Academy partners with LALIFF for 2022 Film Accelerator Program

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in partnership with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), introduces the 2022 Academy Film Accelerator, a five-week program that will provide filmmakers from Latinx communities with education, resources and mentorship focused on the business of filmmaking. The Los Angeles-based program will begin in June and guide 10 select participants in how to navigate the entertainment industry and build an awareness of the business skills required to get a film to the screen.

The cohort is composed of LALIFF award-winning filmmakers and Inclusion Fellowship recipients. The program is part of Aperture 2025, the Academy’s ongoing commitment to inclusion, representation and equity, and is supported by TelevisaUnivision’s new global streaming service, ViX.

“We are honoured to host this group of talented filmmakers as we come together to elevate mutual learning, community and impact,” said Shawn Finnie, the Academy’s executive vice president, member relations and awards. “We are so grateful to LALIFF and ViX for playing a central role in our vision to invest in filmmakers from different communities, backgrounds and experiences.  The Accelerator will be led by the Academy’s VP of impact and operations Jeanell English and associate director, member relations and awards Angelica Cervantes.  Through our Academy members and industry executives, this program will address the important, yet often overlooked, topic of the business of film.”

Throughout the program, participants will engage in a series of workshops and masterclasses centered around content distribution, facilitated by leaders across the film industry.  Topics will include creative pitching, marketing and promotions, production development, and more.  Participants will each receive exclusive networking opportunities, mentoring from Academy members, a $10,000 stipend to go towards all aspects of distributing and promoting their projects, or to offset living costs, and the opportunity to pitch current or future projects to industry leaders.

“This partnership with the Academy marks another important step in ensuring that Hollywood truly represents the diversity and richness that the Latino community has to offer,” said Edward James Olmos, co-founder of LALIFF. “We are honored to be able to support these talented filmmakers by offering them the right tools for the continuous growth in their careers.”

The participants will be acknowledged at this year’s LALIFF. They are:

Miguel Angel Caballero
Lorena Durán
Michael Flores
Justin Floyd
Gabriela Garcia Medina
Monica Moore-Suriyage
Gabriela Ortega
Kase Peña
Tamara Shogaolu
Maite Zubiaurre