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LATINO BOOKS INTO MOVIE AWARDS

The Latina Book Club congratulates ALL the winners.  We look forward to seeing you at the movies!




From Latino Literacy Now's press release: 

The second edition of the Latino Books Into Movies Awards were held on April 21st at the University of Southern California as part of the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. The awards were presented from the HOY Stage during the very active weekend of book related activities.

The judges for these awards are film industry professionals: Producers, Directors, Screenwriters, and Film Financiers. The judges were Ruben Arvizu, Kevin Bender, Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Benjamin Esparza, Paul Espinosa, Evelina Fernandez, Jackie Gil, Marcos Gonzalez, Danny Haro, Bel Hernandez, Ruth Livier, Alma Martinez, Dave Mendez, Lymari Nadal, Luis Orozco, Gabriel Reyes, Baldemar Rodriguez, Carlina Rodriguez, Margarita de la Vega-Hurtado, and Richard Yñiguez. Kirk Whisler and Annie Perez oversaw the awards process.

The Latino Books into Movie Awards were created by Edward James Olmos and Kirk Whisler to help stories that could potentially be produced as movies or documentaries.  Winning books are presented to key networks, producers, talent agents and film financiers as one answer to the question they sometimes present: 'We don’t see enough Latino stories'.  While film making is a very slow business, one of the books from the first batch of winners has already gotten a production deal.



MOVIE AWARDS

Action & Adventure
First Place, I Wasn't Born A Teacher, David Bueno-Hill, Broken Wing Press
Second Place, Timely Conquest, Jerry P. Martinez, Tate Publishing


Animation
First Place, Kiki Koki - The Enchanted Legend Of The Coqui Frogs, Ed Rodriguez, Idearworks


Comedy
First Place, Sophomoric Philosophy, Victor David Giron, Curbside Splendor
Honorable Mention, Wow!, David Perez , 11B Press


Documentary
First Place, Latinnovating: Green American Jobs and the Latinos Creating Them, Graciela Tiscareno-Sato, Gracefully Global Group LLC
Second Place, Puerto Rico: An Oral History 1898-2008, Barbara Tasch Ezratty, Read Street Publishing


Drama
First Place, The Name Partner, Carlos Cisneros, Arte Publico Press
Second Place, Loving Pedro Infante, Denise Chavez, Farrar Straus Giroux
Second Place, Samba Dreamers, Kathleen de Azevedo, University of Arizona Press
Honorable Mention, Abuse Hidden Behind The Badge, Rosaura Torres, Torres Publishing Group, LLC
Honorable Mention, Barrio Bushido, Benjamin Bac Sierra, El Leon Literary Arts
Honorable Mention, Randy Lopez Goes Home, Rudolfo Anaya, University of Olahoma Press


Kids & Family
First Place, Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz, Belinda Acosta, Grand Central Publishing
Second Place, Milagro of the Spanish Bean Pot, Emerita Romero-Anderson, Texas Tech University Press


Romantic Comedy
First Place, The Book of Want, Daniel A. Olivas, University of Arizona Press
Second Place, Getting Rid of Stupid: Culprit of Their Depression, Lisa Lynn Ramos, iUniverse


Suspense or Mystery
First Place, Sisters, Strangers, and Starting Over, Belinda Acosta, Grand Central Publishing
Second Place, The Guadalupe Saints, Michael M. Pacheco, Paraguas Books
Honorable Mention, Strictly A Family Matter, Ramon L. Quezada, iUniverse


Biography
First Place, No Such Thing As Impossible: From Adversity To Triumph, Jairo Alvarez-Botero, Alvarez Construction Co.
First Place, Running Toward the Light: The George Mendoza Story, William J. Buchanan, University of New Mexico Press
Honorable Mention, East Side Dreams, Art Rodriguez, Dream House Press



For more information, please contact Kirk Whisler, Latino Print Network, 760-434-1223.  Also visit Latino Literacy Now at http://www.lbff.us/
 
 


Comments

Thank you for making note of this award. I'm delighted that my novel, "The Book of Want," won first place in the romantic comedy category and the main character is Conchita, a smart, sexy 62-year-old Mexicana.