DiverseWorks on Wednesdays
Identity Works: Queer Filmmaking in Houston
Presented by DiverseWorks, Out & Equal Houston, and QFest
Join Houston-based filmmakers Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, Jared Gullet, Travis Johns, and Stephanie Saint Sanchez for a presentation of recent work and a discussion moderated by Alfred Cervantes, Deputy Commissioner of the Houston Film Commission.
Alfred Cervantes, Deputy Director of the Houston Film Commission and a native Houstonian, has worked in various capacities in film for the past 22 years. As a freelancer he worked on Reality Bites, The Chase, Jason’s Lyric, Powder, and Apollo 13. His duty with the film commission is to promote the greater Houston & Harris County area to film producers, production executives, and independent filmmakers, scout locations, and facilitate any production’s local filming experience. Some of the recent feature films he has assisted or scouted for are The Tree Of Life, The Preacher’s Mistress, The Retrieval, and Hellion. More information at http://www.imdb.me/alfredcervantes.
Anahita Ghazvinizadeh received a BFA in film from Tehran University of Art and a MFA in studio arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Gazvinizadeh was selected as one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Cinema in 2013 by Filmmaker Magazine. Among the many festivals in which her works have been screened are Melbourne International Film Festival, Moscow Shorts Film Festival, Frankfurt Film Festival, Queersicht Film Festival in Switzerland, Female Eye Film Festival in Canada, Slamdance Film Festival and Yasujiro Ozu Film Festival in Italy.
Jarrod Gullett is a principal and producer at Proud Pony International where he turns complex concepts into realities. His specialties are problem solving and bringing the right people together to achieve the best results. His recent work may be seen at weareproudpony.com.
Travis Johns is a multi-disciplinary filmmaker and co-founder of Proud Pony International, a new-media collective focusing on high quality video products and creative dressage. An accomplished editor and motion designer, Travis has worked for clients such as Redbull, BP, New Balance, Scion, and Howard TV. His short films have screened in festivals all over the country, including the web-series GET OUT! OF THE CLOSET! at The 15th Annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival and Chicago’s 29th Annual Reeling Festival. Two of his shorts were selected for the Texas Filmmakers Showcase: It’s for Her (2009), and his latest work, The Trouble with Ray (2014), a mini-documentary about legendary activist Ray Hill, which will screen at The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, The Austin Film Festival, and the 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival.
Stephanie Saint Sanchez is a by-any-means-necessary media artist, moviemaker, and instigator. As founder of La Chicana Laundry Pictures, she has made over 25 award-winning, genre-bending shorts. She also founded the Senorita Cinema Film Festival, the only all Latina film festival in Texas. She is a recipient of a S.W.A.M.P. Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship, The Idea Fund, and was a resident in the Lawndale Artist Studio Program.
QFest 2014: The 18th Annual Houston International GBLT-Q Film Festival is July 24 – 28 at various venues across the city. QFest is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts as a powerful tool for communication and cooperation among diverse communities by presenting programs by, about, or of interest to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer community. For more information visit www.q-fest.org.
Out & Equal Houston’s vision is workplace equality for everyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity / expression. Their mission is to encourage and assist Houston-area businesses foster and maintain LGBT-inclusive work environments. For more information visit www.outandequalhouston.org.