I definitely didn't just think of ACC as merely the bridge from high school to a big university."
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