Exclusive: Jessica Marie Garcia has signed with CAA for representation.
Garcia currently recurs on the NBC comedy series Lopez Vs. Lopez opposite George and Mayan Lopez, as cousin ‘Yesika’. Before that, she starred on Netflix’s “Most-Binged Original” hit series On My Block as the spitfire ‘Jasmine Flores’, a role that earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination for Best Summer TV Actress and an MTV Movie & TV Award nomination.
She also appeared in Gina Rodriguez’s Disney+ series Diary of a Female President as ‘Camila,’ as well as recurring on Shonda Rhimes’ How To Get Away With Murder playing ‘Rhonda’ opposite Viola Davis. Additionally, she starred in all four seasons of the Disney Channel original series Liv and Maddie as ‘Willow Cruz.’
Her feature film Avenge the Crows, in which she plays ‘Peaches,’ a tough inner-city gang member, starring alongside Danny Trejo and Lou Diamond Phillips,...
Garcia currently recurs on the NBC comedy series Lopez Vs. Lopez opposite George and Mayan Lopez, as cousin ‘Yesika’. Before that, she starred on Netflix’s “Most-Binged Original” hit series On My Block as the spitfire ‘Jasmine Flores’, a role that earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination for Best Summer TV Actress and an MTV Movie & TV Award nomination.
She also appeared in Gina Rodriguez’s Disney+ series Diary of a Female President as ‘Camila,’ as well as recurring on Shonda Rhimes’ How To Get Away With Murder playing ‘Rhonda’ opposite Viola Davis. Additionally, she starred in all four seasons of the Disney Channel original series Liv and Maddie as ‘Willow Cruz.’
Her feature film Avenge the Crows, in which she plays ‘Peaches,’ a tough inner-city gang member, starring alongside Danny Trejo and Lou Diamond Phillips,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
The Athena Film Festival has announced the finalists for the 2024 Athena List, the festival’s Black List-inspired selection of unproduced screenplays focused on female leadership.
High-profile projects that were featured on past editions of the Athena List, part of the Barnard-based festival, include Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex, Chinonye Chukwu‘s Clemency, the Sundance 2024-bound Out of My Mind by On the Basis of Sex writer Daniel Stiepleman, and Patricia Clarkson-starrer Lilly about Lilly Ledbetter and her fight for fair pay.
This year’s finalists are 7 on 10 by Samantha Lavin, A Bridge Between Us by Gina Hackett, I Don’t Dream in Spanish Anymore by Missy Hernandez, Keesha Goes to Camp by Rebecca Jordan Smith, Liars by Alicia Louzoun-Heisler, The Pendulum Woman by Katherine Hayes and Skrrrt! by Gabriela García Medina and Katherine Craft.
7 on 10 focuses on a former WNBA player sentenced to seven years...
High-profile projects that were featured on past editions of the Athena List, part of the Barnard-based festival, include Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex, Chinonye Chukwu‘s Clemency, the Sundance 2024-bound Out of My Mind by On the Basis of Sex writer Daniel Stiepleman, and Patricia Clarkson-starrer Lilly about Lilly Ledbetter and her fight for fair pay.
This year’s finalists are 7 on 10 by Samantha Lavin, A Bridge Between Us by Gina Hackett, I Don’t Dream in Spanish Anymore by Missy Hernandez, Keesha Goes to Camp by Rebecca Jordan Smith, Liars by Alicia Louzoun-Heisler, The Pendulum Woman by Katherine Hayes and Skrrrt! by Gabriela García Medina and Katherine Craft.
7 on 10 focuses on a former WNBA player sentenced to seven years...
- 1/17/2024
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rideback Rise, the nonprofit content accelerator announced last summer by Rideback producer Dan Lin to help level the playing field for Bipoc creators, has revealed its inaugural cohort.
Six Fellows will each receive a $50,000 grant, while 10 Residents will each receive $10,000 in funding to develop their own film and television projects, which they will own and be free to set up or sell anywhere. The Fellows also have access to an Intellectual Property Fund to help them obtain rights to material as well as a Visuals Fund to help them create high-quality presentations and sizzle reels to pitch their projects. Rise is supported by a growing mix of private and institutional donors, led by the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and Doris Duke Foundation.
During the yearlong program, Rise seeks to foster a community among the inaugural cohort of Fellows and Rise, encouraging them to learn about and provide feedback on one another’s projects.
Six Fellows will each receive a $50,000 grant, while 10 Residents will each receive $10,000 in funding to develop their own film and television projects, which they will own and be free to set up or sell anywhere. The Fellows also have access to an Intellectual Property Fund to help them obtain rights to material as well as a Visuals Fund to help them create high-quality presentations and sizzle reels to pitch their projects. Rise is supported by a growing mix of private and institutional donors, led by the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and Doris Duke Foundation.
During the yearlong program, Rise seeks to foster a community among the inaugural cohort of Fellows and Rise, encouraging them to learn about and provide feedback on one another’s projects.
- 12/5/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rideback Rise, the 501c3 non-profit Bipoc content accelerator launched by producer Dan Lin to advance racial equity, has selected its inaugural cohort of 16 writers and filmmakers who will be financially and creatively supported as they seek to develop their own market-ready mainstream TV and film projects.
The cohort revealed Tuesday is composed of six “fellows” who will receive $50,000 grants for the year-long fellowship, and 10 “residents” who each receive $10,000 in funding. Fellows are additionally eligible to access an Intellectual Property Fund to secure underlying rights to material as well as a Visuals Fund to create presentations and reels for their projects.
The Fellows and Residents, selected from more than 400 applicants, will work from Rise’s offices located at Rideback Ranch in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown.
A key feature of the Rise initiative is the collaborative approach that brings Fellows and Residents together to become familiar with each...
The cohort revealed Tuesday is composed of six “fellows” who will receive $50,000 grants for the year-long fellowship, and 10 “residents” who each receive $10,000 in funding. Fellows are additionally eligible to access an Intellectual Property Fund to secure underlying rights to material as well as a Visuals Fund to create presentations and reels for their projects.
The Fellows and Residents, selected from more than 400 applicants, will work from Rise’s offices located at Rideback Ranch in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown.
A key feature of the Rise initiative is the collaborative approach that brings Fellows and Residents together to become familiar with each...
- 12/5/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Director James Gunn has been named PETA’s 2023 Person of the Year. Per the animal rights organization, Gunn has been selected “for using impressive and stunningly well-crafted CGI animals to inspire tens of millions of moviegoers—who flocked to theaters to see ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’—to have compassion for the millions of animals killed by experimenters in laboratories.”
The third installment of “Guardians of the Galaxy” explains Rocket Raccoon’s origin story as a test subject in a lab, alongside other animals.
“By telling the story of the millions of vulnerable animals abused in experiments, James Gunn has shown himself to be a true animal guardian,” says PETA president Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is delighted to honor him for encouraging exactly what the world needs: empathy for all living beings.”
Gunn also adopted his dog, Ozu, in May 2022 and promoted #AdoptDontShop on each post related to his dog’s journey.
The third installment of “Guardians of the Galaxy” explains Rocket Raccoon’s origin story as a test subject in a lab, alongside other animals.
“By telling the story of the millions of vulnerable animals abused in experiments, James Gunn has shown himself to be a true animal guardian,” says PETA president Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is delighted to honor him for encouraging exactly what the world needs: empathy for all living beings.”
Gunn also adopted his dog, Ozu, in May 2022 and promoted #AdoptDontShop on each post related to his dog’s journey.
- 12/4/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay, Valerie Wu, Clayton Davis, Jaden Thompson and Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Jack Black has boarded Gianna, a horror comedy short written, produced by and starring his School of Rock co-star Rivkah Reyes, as an associate producer.
Also starring Emmy nominee Margaret Cho (Fire Island) and Elizabeth Faith Ludlow (Peacemaker), the film follows the newly sober and recently single Gina (Reyes), who is faced with the literal devil herself, after her sliding-scale therapist (Cho) suggests spending time with her inner demons. Kait Schuster served as director, with Jarad Schwartz and Brando Crawford among the EPs on the short, which premieres at Inside Out Festival and will also play the Palm Springs Shorts Festival.
“I loved the perfectly twisted queerness of the story and script and I had to get involved,” said Cho of the project. “Rivkah is The Gay Future!!!!!”
Part of the cast of Uni’s recent box-office smash The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Black will also reunite with Reyes...
Also starring Emmy nominee Margaret Cho (Fire Island) and Elizabeth Faith Ludlow (Peacemaker), the film follows the newly sober and recently single Gina (Reyes), who is faced with the literal devil herself, after her sliding-scale therapist (Cho) suggests spending time with her inner demons. Kait Schuster served as director, with Jarad Schwartz and Brando Crawford among the EPs on the short, which premieres at Inside Out Festival and will also play the Palm Springs Shorts Festival.
“I loved the perfectly twisted queerness of the story and script and I had to get involved,” said Cho of the project. “Rivkah is The Gay Future!!!!!”
Part of the cast of Uni’s recent box-office smash The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Black will also reunite with Reyes...
- 6/2/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Outfest Fusion, LA nonprofit Outfest‘s film festival dedicated to queer Bipoc storytelling, has unveiled the full lineup of films for its 20th anniversary festival.
10 features, 93 short films, and four TV presentations will screen during the March festival in Los Angeles, including Sundance documentaries “Little Richard: I Am Everything” and “The Stroll.” Documentary “Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn,” produced by Xpedition and Al Roker, and featuring Lee Daniels, will make its North American premiere during the festival; in total, 23 films will make world premieres, five will make their U.S. premiere, four their international premieres, and three their North American premieres. Over half of all films were directed by women, non-binary, two spirit, or gender-nonconforming filmmakers.
“We are at a moment where our industry is ready to have an honest dialogue about inclusion, investment and representation of people of color and yet our entire LGBTQ+ population is facing a...
10 features, 93 short films, and four TV presentations will screen during the March festival in Los Angeles, including Sundance documentaries “Little Richard: I Am Everything” and “The Stroll.” Documentary “Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn,” produced by Xpedition and Al Roker, and featuring Lee Daniels, will make its North American premiere during the festival; in total, 23 films will make world premieres, five will make their U.S. premiere, four their international premieres, and three their North American premieres. Over half of all films were directed by women, non-binary, two spirit, or gender-nonconforming filmmakers.
“We are at a moment where our industry is ready to have an honest dialogue about inclusion, investment and representation of people of color and yet our entire LGBTQ+ population is facing a...
- 3/15/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Exclusive: 2022 finalists for the Latinx List, showcasing top works by up-and-coming Latinx screenwriters, have been unveiled by The Latin Tracking Board, Nalip, the Untitled Latinx Project, and The Black List.
The batch of selected scripts consists of five original pilots and six original features. Among the finalists are Daniel F. Pérez (2096) and Makana Lani (Contingent), who have received WGA-minimum script deals from Netflix, through the Latinx List’s partnership with the streamer announced last summer.
“By providing this opportunity, the Latinx List is kicking the door wide open for emerging writers, and I’m humbled to be selected among such talented creatives,” said Lani. “As a queer, underrepresented writer, I’m thrilled to be writing a script for Netflix–a company that’s truly following through on their mission of championing diverse voices.”
“I’m thrilled that 2096 is part of this year’s Latinx List, and so excited to develop with Netflix!
The batch of selected scripts consists of five original pilots and six original features. Among the finalists are Daniel F. Pérez (2096) and Makana Lani (Contingent), who have received WGA-minimum script deals from Netflix, through the Latinx List’s partnership with the streamer announced last summer.
“By providing this opportunity, the Latinx List is kicking the door wide open for emerging writers, and I’m humbled to be selected among such talented creatives,” said Lani. “As a queer, underrepresented writer, I’m thrilled to be writing a script for Netflix–a company that’s truly following through on their mission of championing diverse voices.”
“I’m thrilled that 2096 is part of this year’s Latinx List, and so excited to develop with Netflix!
- 2/2/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Five-week business education scheme for Latinx filmmakers is supported by TelevisaUnivision’s ViX
The Academy has partnered with Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (Laliff) on the 2022 Academy Film Accelerator to provide Latinx filmmakers with education, resources and mentorship as they navigate the entertainment industry.
The five-week progamme starts this month and falls under the auspices of Aperture 2025, the Academy’s ongoing to inclusion, representation and equity drive. It is supported by ViX, the new Spanish-language streaming platform from TelevisaUnivision that launched this year in 19 countries including the US and Latin America.
Accelerator participants are: Miguel Angel Caballero, Lorena Durán,...
The Academy has partnered with Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (Laliff) on the 2022 Academy Film Accelerator to provide Latinx filmmakers with education, resources and mentorship as they navigate the entertainment industry.
The five-week progamme starts this month and falls under the auspices of Aperture 2025, the Academy’s ongoing to inclusion, representation and equity drive. It is supported by ViX, the new Spanish-language streaming platform from TelevisaUnivision that launched this year in 19 countries including the US and Latin America.
Accelerator participants are: Miguel Angel Caballero, Lorena Durán,...
- 6/1/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Making a short film is hard enough — but imagine making one on very little budget, or during the coronavirus pandemic.
On the panel titled “Telling our Stories Film Contest” at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit, six finalists of the contest presented by Starz and TheWrap delved into the challenges of making their films. The short films highlighted themes of womanhood, community and representation, and all the submissions were from women and gender-nonconforming filmmakers of color. All six finalists — which were chosen out of 1,100 submissions evaluated by industry professionals — will see their work on Starz, with the winner receiving a $10,000 prize.
One finalist, Jazmin Johnson, wrote and directed “Sounds of War,” which depicts her thoughts as a young Black woman in America. She said she made her movie over the summer, right after George Floyd’s death and in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.
ShanRica Evans wrote and directed “Clarissa,...
On the panel titled “Telling our Stories Film Contest” at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit, six finalists of the contest presented by Starz and TheWrap delved into the challenges of making their films. The short films highlighted themes of womanhood, community and representation, and all the submissions were from women and gender-nonconforming filmmakers of color. All six finalists — which were chosen out of 1,100 submissions evaluated by industry professionals — will see their work on Starz, with the winner receiving a $10,000 prize.
One finalist, Jazmin Johnson, wrote and directed “Sounds of War,” which depicts her thoughts as a young Black woman in America. She said she made her movie over the summer, right after George Floyd’s death and in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.
ShanRica Evans wrote and directed “Clarissa,...
- 12/10/2020
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Film Independent, the organization behind the Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, has unveiled the six fellows chosen for its annual Directing Lab, a program designed to support emerging independent film directors in prep on their feature films. See the list below.
In a big change caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Lab will be a two-part program: a two-week lab taking place virtually from May 4-15, followed by a three-day workshop to be held in Los Angeles later this year. In previous years, it was an eight-week program.
Directing Lab fellows receive script feedback, discuss their visions and select short scenes from their screenplays to workshop. Each director then casts actors and rehearses their scenes in the Lab before undertaking a mini-production.
This year’s creative advisers and guest speakers include Daniel Barnz, Alex O’Flinn, Susanna Fogel, Sheila Hanahan Taylor, Karyn Kusama, Wyatt Garfield, Lisa Robertson and Chloé Zhao.
In a big change caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Lab will be a two-part program: a two-week lab taking place virtually from May 4-15, followed by a three-day workshop to be held in Los Angeles later this year. In previous years, it was an eight-week program.
Directing Lab fellows receive script feedback, discuss their visions and select short scenes from their screenplays to workshop. Each director then casts actors and rehearses their scenes in the Lab before undertaking a mini-production.
This year’s creative advisers and guest speakers include Daniel Barnz, Alex O’Flinn, Susanna Fogel, Sheila Hanahan Taylor, Karyn Kusama, Wyatt Garfield, Lisa Robertson and Chloé Zhao.
- 5/5/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
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