Docs Rock— Prior to the shocking declaration that he would be running for president of the United States (who knew?), Gov. Bill Richardson took time out of his busy schedule to announce the winners of the 2007 Governor’s Cup Short Documentary Competition. The Governor’s Cup is part of Richardson’s ongoing initiative to foster local filmmaking talent (along with last weekend’s successful New Mexico Filmmaker’s Showcase at the Guild Cinema).This year’s Governor’s Cup covered the field of documentary filmmaking. More than 100 entries were submitted to the competition. Three winners were selected. Thanks to Comcast Cable and the National Geographic All Roads Film Project, each of these three winners will receive a $5,000 budget toward the creation of their film, plus use of the state’s production equipment and trainees from the Film Technicians Training Programs statewide. The three winners are: The Slam Doc! by Armando Kirwin and Daniel Dinning, which will follow four New Mexico poets as they prepare for the national poetry slam competition; Coach Huizar by Thomas Tischler, which will document the life of a football coach at the New Mexico School for the Deaf who lead his team to victory for the first time in 119 years; and A Return Home by Ramona Emerson, a portrait of Native American artist B. Emerson Kitsman as she prepares to return to life on the reservation. Congratulations to all the filmmakers. We look forward to seeing your work later this year.
Reel World
Docs Rock: Part 2— The Santa Fe Public Schools’ ¡ADELANTE! Program and the Santa Fe Art Institute will present four youth documentary screenings on Sunday, May 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Santa Fe Film Center. Homelessness remains a huge issue in Santa Fe, with small children, teenagers and families comprising an almost invisible majority of Santa Fe’s poorest population. To bring light to this fact, the two organizations (¡ADELANTE!, SFAI) joined forces to help nine students in a youth education and outreach program produce short videos tackling a range of topics from youth cancer to the death of a loved one to a comedic guide to surviving Santa Fe. All three shorts will be screened at this free public premiere. Spoken word poetry, live music and refreshments will accompany the films. The Santa Fe Film Center is located at 1616 St. Micheal’s Drive.
