Hot Off the Presses 

Migrants Lead Human Rights Movement in New Mexico

Frontera Nortesur, News Report, Kent Paterson, Posted: Aug 18, 2009 newstrust_icon = 'http://newstrust.net/images/ntbuttons/newstrust_review_link.gif';

Getting doused with pesticides is the first memory Sebastian Coral has of the United States. Crossing the border as a young bracero, or contract farmworker, in the 1950s, Coral made the obligatory stop at a reception center near El Paso, Texas, where he and other guest workers were subjected to delousing and blood-sampling. The experience has never left the mind of Coral, who wonders why farmworkers were treated in such a way.

“It was a very ugly form of discrimination,” said the Chihuahua-born ex-farm worker.

Once past the U.S. inspectors, Coral was hustled off to work cotton in New Mexico, cucumbers in Colorado and sugar beets in Wyoming. A grower employer later helped the Mexican national obtain U.S. residency papers.

With his immigration status settled, Coral landed steady work in the dairies that line Interstate 10 in New Mexico’s southern Dona Ana County, just up the road from the U.S.-Mexico border.

Now retired, Coral spends his days in the rural Mesilla Valley communities of Vado and El Cerro, where he gets by on social security. Agricultural workers, Coral stressed, do not enjoy the benefits of employer-based pensions.

Coral’s story held the undivided attention of youth and elders alike at the El Cerro Community Center in southern New Mexico earlier this month. Organized by the non-profit, Las Cruces-based Colonias Development Council (CDC) and other community groups, the gathering discussed living and working conditions in underdeveloped border-area communities known as colonias. Often lacking paved roads or even basic utility services, southern New Mexico colonias are heavily populated by recent immigrants from Mexico who labor in the agricultural and service industries for low wages.

The El Cerro meeting was the last of several held this summer in southern New Mexico colonias that analyzed border realities through the lens of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations back in 1948.

While many of the issues discussed at the meetings are familiar ones across the United States and globe, the New Mexico initiative stands out from many other community organizing campaigns by its reference to the Universal Declaration as a fundamental framework for understanding and solving social problems. At a time when the United States is debating whether health care is a collective right or personal responsibility, promoting the primacy of human rights could expand the social agenda of the nation beyond its current political boundaries and media frames.

Discussion of human rights in the United States usually focuses on political and religious freedoms. However, the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration also include guarantees of health care, education, employment, and housing.

Reviewing the history of the human rights movement, CDC Executive Director Dr. Diana Bustamante traced the emergence of the Universal Declaration to the genocidal horrors of World War Two and the Nuremburg trials of Nazi war criminals.

More than 50 years later, residents of Mesilla Valley colonias are recognizing the Universal Declaration as a relevant statement that defines their own aspirations.

A 35-year resident of Vado and co-founder of the El Cerro Community Center, Dora Dorado said unemployment, drug abuse, gang activity, environmental justice, housing, and Border Patrol checkpoints are among the top concerns in her community.

Located between Las Cruces and El Paso, the political geography of Vado/El Cerro readily exhibits the contrasts of the fast-growing region. Tidy, tract-style homes and dilapidated trailers share the same streets. A park sprawls next to the community center but lacks shade and a water fountain.

Paved roads dissolve into dirt ones, kicking up dust in the breezy Chihuahuan Desert. A possible expansion of a cement plant could bring new employment but environmental problems too. Future subdivisions could provide construction jobs but swallow what is left of fertile farm land.

“We want more jobs and factories to come to the community, but we want them to be workplaces that are safe for both workers and communities,” Dorado said. “We want Vado/El Cerro to develop in a healthy way, and its development to serve as an example for other communities, as an example of delivering better services.”

Dorado’s concerns were shared by Olga Hernandez of Sunland Park, New Mexico, a growing community situated right on the U.S.-Mexico border. Like Vado/El Cerro, Sunland Park also vividly displays the contradictory impulses of border development.

Perched on a hill, the gold-colored dome of the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino with its $200,000 Thursday Extravaganza overlooks a community challenged by environmental contamination, employment problems, drug abuse, and domestic violence. Residents needing help are faced with going to the county seat 45 minutes away in Las Cruces, Hernandez said. “We’ve heard of various women being raped,” Hernandez said, “but there are no programs either.”

The landscape described by Dorado and Hernandez was documented in a five-minute video produced by about two dozen young people from the colonias who formed the Youth Media Project in the summer of 2009.

Organized by NMSU students, the CDC and other community groups, the youths fanned out in the colonias to capture images of daily life.

“The biggest concern seemed to be violence,” said NMSU graduate student Jacobo Varela, who assisted in the effort. “It’s something that is prevalent in their lives.” Armed with cameras, teenagers in three different communities discovered common themes. “They were coming up with the same problems. A lot of police presence in the neighborhoods, but again, a lot of violence,” Varela told Frontera NorteSur.

Nonetheless, the tone of the video was upbeat and forward-looking, said NMSU undergraduate Clarissa Ulibarri, who also collaborated with the project. Ulibarri called the endeavor a “great experience” that resulted in a tangible product which the youths are “really proud of” making. In the course of the production, Ulibarri said, young people began inquiring about the university and showing interest in higher education. “We wanted them to feel like they have goals and can do stuff,” said the NMSU government major.

A work in progress, the video should be finished in the coming weeks, Ulibarri said. The young producers plan to present the production to the Dona Ana County Commission and enter it into the 2010 White Sands Film Festival, she added.

Far from passive observers, immigrant communities in New Mexico are mobilizing to change their lives. In a presentation at El Cerro Community Center, the director a statewide immigrant advocacy group outlined how newer residents were instrumental in the passage of HB 489 in the 2009 state legislative session. Marcela Diaz, executive director of the Santa Fe-based Somos un Pueblo Unido, said members of her 1600 member-plus organization took an active lead in convincing lawmakers to pass a law that stiffens penalties for wage theft and outlaws employer retaliation against workers who file complaints for back wages due.

“The best thing is that this isn’t only for immigrant workers but all workers,” Diaz said.

State Representative Nathan Cote (D-Las Cruces) credited Diaz and other pro-immigrant activists for playing a major role in winning the passage of recent state legislation outlawing racial profiling in law enforcement. The lawmaker encouraged people to organize in order to be “strong together and not powerless alone.”

Joining Representative Cote in attendance at the El Cerro/Vado event were State Senator Steve Fischmann and Dona Ana County commissioners Oscar Vasquez-Butler and Dolores Saldana-Caviness. Representatives of New Mexico senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall also listened intently to residents.

The recent colonia meetings could wind up serving as springboards for promoting a new human rights agenda in Dona Ana County, as well as making additional changes when the New Mexico State Legislature convenes next January in Santa Fe.

“This is like a pot that is boiling,” said CDC organizer Veronica Carmona. “People want to do something.”

Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news Center for Latin American and Border Studies New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico.

April 22, 2009

WSIFF Announces 2009 Winners

LAS CRUCES – The 5th Annual White Sands International Film Festival (WSIFF) is proud to announce the winners of the 2009 program. 

“These films represent the very best of the hundreds that were submitted to this year’s festival,” said Donn Finn, Executive Director 

WSIFF received more than 200 submissions from around the world – a record number – and 45 were screened for audiences in Las Cruces. 

February 22, 2009

The 2009 White Sands International Film Festival Expands into Las Cruces

A sign that the arts are not stalling with the economy in New Mexico.

Las Cruces, NewMexico, February 22, 2009—The 5^th Annual White Sands InternationalFilm Festival (April 23-26, 2009) announced today that due to its previousyears’ success, it will expand into Las Cruces, NM. This expansion into a larger market will enable the festival to retain its commitment to bring highquality festival programming while intensifying arts education in theregion.  The festival once morepromises to attract numerous visitors from around the world with its enigmaticfilms, informative panels and special events.  

AboutWSIFF:  The White Sands InternationalFilm Festival (WSIFF) began in Alamogordo, NM after a group of art industrysupporters felt that it would benefit southern New Mexico to have more of afilm presence in its region, and by building the arts through film within thesouth, it would thusly aid and build the film industry in New Mexico as awhole. 

WSIFFbrings the artistic insight of eminent filmmakers to New Mexico in order toheighten audiences’ appreciation for the art of cinema and attractinternational visitors to the region. WSIFF screens outstanding short andfeature length documentaries and narratives of all genres from around theworld. WSIFF also has a special focus on Latino and New Mexican filmmakers andother filmmakers who choose the scenic backdrop of New Mexico for itslocations. Some noted past guests include the legendary Mexican filmmakerArturo Ripstein; director of the award winning “Bella”, Alejandro Monteverde;and actor Wes Studi of “Last of the Mohicans”.

Press 2008 

August 28, 2008

The 2009 White Sands International Film Festival is Open for Submissions 

Latino Filmmakers & New Mexican Films Highlighted

In particular, we are interested in...

FIlms that deal with contemporary issues
Films that celebrate the human spirit
Films that deal with the Latino and or Hispanic World 
Films that have been made in New Mexico
Good story telling, writing, acting , and direction 
Interesting and provocative scripts. 

Now in it's 5th year, the festival has grown to include and offer a uniquely diverse program encompassing a wide range of cinema, panels, and workshops, hosted by well recognized and experienced industry professionals.  The festival's events and awards are constantly changing with it's most recent addition to the program, a lifetime achievement award, awarded last year to Mexico's legendary director, Arturo Ripstein. 

PAST GUESTS

Arturo Ripstein, Director,"La Reina de la Noche" ; Alejandro Monteverde, Director, Producer, "Bella"; Paz Alicia Garciadiego, Screenwriter, "Profundo Carmesi" ; Mark Medoff, Writer, Director, "Children of A Lesser God" ; Ali Landry, Actress, "Bella" ; Jamison Jones, Actor, "He Was A Quiet Man", "24" ; Elliott Lewitt, Producer, "At Close Range"; Jordan Roberts, Director "Around the Bend"; Rick Shroeder, Actor, Producer, "Black Cloud", Rocky Lang, Producer, Writer, "White Squall", "How I Broke Into Hollywood"; Wes Studi, Actor, "Last of the Mohicans"

March 18, 2008

White Sands International Film Festival Affordable for Students 

Authors:Cynthia Romero

Film lovers will be able to get a taste of Hollywood during the week of March 16-22 at the White Sands International Film Festival in Alamogordo, N.M. 

The festival, already in its fourth year, will include film screenings, VIP parties, panels and workshops - all in honor of film. 

The festival started on March 16 at the Spencer Theatre in Alto, N.M., located at 108 Spencer Road, near Ruidoso. 

Kierstin Schupack, associate producer of the festival, hopes the price motivates students to participate in the festival. 

"We're offering student discount tickets for the whole week for only $25," said Schupack. "We are doing this because we want students to come down and have fun at the festival. All they need is their ticket and a ride down." 

Schupack said that more than 50 international films would be screened during this week, along with panel discussions about the movies with actors and directors. 

The films, which will be screened at Alamogordo's Aviator 10 Stadium Seating, located at 3651 Mesa Village Drive, Alamogordo, N.M., include "Bella," directed by Alejandro Monteverde and starring Ali Landry, will be starting at 10 a.m. on March 21. 

The film "He was a Quiet Man," directed by Frank A. Cappello and featuring actors Elisha Cuthbert and Christian Slater, will be screened at 2 p.m. on March 21.  A question - and - answer session will follow with actor Jamison Jones. 

Other films include, "The Orphanage," "UnCounted" and "Seraphim Falls." "I want people to know that these aren't just any films that we're showcasing, but films that have been featured in film festivals around the world," Schupack said. 

For Eileen Lozano, general studies major at EPCC, the festival offers her a chance to experience film first- hand. "I've never been to anything like this because we don't have many things like this (in El Paso)," said Lozano. "It'll be exciting to go solely for the purpose of watching different films and meeting new people." Panels will also offer advice for aspiring filmmakers on pitching a film idea to investors. Various ticket 

levels offer different perks for visitors. 

Platinum tickets, priced at $482.63, will include access to all films, panels, all parties, workshops and access to A Taste of Otero County on March 21 event will feature cuisine from different restaurants in the area, live music and an opportunity to meet actors and directors. 

The gold pass, priced at $278.85 includes access to all films, two VIP parties (opening and closing night), the filmmaker lounge and entrance to A Taste of Otero County. 

The film pass, priced at $166.24 will allow access to all films, panels and the filmmaker lounge. A student pass will grant the student access to all films, panels and the filmmaker lounge (including free snacks) before and after films. 

Single movie tickets are also available for $7.50, $25 for tickets to parties, (open and closing night) and $15 for A Taste of Otero County. 

A day pass is $30, which includes entrance to films, panels and the filmmaker lounge. Different events will also take place during the event, such as a Tribute to Latino Filmmakers on March 18 and 19. 

On March 20, Made in New Mexico events will celebrate filmmaking in New Mexico. "We are expecting a bigger crowd this year," Schupack said. 

For more event information, visit www.wsiff.com. 

Cynthia Romero may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.  

 March 13, 2008

The Round Up:  Film Festival Lands at White Sands, offering $25 student passes 

Authors: Shannon Bell

Sundance, Toronto, Cannes…White Sands? 

As the White Sands International Film Festival gears up for its fourth year, it added "International" to its title and is climbing the ranks of the film festival world-but it isn't leaving students behind. 

"This year, the festival is taking a big step up," festival producer and Hollywood casting director Donn Finn said. "Last year there were 17 or 18 films, this year there are over 60." 

The festival, which boasts more than 35 competitive films from around the world, panel discussions with movers and shakers in the film industry and plenty of parties, is offering $25 student passes good for the week of the event, which runs Sunday through the following Saturday. The tickets will get holders into the festival's week of screenings and panels, as well as access to the Filmmaker Lounge. 

The serious bargain is felt when the price is compared to the general access passes that begin at $155. Tickets for individual films and panels are also available. 

The festival will screen films in four competitive categories: narrative short and full length and documentary short and full length. Special screenings include "He Was a Quiet Man" with Christian Slater and Elisha Cuthbert, acclaimed Spanish film "The Orphanage" and "UnCounted," a documentary about the 2004 presidential election. 

"In the past, it's been a small hometown festival, it's not quite Sundance, but it's headed in that direction," Finn said. "We have more competitive films and more films to premiere." 

The films are selected by four judges for the narrative films and three for the documentary entries. The panelists include university professors and screenwriters from around the country. An award for Best High School Film also will be given, chosen from a pool of entries from students around the nation. 

"It's a hot festival, seeing the line up," professional stage fight instructor J.R. Beardsley said. Beardsley will conduct a day-long seminar on stage fighting Sunday at the Spencer Theater in Ruidoso. "This is the year it's going to start being recognized," Beardsley said. 

Hispanic films will be featured this year, including "Bella," a film by first-time director AlejandroMonteverde. "Bella" won the Audience Award at Toronto last fall. The WSIFF screening at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday will be followed by a Q&A session with the director and his wife, actress Ali Landry. 

"Everybody's really excited," said Mark Castillo, executive producer of "Sólo Dios Sabe," a film entry in the festival. The project was filmed in several Latin American locations as well as in the U.S., and stars Mexican actor Diego Luna. 

The festival will also feature a category for films made in New Mexico, which include "Around the Bend," starring Michael Caine and "Seraphim Falls," starring Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan. 

"In the future, we'll be able to increase the number of films and audience and serve as an economic stimulus for the film industry in New Mexico," Finn said. "The idea is to encourage filmmakers to see this part of the world and consider making films here." 

The festival runs from March 16 to 22. The festivities will be held at the recently constructed Aviator 10 Theater in Alamogordo on Highway 70. The Spencer Theater in Alto, near Ruidoso will host an opening day event with a VIP reception Sunday. 

Tickets and passes may be purchased online at the festival Web site, www.wsiff.com. Available passes are on a first-come, first-serve basis. A complete list of the films, panels and parties is also available on the Web site. 

March 10, 2008

Filmmakers get their turn in spotlight 

Authors:  Maria Cortes Gonzalez/ El Paso Times/ Section: Lifestyle

"The Journey," a narrative film directed by Scott Marcano will be screened March 19 at the Allen Theatres. "Zombie Love," directed by Yfke van Berckelaer, will be shown March 17 at the Allen Theatres. 

Organizers of the White Sands International Film Festival are taking steps to ensure the festival is the premier event for film 

enthusiasts. 

More than 60 films, narrative and documentary, will be featured in the festival March 16-22 at three venues in Alamogordo and Alto, N.M. 

Two days of the festival will be devoted to honoring Latino filmmakers including Arturo Ripstein, considered one of Mexico's greatest contemporary filmmakers. Ripstein will receive a Lifetime Achievement award at the festival March 18. 

Numerous workshops on the film industry, from auditioning to swashbuckling for the silver screen to pitching a film to an investor, will be offered for filmmakers. Even aspiring high school students will have a chance to participate in workshops featuring actor Jamison Jones from FOX's "24." 

"We have a new theater in Alamogordo ... and it was just time to take a big step and have it become a bigger festival," said director Donn Finn, a longtime theater and TV director who lectures on acting and stage and film direction at California State University in Fullerton. Finn said it is also time to recognize Hispanic filmmakers who are making their mark nationally. 

"It's a very important time for them because the Latino population continues to grow and there has been little emphasis showing Latino films," he said. "But when young men like Alejandro Monteverde step forward and produce a wonderful, warm movie -- it spells the future for filmmakers like him in this country." 

"Bella," a movie produced by Monteverde and actor/producer Eduardo Verástegui that has been acclaimed by the Smithsonian Latino Center, will also be screened during the festival. Verástegui and Ali Landry, who star in the movie, will participate in a question and answer session March 19. 

Organizers also are excited about the filmmakers competing in the festival. About 55 filmmakers were selected from a pool of 400 entries, representing various countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Great Britain, Denmark and France. 

"We have a number of Latino films in our competition and are thrilled about that," Finn said. James Bustamante, a 25-year-old filmmaker living in Santa Fe, is looking forward to competing with his short film "American Dream," about an immigrant couple having an American baby. 

"A lot of professionals are coming ... it's great for independent filmmakers to start networking and have them see your movie," he said. "It can't hurt to have big-time producers watch your film -- something may come out of that." 

The festival will also be a boost for those young people interested in learning about movie making. "We want to encourage high school and college students to see good films," Finn said. "And for the general audience, this is a chance to see films that would never make it to Alamogordo or El Paso." 

Screened films will include the Spanish movie "The Orphanage," a supernatural movie about a woman who discovers dark secrets hidden within her childhood home, and "La Reina de la Noche," originally screened at the Cannes Film Festival. 

Finn said he expects the film festival to continue to grow by leaps and bounds as more enthusiasts discover New Mexico's assets. "It's a great place and the enthusiasm goes a long way in making this festival" great, he said.  

Ed Breeding, a filmmaker who is entering a documentary on Native Americans in the festival, said moving to New Mexico was a step in the right direction to boost his career. 

"In the four years I've lived here, I've already accomplished more than in the 20 years I've been in film and art," he said. 

Breeding said in that short time he's been able to feature his documentary, "Echoes from the Ancestors," in three festivals, 

including the White Sands festival. Those appearances have spawned other film opportunities. "To be accepted into a film festival with one film is a major coup for me," he said. "And there are other works in the making -- I'm doing 

one on the art scene in Las Cruces and Mesilla Valley." 

María Cortés González may be reached at mcortes@elpasotimes.com; 546-6150. 

Copyright (c) 2008 El Paso Times, a MediaNews Group Newspaper. 

March 6, 2008

Film Fest Ready for Take One and .... Action 

Authors:  Elva K. Stemeich/Sun News/Section: Sunlife/Article ID: 841897 

To view a PDF of WWIFF schedule, click here The White Sands Film Festival in Otero County has added a word to its title — International. The endeavor has expanded further than before with the addition of more of everything. 

There will be more movies, more parties, more panels and more workshops. "A film festival is an event to showcase and screen independent film," said organizer Kierstin Schupack. "It's for people who are in the industry like actors and directors and for people who like movies to come and just have fun." 

This year the festival, held from March 16 to March 22, will feature movies and a festival tent with coffee, food and jewelery, Schupack said. There will be parties every evening and educational panels. Panels include information on auditioning, screenwriting, pitching a film to an investor and more. Professionals in the film business will lead panels and talk about the work they do. 

One such presentor is Carmen Martinez, who has done casting form more than 25 studio and independent features like Disney's "Squanto," Mark Rydel's "Cowboys," Sergio Leone's "My Name is Nobody" and Robert Redford's "Milagro Beanfield War." 

Festival workshops include one on swashbuckling and one on voice-over. A special high school workshop will be held at the New Mexico Museum of Space History and is free for pre-registered high school students. The workshop will be presented by professionals and includes directing and acting techniques like developing a believable character. 

Three special days will be featured during the event, Made in New Mexico Day, Thursday, March 20 and Tribute to Latino Filmmakers days, March 18 and March 19. 

"Around the Bend," with Michael Caine and Christopher Walken and "Seraphim Falls," with Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan and Anjelica Huston are featured as made in New Mexico. Award winnining Latino films "La Reina De La Noche," and "Bella," will be shown as part of the Latino filmakers tribute. All Latino films have English subtitles for those who don't understand Spanish, Schupack said. 

The main focus of the festival is the competition itself. Each competitive film will be shown several times on different days so people will have the oppurtunity to see all of them, she said. "There are more than 35 competitive films," Schupack said. "Including narrative, documentary and a highschool program."

In addition to a variety of festival passes for the entire event length, those interested can get day passes for $30 which include films, panels and access to the filmmaker's lounge for the day. Passes for the whole week run from $25 dollars for students, to $155 for general access, to gold and platinum passes ($260 and $450) allowing access to parties and more. Individual tickets to single films, panels and workshops are also available. 

Elva K. sterreich is Associate News Editor for the Alamogordo Daily News, a sister newspaper of the Sun- News. She can be reached at eosterreich@alamogordonews.com 

Copyright (c) 2008 Las Cruces Sun-News, a MediaNews Group Newspaper. 

 March 6, 2008