Spring 2023 Grantees

Film

Iris Almaraz: "Rocket Ship", is a short film by Iris Almaraz about a day in the lives of two kid sisters and their mentally ill mom, who want to escape to the playground and ride the rocket ship. Aspiring Latina filmmakers will be mentored during all the film’s stages.

Ortega Brothers: Giving Back through Film workshops connecting aspiring filmmakers to Chicano/Latino professionals in the film industry. Includes the production of a short film to be submitted to film festivals.

Kase Pena: TRANS LOS ANGELES - Short Film about the struggles of four individuals from L.A.’s transgender community.

Alci Rengifo: Roque - A Short Film about Salvadoran poet and activist Roque Dalton.

Pablo Simental: "Yes, My Love" a short film, cinematic “visual love letter” features two Latino boys from Southeast Los Angeles forced to hide their true love for each other.

Rudy Torres: “Unsung LA” Plus Me Project documentary, delves into the lives of struggling artists, spotlighting the lives of a father and son.

Gloria Westcott: Art as Activism - Self Help Graphics & Art: A Quarter Century of Activism & Passion in Art, 1972-97 - Documentary reel. 

Literary Arts

Matthew Sedillo: Poet Laureates of Tomorrow, provides students lessons in poetry writing by internationally renowned Chicano Poet Matt Sedillo and Pomona Poet Laureate Ceasar Avelar. The students' work will be featured at venues throughout Pomona Valley.

Theatre

Casa 0101, Inc: The Gloria Molina Story - Theatre Production, a new play based on the life of Gloria Molina.

Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA: 10-Minute Theater Festival comprises a variety of plays by local playwrights with help from a “Creators Roundtable”, which includes guidance on pre-production, casting and performance.

Minerva Garcia: IMPACTED-Theatre Production giving voice to the impact of police brutality on the victims’ families and L.A.’s Latino population.

Dan Guerrero: Aging: It Does Not End Well-Theatre Production created for a digital online experience, improv solo play brings humour and poignant moments, looking at ageing from all angles.

Latino Theater Co (LTC): Tacos La Brooklyn-Theatre Production, part of the LTC’s Circle of Imaginistas Initiative, Boyle Heights-raised playwright, Joe Ulloa’s ten-character drama follows a Korean American orphan from LA’s Eastside, as his dreams of opening a taco eatery are threatened by complaints about cultural appropriation.

Blanca Araceli Soto: Todas Somos Luz-Theatre Production. A series of Spanish-language monologues about postpartum depression, domestic violence and intergenerational trauma.

Visual Arts

ART SHARE LOS ANGELES: Artist Residency Program offering stipends, free studio space, inclusion in gallery exhibitions and professional development to emerging artists from the Eastside.

Norma Montoya: Estrada Courts Mural Restoration and Celebration, an effort to restore an existing and historical mural, project offers four paid high school internships, and teaches middle and high school students about mural restoration in the confounds of their community.

Plaza de la Raza, Inc.: Art Shift: From Creation to Curation-Artists Becoming Curators, project offers a first-time curatorial experience to artists and artists' groups.