History |
Mission |
Board of Directors
Advisory Board | Staff
In the Summer of 1995, working with the Aztlan Cultural Arts Foundation, the founders of A La Brava hosted an evening of Chicano/a film at their location and called it Cine Sin Fin. Local Chicana/os filmmakers had the opportunity to showcase their projects in different studios of the old city jail, which had been transformed in to a cultural center earlier that year. The positive response to the to the event was overwhelming with supporters which included Moctezuma Esparza, Leo Limon, Jesse Borrego, Richard Montoya of Culture Clash, Jose Montoya and the member of Royal Chicano Air Force.
At the time, there were few, if any, venues available for Chicanas/os to showcase their film making talent. The film industry was not receptive to Chicano/a filmmakers and the few films which were being produced for the mainstream market usually depicted our community life as broken and undesirable. Chicano characters rarely amounted to more than thieves or gangsters. There were many other stories about the Chicano community which needed to be told. Most, however, were shunned by the majority in the film industry. A La Brava had truly tapped into a void in our community; there was urgency for diversity.
Over the years, the list of A La Brava and Cine Sin Fin supporters has steadily grown to include well known artist such as: Harry, Linda and Diane Gamboa, Gronk, Josefina Lopez, Jose Ramirez, Joey Medina, the Anthony Quinn family, the John Alonzo family, the Lalo Guerrero family, the Corky Gonzales family, John Valdez, Kid Frost, Tito Delgado and Paul Rodriguez. Organizations such as Self Help Graphics, the Cultural Affairs Department of Los Angeles, the Echo Park Film Center and Plaza De La Raza are also counted among our supporters. Additionally, City of LA representatives such as Antonio Villaraigosa, Jose Huizar, Nick Pacheco, Richard Alatorre, Mike Garcia, Ed Reyes, Alex Padilla, Eric Garcetti, Richard Alarcon, Marcos Firebaugh, Fabian Nunez, Gil Cedillo, Lucille Roybal-Allard have also supported us.
Although films such as Mi Familia, Selena and Amores Perros have begun paving the way for an increased Chicano/a presence in the industry, the struggle to overcome the barriers is far from over. There continues to be a need for spaces in which underrepresented filmmakers can showcase there work. Film and television are among the largest disseminators of information; therefore it is imperative that through the same means the negative stereotypes of the Chicano/a community be challenged. A La Brava has persisted in providing the necessary venues to continue confronting the obstacles. Cine Sin Fin has become the longest running film festival created by and for Chicanas/os.
A La Brava Producciones Revolucionarias, Inc., is a non profit organization founded in 1994, which established Cine Sin Fin: the Annual East Los Angeles Chicana/o Film Festival. The organization is dedicated to fostering artistic achievement and cross cultural understanding. Our mission for the Cine is to provide a venue for aspiring Chicana/o and Raza filmmakers to screen their films and videos.
Cine Sin Fin acts both as a venue and networking experience. While the majority of our audience comes to watch films, students, filmmakers, actors, screenwriters and producers come to share their experiences and collaborate. In addition to screening projects, we have panel discussions with filmmakers, actresses/ors, directors, producers and activists. This opportunity serves as a forum in which aspiring artists can ask career-defining questions and have them discussed among peers. Also, it serves as a networking opportunity and works to inspire audience members in pursuing careers in the industry. Many success stories have come from this unique networking opportunity.
An ongoing policy for the Cine is accessibility. Knowing that most filmmakers who submit their film projects function on a minimal budget, our policy has been to dismiss the submission fee. The continuing policy also keeps the entrance fee at an affordable price: with discounts available for students, youth, veterans, elderly, physically challenged and special group rates.
Cine is a growing part of the cultural landscape in Los Angeles, California, the United States and Internationally. Our previous venues over the years included screenings at the LA Film Festival, Southeast Student Film Festival, and Reel Rasquache Film Festival as well as Cine Sin Fin screenings in San Jose, CA; San Francisco, CA; Canada and Cuba. Last year, Cine expanded its venues to include Coachella, CA; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Every year, without fail, Cine Sin Fin has exhibited films and videos to a full house with an approximate 5000 person’s audience. We screen up to 30 to 50 films and videos depending on the submission pull for that year. Our audience has consistently drawn in families, artists, producers, directors, youth and persons from all walks of life.
Cine has served as a catalyst for the establishment of a permanent venue to screen, develop, produce and promote our mission. We have played a significant role in fostering positive images of our community in film and video through the festival. We have also empowered those individuals and organizations whose films humanize the Chicana/o and Raza experience and have reached audiences who would otherwise not be familiar with it.
Overall, A La Brava’s mission is to promote education and art of California residents through the:
a) Implementation or support of programs and development activity that will enhance or promote community cultural development, and increase access to venues featuring Mexican American film and art.
b) Development and support, in partnership with other community-based organizations, of programs and facilities that will enhance art and education, provide cultural events.
c) Development and implementation of programs that will enhance and support art, empowerment, education and artistic venue.
d) The creation of an artistic cultural environment to attract and/or retain uses that meet the surrounding communities needs for artistic venue and education.
Ernesto Espinoza
Jaime Segall-Gutierrez
Eduardo Hinojosa-Espinoza
Marcos Gutierrez
Linda Gamboa
Jose Ramirez
Elias Serna
Shawna Bacca
Gilbert ‘Magu’ Lujan
Mike Centeno
Tomas Benites
Jesus Santillan
Carlos Vasquez
Ulisses Sanchez
Richard ‘Sonny’ Espinoza
Fanno Gutierrez
Jaime Pablo Segall-Gutiérrez
Ernesto Espinoza
Yvette Hinojosa
Eduardo Espinoza
Marcos Gutiérrez
Suairis Hernández
