SPJ Mark of Excellence Competition for College Journalists Entry Deadline

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has opened its Mark of Excellence competition for college journalists. The application deadline is: January 27, 2010.
Annually, the Society of Professional Journalists presents the Mark of Excellence Awards honoring the best in student journalism. The awards offer categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate journalism. Entries are first judged on the regional level. Regional award winners will be honored at the spring conferences. First place regional winners are forwarded on to the national competition. National winners will be honored at the 2010 SPJ Convention & National Journalism Conference in Las Vegas.
The contest is open to anyone enrolled in a college or university in the U.S. studying for an academic degree in 2009. Students who have had full-time, professional journalism experience, outside of internships, are not eligible. Entries must have been published or broadcast during the 2009 calendar year.
For more information, and to access application forms, please visit:
http://www.spj.org/a-moe.asp

La Poderosa Media Project Screening

La Poderosa Media Project will be screening “Cachuda” on Saturday November 14, 2009 as part of the 18th Colloquium on Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Literatures and Linguistics , sponsored by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at The University of Texas at Austin.

The screening will be held in the Sinclair Suite at the Texas Union (Room 3.128) at 3.50pm and will be followed by a brief question and answer session with the program’s Executive Director, Alejandra Zambrano, Communications Director, Joseph Pierce, and Curricular Coordinator, Jorge García.

“Cachuda” is a short film that was shot and produced in the summer of 2009 by high school age students from Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador and is the most recent film produced by La Poderosa Media Project , a non-profit organization based in Austin, Texas that encourages empowerment, cultural competence, and intercultural translation through digital media and service learning programs.

We would like to invite you all to come to this special screening and to learn more about our next project: Bahía de Caráquez 2010.

Ilan Stavans, Author of “The Hispanic Condition,” to Speak on Campus

The Carnegie Distinguished Lecture Series presents a Q&A session with Ilan Stavans
Mexican-born professor of Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College, author of the best-selling “The Hispanic Condition,” and internationally acclaimed expert on the language and identity of U.S. Latinos.

Thursday, Nov. 12
12.00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
CMA 5.160
College of Communication
The University of Texas at Austin
Free and open to the public

The Carnegie Distinguished Lecture Series is sponsored by the School of Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin and the College of Communication Latino Media Studies Program and is made possible by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
For questions or more information, contact Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez at mrivas@mail.utexas.edu.

Ilan Stavans

Screening: “9500 Liberty”

Please join the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition and the Austin Asian American Film Festival for a free screening of the award-winning
documentary feature 9500 Liberty on Saturday, November 14, at 5:00 PM at the Mexican American Cultural Center. This screening is a special community event, co-sponsored by the ACLU, Austin Commission on Human Rights, the Austin Department of Parks and Recreation, Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition, the Capital Area Asian American Democrats, the Mexican American Cultural Center, and the Travis County Democratic Party.
9500 Liberty examines the national immigration debate through the experience of Prince William County, VA, after elected officials approve a measure requiring local police to question anyone they suspect of being an “undocumented immigrant.” After the county is targeted by national anti-immigration networks backing the measure, residents form a resistance using YouTube videos and virtual town halls, setting up a real-life showdown in the seat of county government. The film also chronicles the devastating socioeconomic impact of the “Immigration Resolution” on real people and local businesses. As the ferocious fight to adopt and then reverse the policy unfolds within the halls of government, on the streets, and online, 9500 Liberty provides a front row seat to all three battlegrounds.
The film has received rave reviews for its intimate and in-depth look at the real people involved in all aspects of the immigration debate. It was screened as a special event at Netroots Nation, the largest progressive blogging conference in the country, and recently won Best Documentary at the Charlotte Film Festival.
Co-Director Eric Byler will be in attendance to speak about the documentary and about film making as a form of activism. Austin City Council Members Laura Morrison and Bill Spelman are also confirmed to attend.

Date: November 14th, Saturday
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: MACC
Film Festival Info: http://aaaff.bside.com/2009/films/9500liberty_aaaff2009

Study Journalism and Spanish in Santander this summer

If you’re interested in studying in Spain over six weeks in beautiful Santander with UT, read on. Two information sessions for this program will be offered as follows:

Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. CMA 4.128
Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., CMA 5.160
Journalism Professor Maggie Rivas Rodriguez will be teaching Oral History as Journalism (J 349T) and several courses in SPN will also be taught. Earn 6 hours of UT in-residence credit. The J course fulfills a Latino Media Studies requirement. This program also features home stays, and is focused on helping students improve their Spanish-language proficiency. The priority deadline to apply is December 1.

More information: http:communication.utexas.edu/students/international

Mexican Cinema Memorabilia at the Benson

Mexican movie fans,

Come by the Benson Latin American Collection next Wednesday to see some great memorabilia from all ages of Mexican Cinema. We will have a sampling of our movie collections, from posters and lobby cards of the greats of the Golden Age, such as María Félix, Pedro Infante and Cantinflas, to stills of El Santo fighting everyone from la Hija de Frankenstein to el Dr. Muerte.

What: Mexican Cinema Memorabilia
When: 11:00-12:00 on Wednesday, November 4th
Where: Benson Latin American Collection Seminar Room (SRH 1.115)

Drop by and enjoy some of the many treasures available to you in the Benson’s archives!

Adrian Johnson
Benson Latin American Collection
University of Texas at Austin Libraries
(512) 495-4586
aj@austin.utexas.edu

Cine Las Americas is seeking film reviewers

Are you interested in helping Cine Las Americas choose the films for the 13th Annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival? If so, please email festival@cinelasamericas.org with your name, why you are interested and what qualifies you to be on the Cine Las Americas Film Selection Committee.

Other volunteer opportunities are also available. From helping at the box office, to assisting with production operations and much more, volunteers are major part of the Cine Las Americas Festival. If you are interested in volunteering, or would like to know more information, please contact volunteers(@)cinelasamericas.org

Austin Ad Federation Hosts Hispanic Marketing Symposium

The Austin Advertising Federation is hosting its first annual Hispanic
Marketing Symposium (HMS) on November 11, 2009, 11:00am-2:00 pm, at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center at UT-Austin.

The HMS luncheon will be highlighted by nationally recognized Hispanic market
experts: Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, Professor of Medicine and Director of the
Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the School of Medicine,
UCLA; advertising guru Sergio Alcocer, President and Chief Creative Officer of
the award-winning Austin-based advertising agency, LatinWorks; and Danny
Cervantes and Tommy Thompson, who collaborate as client and agency on
McDonalds’ Hispanic efforts. The event will be moderated by Becky Arreaga, a
partner in Mercury Mambo, a Hispanic experiential marketing, sales promotions,
and branding agency.

Dr. Hayes-Bautista is an expert on Hispanic health issues and the author of
“Southwest’s Mexican Roots: The Untold Stories” which explores the
history of Mexicans in the Southwestern U.S. Mr. Alcocer has developed many
high profile campaigns, including Bud Light’s ads for the 2007 Super Bowl,
and has captured top awards including the Cannes Lions Festival, FIAP, CLIOs,
national Addy’s, and the Grand Prix at Festival Caribe. Danny Cervantes is
McDonald’s Regional Marketing Manager. Together with Tommy Thompson, the
Latin-born president of iNSPIRE, Mr. Cervantes is leveraging the Hispanic
market, leading his region to outperform others across the McDonald’s system.
Seating is limited for the Ad Fed HMS luncheon at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center,1900 University Ave. Advance tickets are $35/Austin Ad Fed members and $45/non-members (meal included); students $35, any remaining seats may be purchased day-of for $50.

To purchase tickets, please visit www.austinadfed.com
or call 512-997-9994. For more information,
contact Monica Sanchez 512-810-9726/email: diversity@ austinadfed.com

Screening and Discussion: Altar (2009)

Screening and Discussion of ALTAR: Cruzando Fronteras, Building Bridges Documentary film directed by Paola Zaccaria and Daniele Basilio (2009)
With
Professor Paola Zaccaria
University of Bari (Italy)

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Texas Union, Theatre, 2.228
The University of Texas at Austin

ALTAR is a visual portrait of Gloria Anzaldúa (1942-2004), the Chicana poet and thinker who sang life in Mexican-American borderlands and created powerful images on cultural mestizaje and on nepantla state. The loving ofrenda to her legacy takes shape in the texture of women’s border art(ivism) and in the cultural and political centers committed to creating bridges across differences.

THE EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Sponsored by: the Center for Mexican American Studies; the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies; the Gender and Sexuality Center; and the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, University of Texas Libraries.

Film Screening: La Vendedora de Rosas

The Spanish and Portuguese Department Film Committee is pleased to announce the kickoff of its social drama series:
La vendedora de rosas (1998, 116 mins., Colombia)
Official Selection for 1998 Cannes Festival
Directed and co-written by Victor Gaviria, director of Rodrigo D: No Futuro
Tuesday October 7, 2009
7:30 pm in MEZ B0.306
The University of Texas at Austin
Sponsored by the GSO

This film follows the lives of several street children living in Colombia with an emphasis on two girls Monica and Judy.
Brief description (from The New York Times):
The Colombian director Victor Gaviria’s film ”The Rose Seller,” which has its New York premiere on Tuesday evening, deals not with war but with grinding poverty on the streets of Medellin. A surreally tinged adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale ”The Little Match Girl,” it focuses on a group of adolescent girls living desperate lives on the streets of Medellin. The remarkable cast of nonactors gives the film a powerful neo-realist flavor. For most of the girls and their boyfriends, the sole comfort in life is sniffing glue.