The Austin Film Society (AFS) is proud to announce the members of this year's Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund (TFPF) review panel: Sean Baker (TAKE OUT, PRINCE OF BROADWAY, FOUR LETTER WORDS); Cheryl Dunye (THE WATERMELON WOMAN, STRANGER INSIDE); and Juan Carlos Zaldivar (90 MILES, SOLDIER’S PAY).
With the help of these three panelists, the Austin Film Society will give away $100,000 in cash awards, goods and services to emerging film and video artists in the state of Texas. The Austin Film Society received 208 applications to the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund this year.
During the panelists' visit, the Austin Film Society will present special screenings of Sean Baker’s TAKE OUT and Cheryl Dunye’s THE WATERMELON WOMAN on Aug. 20th and Juan Carlos Zaldivar’s 90 MILES on Aug. 21st. Admission is free and all screenings will take place at the Alamo Drafthouse S. Lamar. Tickets may be reserved online at www.austinfilm.org.
Awards for the 2008 TFPF will be announced at the conclusion of the panel session on Sunday, August 24th.
Since its creation in 1996, the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund has given away $750,000 in cash and approximately $75,000 in goods and services to 243 film and video projects. TFPF is an effort to redress the loss of public funds for filmmakers and is funded through revenues from benefit film premieres and private and corporate donations and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
TFPF success stories from this year include 1999 grant recipient Laura Dunn, whose documentary THE UNFORESEEN, executive produced by Robert Redford and Terrence Malick, received a nationwide theatrical release through Cinema Guild after winning an Independent Spirit Award; and 1997 & 2003 TFPF recipients David & Nathan Zellner, whose feature film GOLIATH premiered at the 2008 Sundance Festival.
About the panelists:
Sean Baker, New York native and a graduate of NYU film school, is best known for co-creating the cult television show GREG THE BUNNY. Sean’s first feature, FOUR LETTER WORDS, a study of adolescent males in Suburbia USA, premiered at SXSW in 2001. It is currently being released on DVD by Vanguard Cinema. Sean's second feature TAKE OUT, a social-realist drama about an illegal Chinese immigrant in New York City, is currently in theatrical release by Cavu Pictures. Sean completed his third feature film, THE PRINCE OF BROADWAY in May 2008. The film, about a West African immigrant that sells counterfeit goods in NYC's wholesale district, won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival.
Cheryl Dunye, a native of Liberia, holds an MFA from Rutgers University. Her third feature film, Miramax’s MY BABY’S DADDY, was a box office success. Her second feature, HBO Films STRANGER INSIDE, garnered her an Independent Spirit award nomination for best director. Dunye’s debut film, THE WATERMELON WOMAN, was awarded the Teddy Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Her other works have premiered at film festivals and museums worldwide. Dunye served on the boards of Outfest, the DGA, and the IFP. She has been honored with a Community Vision Award from National Center for Lesbian Rights, a Creative Excellence Award from Women in Film and Television, and a Fusion Award from Outfest and was selected as one of the 2008 PowerUp Top Ten Women In Showbiz.
Juan Carlos Zaldivar’s directing credits include 90 MILES, a feature documentary which aired on PBS' award-winning series "POV" and the controversial SOLDIERS PAY, co-directed with David O. Russell and Tricia Regan, which was aired by the Independent Film Channel (IFC) and is being distributed by Cinema Libre. His student film works received kudos from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. He has served on the jury for the Sundance Film Festival and the Miami International Film Festival and he co-founded a social issue documentary film festival entitled "The Florida Room", which he still programs. His art work has been exhibited at Scope Miami, Deluxe Arts Gallery, Marina Kessler Gallery, Dot Fifty-one Gallery and Chelsea Art Space in London, and MIX NYC.
Special thanks to TFPF sponsors the Texas Commission on the Arts, Kodak, the Four Seasons Hotel and Alpha Cine Labs.
