INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

New York Film Academy

2003-2004 International Relations

International Relations director at New York Film Academy for near two years in New York. Managing outreach activities to promote NYFA internationally with focus on Spain, Portunal and Latin America. Actions included the UK, Switzerland, Denmark, Japan, and India.

Work with universities, film schools, and festivals. Selected projects including work with New York media, El País, Notodofilmfest (Madrid), CCCB Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona, Ficco Mexico City Film Festival (Mexico).

Also, produced the short film Cuba 15 with support of NYFA, and previously attended a Filmmaking program. Selected projects including work with New York media, El País, Notodofilmfest (Madrid), CCCB Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona, Ficco Mexico City Film Festival (Mexico). I Site

President: Jerry Sherlock in memoriam I Executive Board Member: Jean Sherlock I Provost: Michael Young I Executive Vice President: David Klein I Dean: Elli Ventouras I International Relations director: Pedro Valiente I © 2004 NYFA I Photo: Cuba 15 produed with the support of NYFA I NYFA

NYFA Site I Behance

How was attending Filmmaking at NYFA?

In The King of Harlem, I worked with a team from the US, Spain, Norway, Greece, Japan, Korea, and Venezuela. Cast Rasheed Hinds, Erika Hoglund, and Victor Reese made it happen. It was the first film by photographer Vicente Pouso, and a great collaboration with talented costume designer Kim W. Behrens. AD Sylvia Briceño, HBO producer at the time, was essential. The story includes snow, surreal scenes, and music by Laurie Anderson, Meredith Monk and Violent Femmes along with Flamenco master Camarón de la Isla.

How was NYFA support to produce Cuba 15?

In New York, Jerry Sherlock and NYFA believed in the project and facilitated postproduction through external film and sound companies. In Cuba, Escuela International de Cine y Televisión de San Antonio de los Baños was also very supportive. Spanish filmmakers Jaime Rosales (La soledad) and Guillermo Escalona (HBO’s Mil Colmillos) were attending courses, and turned into a great support as well as everyone at EICTV. Later on, Cuba 15 screened at NYFA.

What work did you do for NYFA?

I collaborated promoting the school in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Cuba. Later, in my second term at NYFA, I was appointed as Marketing director for South America which turned into International Relations for Spain, Portugal, and Latin America along with selected work with the UK, Switzerland, Denmark, Japan, India. I visited Mexico at least seven times as well as Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

Can you talk about any project for NYFA?

Promoting NYFA included designing outreach activities mostly with universities and film schools. At the time, NYFA didn’t do traditional advertising internationally. So we reached out to film festivals, institutions, and companies as well as public talks, live events, and press. I developed NYFA Awards for upcoming filmmakers through contests of merits along with El País and Notodofilmfest in Madrid, and Ficco Film Festival in Mexico City; organized an event at CCCB in Barcelona; and worked with media in New York.

How do you remember your work at NYFA?

It may be my best job ever. NYFA sent me to Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico City, where I started teaching for the first time, and triggered my academic work internationally for the following years. When I say that I’ve worked in 22 countries, it’s mostly through NYFA. After this first experience on project development, I worked in the UK (Arts University Plymouth program leader), Spain (UC3M European Project media director), and Mexico (Interntional Film Festival director).

And how was life in New York?

I lived in New York for over ten years. If you connect with the city as a student or young artist, it will shape the rest of your life. I finished my PhD dissertation (that turned into a book series) on research grants at Columbia University, and worked for three years with director/artist Robert Wilson. I produced my first short film, and directed my first documentary feature film. And collaborated with Vivendi Universal, NBC, Time Warner, and The Rockefeller Foundation. I started and wrapped up my life in New York at NYFA.

SPAIN Film awrds for Tentaciones Magazine/El País I Film awards for NotodoFilmFest I Public talk at CCCB Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona. INTERNATIONAL Selected work with the UK, Switzerland, Denmark, Japan, India. NEW YORK Advertising in NY media. I Photo: © Tentaciones I CCCB I Notodofilmfest

LATIN AMERICA Selected work with MEXICO Tecnológico de Monterrey, Ficco Mexico City Film Festival I VENEZUELA Universidad Andrés Bello, Universidad Central de Venezuela I ARGENTINA Universidad de Buenos Aires I CHILE Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile I PUERTO RICO Universidad de Puerto Rico. I Photo: NYFA selected press I Cuba 15 selected press in Spain

Cuba 15 (1997, US/Spain, 13:46) short film with the support of NYFA. “With passion and uncertainty, Tzunami Ortega Coyra lives the crossroads between childhood and womanhood through the traditional quinceañera celebration.” IMDb I “Cuba 15 is a portrait of a young girl turning fifteen in a small town on the outskirts of Havana. It takes the form of a show-and-tell. The girl introduces us to her friends and her family, her home, and her hangouts. She loos straight at the camera. She talks, she dances, she horses around, she gets serious. She’s irresistible. We learn more from her in 15min (about adolescent experience and aspirations and what life in Cuba is) than from a half-dozen feature documentaries." --Amy Taubin, NY Village Voice

The King of Harlem (1995, US/Spain, 9:00) short film at NYFA. “A haunting story of love and destiny based on a poem by Spanish poet Federico García Lorca. Two men, a woman, and New York City.” IMDb I SCREENINGS SoHo Film Series, NYFA CAST Rasheed Hinds, Erika Hoglund, Victor Reese CREW Director/writer/producer: Pedro Valiente I DP: Vicente Pouso, Luis Mdhuar I AD: Sylvia Briceño I Costume: Kim W. Behrens I Makeup/hair: Kristine Brandt

“With a spoon he dug out the crocodile’s eyes I And beat the monkeys on their backsides using a spoon. I Eternal fire slept in the flint, and beetles drunk on anise […] In order that Harlem’s King may come forth with his multitude I To sing, and crocodiles sleep in long files beneath. an asbestos moon I And that no one may doubt evermore of the dusters, I And the graters, and the shiny kitchen wares. I Ah, Harlem, Harlem, Harlem.” —The King of Harlem, Poet in New York (1929-1930) by Federico García-Lorca

"Briefly after university in Madrid, I received the highest grant of the year along with two other candidates from the Ministry of Culture of Spain (later Fulbright) to study filmmaking in New York. Through Steven Cruz at Latino Department, the Deanship invited me to enter next year Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Although I decided to accept the grant for Filmmaking at NYFA, Screenwriting at Columbia University, and then practice in a dozen of independent films. (The Daytrippers produced by Stephen Soderbergh, and media produced by Spike Lee)." --PV

Projects I Selected Projects I University