March 2021                                           Issue  5     Vol. 1

Happy Women's History Month!

"Women belong in all places where decisions are being made." -Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Hi Folks, Ronald writing this issue! This month we're celebrating Women's History Month and our first shout-out has to go to our founder, Brittany Franklin. Without Brittany, MiFILM wouldn't exist, so thank you for bringing life to another space where women of color can thrive. And to all of the women reading this, thank you. For your kindness, your care, your strength, and your talent. Keep reading below for some more shout-outs, discount codes, and a link to join our Slack community! Brittany + Ian + RonaldThe MiFilm TeamCollaboration over competition

A Message From Our Sponsors... 

"Moment - The Marketplace for Creatives. Find the gear that creators actually recommend and learn from the pros you love, only at Moment."One of MiFILM's favorite filmmaking brands right now is Moment! What we think is so special about them is how accessible they make filmmaking. I (Ronald) currently have a documentary in post, which used a moment lens for iPhone and I am so happy with the finished product.Their smartphone film festival is actually going on right now. Find more information on how you can submit a film here. 

Announcements 

Join Our Private Invite-Only Community on Slack

If you identify as a BIPOC-Differently Abled professional in FILM/TV and Media click below to join our private Slack group. 

Join MiFILM on Clubhouse!

Join us on Clubhouse! Starting in April we will be having bi-weekly conversations, events, and guest speakers, so click

here

to stay in the know.

Member Spotlights!

Nicole Mairose Dizon is a first-generation Filipina-American filmmaker and activist from LA. As the oldest daughter of a divorced bookkeeper and mechanic, she strives to elevate narratives about complex multigenerational homes and reclaiming identity. After she graduated with a Film and Media Studies B.A. from UC Irvine, she freelanced as support staff for Apple TV+ and more. As a writer, she completed the Kundiman Fellowship for Poetry and was selected as a Miami Screenplay Awards Quarter-Finalist for her half-hour dramedy about a Filipino street artist. Among her shorts that have screened nationwide, she is best known for her short doc about the balikbayan phenomenon that encapsulates an immigrant’s longing for home. It was selected as a Semi-Finalist for Starz and Wrap Women: Telling Our Stories in 2019. Dizon previously assisted a Partner in Motion Picture Production at ICM. She’s currently a Producer Fellow for Film Independent’s Project Involve, a TV Assistant at Scott Free, and in post-production for her next short, MORENA. When she’s not working, she creates art, hikes, watches baseball, and volunteers with WriteGirl.Quote: I strongly believe inclusive storytelling functions as what Angela Davis would call "radical self-care." It's a necessity.Work: https://www.nicoledizon.com/workInstagram: @nicolemdizon

Stills from Boxed Grandma, Fruit Fly, and Morena. 

Gabriela Ortega is a filmmaker, actor and writer born and raised in the Dominican Republic. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California and is currently based between Los Angeles and Santo Domingo. She is an Alum of the Sundance Institute Playwrights Intensive and HBO's Tomorrow's Filmmakers Today Class of 2019 & 2020 and Semifinalist for the NBC Nosotros Monologue Slam. Her work in film seeks to deconstruct Neocolonialism through ancestral personal stories and alternative forms of documentation. 

Her first feature film, MORENITA, won the 2020 FEST pitching forum in Portugal and is a finalist for the Sundance Institute 2021 Documentary grant. The film is supported by Women Make Movies in NYC and deals with themes of displacement, womanhood and modern-day immigration. She is also developing her second narrative feature, Piratas, under the 2020 Cinema Femme mentorship. The film won funds in Dominican Republic with the annual FONPROCINE contest and is currently in the works to be shot on the island under her production company: JEVITA FILMS.Gabriela is also writing a feature film for SONY PICTURES INTERNATIONAL and has a tv half-hour comedy show in development.

Work: In Case I'm Next  short (5 minutes) 

Step into Conversation Music Video 

My Favorite quote:

"Art is not living. It is the use of living" 

- Audre Lorde

Stills from In Case I'm Next and Step Into Conversation

As a valued partner, The Gotham Film & Media Institute (formerly IFP) is offering the MiFILM community 35% off membership between now and May 31st using code MIFGOTHAM.  Gotham membership gets you access to mentorship, networking events, classes, workshops and more.  Also, keep an eye out as they accept submissions for the 2021 Gotham Week for U.S. Features (final deadline April 6th), Spotlight on Documentaries (call for submissions opening soon), TV Series (call for submissions opening soon) and Audio Series (call for submissions opening soon).  Learn more at The Gotham: https://thegotham.org/membership/.Check out some of their opportunities here.

ICYMI... 

MiFILM stands firm with the AAPI community. We encourage our friends and partners to do the same. We do not condone or tolerate hate of any kind in this community. Follow us on Instagram to join the conversation and engage in discussion to aide in advocacy against hate. 

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