Calling all fans of samba, bossa nova, son jarocho – and jazz. An extraordinary filmed concert of an all-star evening of Afro-Latin jazz and música veracruzana will stream starting April 28, 2021, when the Soraya presents Fandango at the Wall —The Shape Shifter Sessions. The night features multi-Grammy Award-winning Arturo O’Farrill, special guests Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez, The Villalobos Brothers, and master son jarocho musicians who recorded remotely in Vera Cruz and Tijuana. Sound awesome? It is!
 
“Arturo O’Farrill and his ensemble were on our original 2020-21 season before it was canceled,” said Thor Steingraber, Executive and Artistic Director of The Soraya. “I was excited when Arturo suggested filming the concert instead.  By the time it came together, the winter COVID spike had begun, but they were undaunted.  I’m impressed by their fearlessness.” 

And music lovers will be impressed by the global talents this lively filmed concert brings together. Mexican-born pianist, composer and educator Arturo O’Farrill has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Belafonte. In 2007, he founded the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the performance, education, and preservation of Afro Latin music. 

In December 2010, Arturo traveled with the original Chico O’Farrill Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra to Cuba, returning his father’s musicians to his homeland. He travels to Cuba regularly as an informal Cultural Ambassador, working with Cuban musicians, dancers, and students, bringing local musicians from Cuba to the US and American musicians to Cuba.
 
Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez (In the Heights, Hamilton, and Wicked) possesses one of the most influential and versatile contemporary voices of our time. Equally, at home on the big and small screen, she has appeared in Across the Universe, ABC’s drama thriller Quantico and CBS’s breakout hit Madam Secretary.  Mandy can be heard as the voice of Mei in Disney’s Mulan 2. Ms. Gonzalez is an exciting talent whose bountiful vocal gifts are delivered with a winning elegance. 

The Villalobos Brothers have been acclaimed as one of today’s leading contemporary Mexican ensembles. Their original compositions and arrangements masterfully fuse and celebrate the richness of Mexican folk music with the intricate harmonies of jazz and classical music.
 
The ensemble’s virtuosic performances have delighted audiences worldwide. They’ve shared stages and recording studios with legendary musicians, including Grammy winners Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Antonio Sánchez, Regina Carter, Eduardo Magallanes, Dan Zanes, Sierra Hull, and Ana Tijoux.  The Villalobos Brothers deliver a powerful message of love, brotherhood and social justice with brilliance and cadence. It is they, who in 2018, joined forces with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra for the Fandango at the Wall project. This ambitious undertaking, produced by Kabir Sehgal, united legendary international musicians for a live concert at the Tijuana-San Diego border wall, which resulted in a live album and this documentary film by Taylor Krauss. 

A musical evening like no other, Fandango at the Wall —The Shapeshifter Sessions will begin streaming for the general public on Wednesday, April 28 at 4 pm (PT), 7 pm (ET) at www.shapeshifterlab.com/livestream/fandango-alja

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NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences  (AMPAS) will co-host a virtual edition of the annual NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) Film  Festival InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema Festival, on Friday, September 25 and Saturday,  September 26, 2020, powered by Seed&Spark. The line-up consists of two shorts programs and a presentation of Varda Bar-Kar’s feature documentary Fandango at the Wall, Executive  Produced by Quincy Jones and Carlos Santana, which recently sold to HBO.  

The two-day festival features local and international films by world-class emerging filmmakers from the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Spain, Chile, and the Dominican Republic and presents three world premieres, Alberto Belli’s After Life Vacation, Kate Romero’s Chronology, and Alyssa Toledo’s Lift Off, which stars Rudy Pankow, of Netflix’s Outer Banks (OBX) series. 

The entertainment focused panels will take place on Friday, September 25th with film screenings and  Q&As taking place on Saturday, September 26th. The film programs kick off with Shorts Program  I – Figments, Fictions, and Fantasies, a collection of films that play on narratives, both real and surreal, that we create for ourselves and the things that we choose to believe when confronted with uncertainty.  

For list of films and schedule CHECK HERE 

The West Coast premiere of Fandango at the Wall, the inspiring story of a son jarocho concert that takes place simultaneously on both sides of the US/Mexico border, and the talented musicians who made it happen. The film is directed by Award-winning director and activist filmmaker Varda Bar-Kar, who has participated in Ryan Murphy’s HALF Director Mentorship Program and directed FOX’s hit show 9-1-1. Her documentary Big Voice was picked up by Netflix and broadcast on PBS winning a Bronze Telly Award.

The program includes DGA Student Grand Prize for Latino Directors prize winner Día De Las  Carpas by João Dall’Stella, as well as new work by Cannes Lions Young Director Award winner  Alberto Belli and previous Student Academy Awards semi-finalist Thais Drassinower. Belli is  also one of the co-founders of LatinxDirectors.com, the first public database directory of Latinx  episodic and film directors. In the spirit of NFMLA’s celebration of Latinx voices in entertainment,  the event is also proud to be welcoming the pioneering organization as a partner.  

NFMLA and AMPAS have formed many industry-wide alliances and partnerships to support this  initiative. Panelist from various entertainment entities.  For a full list of participating companies and panelist please CHECK HERE 

“It has been amazing working with the Academy to showcase Latinx and Hispanic  voices and they’ve really helped to elevate these storytellers,” says NFMLA Executive Director  and Co-Founder Larry Laboe.  

Another component of the Festival includes Academic delegations of film students from various schools around the country. “It is an honor to have these incredible institutions, their students and faculty represented at such an important NFMLA program. It’s powerful to see the community celebrating next-gen  filmmakers in this way,” says NFMLA Outreach and Events Director Andrew Acedo.  

The festival program concludes with Shorts Program II – Generational Echoes, a selection of  narrative and documentary films centered on the relationships between generations and the  meaningful effects that they have on one another.  

A full list of official selections is available below.  

Shorts  

? Acuitzeramo (Dir. & Writ. Miguel Angel Caballero)  

? After Life Vacation (Dir. Alberto Belli & Writ. Maria Brasero)  

? Being In (Dir. & Writ. Victor M. Rocha)  

? Chronology (Dir. Kate Romero & Writ. Valerie Hurt)  

? Día de Las Carpas (Dir. João Dall’Stella & Writ. Marika Kato Hoag)  ? Lift Off (Dir. & Writ. Alyssa Toledo)  

? Manzanal (Dir. Jon Ayon)  

? Nahjum (Dir. Sebastian Torres Greene, Manuel Del Valle & Writ. Sebastian Torres Greene, Manuel Del Valle, Erik Hirschhorn)  

? Napo (Dir. Gustavo Ribeiro & Writ. Gustavo Ribeiro , Gabriela Antonia Rosa) 

? Papi (Dir. & Writ. Gabriela Ortega)  

? The Catch (Dir. Thais Drassinower & Writ. Camila Zavala)  

? The Little Thief (Dir. Nicole Vanden Broeck & Writ. András Roder)  

? Undocumented (Dir. & Writ. Fernanda Belmar)  

? Water Dreams (Dir. & Writ. Domingo Pablo Ortiz)  

Feature  

? Fandango at the Wall (Dir. Varda Bar-Kar & Writ. Varda Bar-Kar, Kabir Sehgal)  

Additional Festival details, tickets and passes are available at www.nfmla.org/Latinx2020

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