The 2002 Motion Picture Association [MPA] Feature Film Project Development Workshop and Competition was a five-day course for selected Latin American screenwriters to develop their film scripts under the guidance of established Spanish-speaking professors from Spain, Argentina, Mexico and the U.S.
The sponsors for this year’s event were the MPA Latin American Regional Office in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, the School of Communication at UM and the Miami-Dade County Office of Filmed Entertainment.
The event was held last week in the School of Communication on the UM campus.
“There is no better location for the workshop than the University of Miami, where professional programs taught in Spanish are already in place to serve communication and educational needs throughout the western hemisphere,” President Dr. Donna E. Shalala said.
The screenwriters came from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela and the U.S.
The professors involved in the event were Jorge Goldenberg, Vicente Lenero, Juan Manuel Chumilla Carajosa and Rafael Lima, a professor of the UM School of Communication.
Participants were selected and sponsored by the film industry agencies of their native governments.
They met with professors to improve their screenplays and to reach what organizers referred to as a “filmable quality.”
The participants were then entered into a competition that was in turn sent to co-sponsoring film and TV production companies.
“The future of film and entertainment in Miami-Dade is closely tied to the development of those industries in Latin America,” Mayor Alex Penalas said. “The MPA Film Workshop will help raise the profile of participating Latin American screenwriters and, at the same time, strengthen our relationship with these exciting new filmmakers.”
Winners of the competition were announced at a reception and awards ceremony held Oct. 25.
Kathleen Fordyce can be contacted at K4Dice@aol.com.