South Florida PBS (WPBT & WXEL) will broadcast premiere of the film-maker series on January 2nd, 2018 at 7:30 PM on WPBT and January 8th at 5:30 PM on WXEL. Additional episodes will air during January on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM on WPBT and Mondays at 5:30 PM on WXEL.
The film-maker project was co-directed by three senior Emmy Award-winning South Florida PBS staffers and local film professionals. The goal of the project was to acquire, broadcast and distribute emerging South Florida filmmakers work as well as provide mentorship and guidance as they build careers from their passions. The results of this collaboration will be seen in the form of short and long-form independent films that will air on WPBT and WXEL from January to June 2018. From documentaries to narrative films, these stories will make you cry, laugh and wonder. This film-maker series underscores the depth of our homegrown talent in all aspects of filmmaking, exposing these remarkable films to our SFPBS audience, often for the first time.
“South Florida is in the midst of a cultural renaissance across all artistic disciplines,” said Doris Bravo-Hieger, Ph.D., Manager of Arts Content for PBS. “It’s become imperative to create opportunities for filmmakers. South Florida PBS is proud to offer a platform, mentorship, and professional development through the film-maker initiative.”
After successfully acquiring a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the network launched its new film-maker project. The project’s Board of Advisors represent the South Florida filmmaking community, with representatives from FilmGate Miami, The Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission and other top industry experts. From years of collaborations, South Florida PBS also has strong ties with film festivals, secondary and college-level schools, film commissions and numerous working professionals
Not only will South Florida PBS be broadcasting the finished films to an estimated 6.3 million viewers, we will also distribute it through other media outlets, giving these productions a
national audience. The aim of film-maker is to close that gap between the unpolished and the polished, to provide meaningful mentorships and, finally, to give local filmmakers distribution opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise.
Below is the description of episode 1 that premieres on January 2nd, 2018.
Cheryl Maeder, “Play” (1:53)
From the filmmaker, “I was walking through a shopping mall on the top floor and happened to look down at children wildly jumping and playing in this wonderland below. From this vantage point up high, the children looked like tiny elves and fairies jumping, laughing and happily playing in a breakfast-themed playground. I hurriedly went home, grabbed my camera and for several weeks returned to document the children playing. The short film, Play, is about this magic.”
Sandra Portal-Andreu, “Labyrinth” (9:55)
Get lost through the endless array of books in Labyrinth, a cinedance that explores the many facets of the Historic Miami-Dade Main Public Library. Choreographed and directed by Sandra Portal-Andreu with text by Jorge Borges and Ernest Hemingway and music by The Floating Opera Orchestra.
Gabriel Rhenals, “The Promotion” (10:21)
A young woman is all about her career despite her father's warning.
Go to the film-maker site for profiles and more information.
film-maker is made possible in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. And by the following: South Florida PBS Arts Challenge; ArtCenter/South Florida; Lydia Harrison; Alfred Lewis; The Dunspaugh-Dalton Foundation.