Thank you for visiting the NewsBlog. Here we present
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That said, enjoy the buzz!!!
03 May 2006 Tocar Y Luchar opens in Venezuela It seems that Tocar y Luchar became the first feature documentary to ever receive theatrical distribution in Venezuela. The film opened last Friday in 40 theaters across the country and rapidly climbed to the top 10 box office success in the country. The film is schedule to begin an active festival circuit phase this fall and will hopefully received international distribution soon after. A trailer of the film is available on its website www.tocaryluchar.com.
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26 Mar 2006 UPDATE: Explorart shooting documentary series pilot
We heard from the grapevine that Explorart is shooting the pilot for the HD television series Parks, Souls, and Voices at a remote location of the Amazon forest this week. Juan Carlos Lopez Duran, the series director, traveled to Southern Venezuela on Sunday March 24 with a complete production team. Shooting is expected to wrap in 10 days. The series explores many of South American National Parks and Monuments through the eyes of a 12-year-old child.
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26 Mar 2006 BUZZ: Tocar y Luchar Opens at Mar de Plata International Film Festival
The exciting documentary Tocar y Luchar ( To play and to fight) had a successful world premier at the Mar de Plata International Film Festival this March. We understand that the film will be released commercially in Venezuela later this year. Internationally, the film will continue to be screened at festivals throughout 2006 and 2007. We will post any press releases we receive from the production companies.
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30 Jan 2006 BUZZ: Explorart wraps pilot episode of "Beyond the Summit"
Explorart wraps pilot episode of "Beyond the Summit", a HD documentary series about the life of world class mountain climbers. The pilot episode follows the life of Jose Antonio Delgado, one of the most successful South American Climbers. JAD is one of the few Latin climbers who have successfully climb Mt. Everest. He has also climbed other himmalayan mountains including Cho Oyu, Gasherbrum II and Shishapangma. Post-production is scheduled to start in February at Explorart’s post facility in Michigan and Explorart will begin pitching the series to networks in April. From Explorart’s website:
Beyond the Summit
13 x 50min Format: HD Director: Juan Carlos Lopez Duran Explorart Films
“Beyond the Summit” is an ambitious HD documentary series that portrays the life of 13 of the world’s most celebrated mountain climbers. The series accompanies them as they ascend some of the world’s most beautiful mountain ranges, from the Himalayans to Patagonia, and exposes 13 unforgettable life stories. Through their own eyes, “Beyond the Summit” reveals the contagious spirit and philosophy that drives these climbers’ hunt for the summit.
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10 Jan 2006 BUZZ: NY Production company shooting documentary on Harry Belafonte’s visit to Venezuela.
Belafonte and friends (including Danny Glover and Cornel West) traveled to Venezuela this January to meet with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. (See AP story) . A production company from NY is following the group to make a documentary. The group was also scheduled to meet with some opposition leaders. Producers indicated that the documentary will be balanced showing both the government and the opposition view of the current political crisis. Critics have complained that previous documentaries made about the Venezuelan ‘revolution’ have not been balanced and have presented only one side of the story. (see for example “The Revolution can not be Televised”).
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10 Jan 2006 BUZZ: Explorart Films shooting in the Amazon award winning documentary series Parks, Souls, and Voices. Explorart films’ series proposal “Parks, Souls, and Voices” (Parques, Almas, y Voces) won the 1st National Competition of Radio and Television Producers (See the Press Release). It seems that Explorart will be shooting the pilot episode this January in Autana, a natural national monument in the Amazon basin. Juan Carlos Lopez Duran will direct with photography by John Marquez.
From the press release:
“The documentary will be produced by Explorart Films in 2006. The 1st season of the series will consist of 12 episodes filmed in High Definition. The first episode explores “Autana,” an astonishing natural monument located deep inside one of the most remote regions of the Amazon jungle. The Autana is an impressive vertical rock formation that climbs 4,000 feet above the floor of the Amazon basin. Throughout history, the Autana has had a significant role in the life and beliefs of the local people and the episode will explore the mystic relation between nature and its inhabitants.”
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06 Oct 2005 BUZZ: Tocar y Luchar to enter the Festival Circuit in 2006
The new film by filmmaker Alberto Arvelo will be represented through the festival circuit by Explorart Films in 2006. Explorart will be in charge of the Film’s foreign distribution efforts. This may be the most successful documentary ever produced in Venezuela and it should obtain commercial distribution in 2006.
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06 Oct 2005 BUZZ: Edgar Ramirez to make Hollywood Debut
The promising Venezuelan actor will be making his Hollywood debut this October by performing with young starlet Keira Knightley in the upcoming Ridley Scott film “Domino”. Edgar also stars in the Venezuelan Film Cyrano Fernandez, which should enter the festival circuit in 2006.
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06 Oct 2005 PIPELINE: To Play and To Fight
To Play and To Fight presents the captivating story of the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra System - an incredible network of hundreds of orchestras formed within most of Venezuela’s towns and villages. Once a modest program designed to expose rural children to the wonders of music, the system has become one of the most important and beautiful social phenomenon in modern history. To Play and To Fight presents many of the world’s most renowned musicians including the great tenor Placido Domingo, Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, Guiseppe Sinopoli, and Eduardo Mata, as they reflect on the impact of such a far-reaching social project. The documentary also presents the inspirational stories of world class musicians who have been trained by the Venezuelan system including Berlin’s Philharmonic youngest player Edicson Ruiz and world class conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
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06 Oct 2005 PEOPLE: Cezary Jaworski Cezary Jaworski was born in Poland where he studied at the prestigious Polish National Film School at Lods. Later he moves to Venezuela where he continued his work as a director and director of photography. He has 23 years of experience in French, Canadian, Polish, Spanish and Latin American film and television productions. He has received more than 70 national and international awards for his work as art director, director of photography, and director. His work in "Unguento para Manos Agrietadas", won him the Kodak Ecumenical Jury Award at the Clarmont-Ferrand Festival, and the First Prize award at the prestigious Montreal International Film Festival. He also received the Best Photography award at the Festival de Las Palmas, for "La Pluma del Arcángel". Although Mr. Jaworski’s portfolio is mostly focused on feature films and feature documentaries, he has also worked on several high end commercials an shorts. Mr. Jaworski currently works as a director and director of photography for some of the most prestigious Latin American production companies, and is a permanent faculty of direction and photography at the University of Los Andes’ Film School
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06 Oct 2005 FILM REVIEW: Frida As Salma Hayek's long-time pet project, it is apparent that every frame in Frida has had thought, preparation, and care put into it. As a prestige project, it's also very slick and comes with high expectations. Intended to present the iconic painter -- a strong, talented, independent Latin woman -- to an American audience, it has the look and feel of a great film that nevertheless falls short in trying to tell the story of a unique personality by re-staging the events of her life. more...
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06 Oct 2005 DESTINATION: Morrocoy!! The Morrocoy National Park is located in western Venezuela approximately 4 hours from Caracas. It is one of the most beautiful parks in the southern Caribbean with beautiful white sand and dozens of isolated atolls. The marine life is outstanding within many shallow coral reefs, making this a true snorkels paradise. With great accommodations and easy boat access to most of the atolls, Morrocoy is the perfect setting for your next Caribbean shoot!!!
Production Specs:
Permits: Morrocoy is a Venezuelan National Park. In addition to foreign shoot & crew permits processed by the Venezuelan film commission, foreign crews will need a shooting permit issued by the National Park Service and approved by the Department of the Interior. A Venezuelan production crew must endorse the application (see the related article in the production resources area).
Crew: All of your local crew will come from Caracas, since there are no trained personnel in the region. more...
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05 Aug 2005 DESTINATION: The Andes! The Andes is one of the most amazing and unique mountain ranges in the world. Extending from the base of the Caribbean in Venezuela to Chile’s Tierras de Fuego at the southern tip of Patagonia, the Andes enjoy a geography and culture like no other and provides filmmakers with a wonderful unique backyard for any mountain project. From blockbuster films such as “Alive” and “Touching the Void” to acclaimed independent Latin productions such as “A House with a View of the Sea” and “One Life and Two Trails”, this region has been the backdrop to dozens of amazing films, documentaries, and television commercials.
Production Specs. Film and video production in the Andes is an unforgettable experience. Since the Andes crosses 8 countries (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina) and we could write an entire book on each of these regions, we will focus our discussion on Venezuela, Chile, and Peru. Venezuela presents the easiest and fastest access for US and European crews and enjoys a unique geography of deep alpine valleys, Andean culture, and high altitude deserts. more...
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05 Aug 2005 PIPELINE: Cyrano Fernandez Based on the French masterpiece "Cyrano de Bergerac", Cyrano Fernandez is the story of a fierce romantic warrior in Latin America’s largest favela. His great tragic love, Roxane, is a complex woman navigating the contradictory place in which she lives. A dance student in a theater down in the city, she also teaches dance to little girls on her shanty's roof. Christian, whose innocence and beauty seduce Roxane, is born in the favela but emigrates to New York as a child. In the story, he returns to his place of birth after avenging his brother's death to find himself in a world he doesn't understand. www.cyranofernandez.com
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05 Aug 2005 FILM REVIEW: The Motorcycle Diaries Walter Salles' film 'The Motorcycle Diaries' is a coming-of-age road trip whose protagonist happens to be the iconic revolutionary Che Guevara. While biopics are notoriously unimaginative rehashings of a celebrity's life, Salles is more interested in exploring and challenging myths than reinforcing them, elevating the film above the usual pitfalls.
Before his days as a guerrilla in the Cuban jungle, Ernesto Guevara was a Buenos Aires medical student struggling to understand his place in the world. more...
Cezary Jaworski was born in Poland where he studied at the prestigious Polish National Film School at Lods. Later he moves to Venezuela where he continued his work as a director and director of photography. He has 23 years of experience in French, Canadian, Polish, Spanish and Latin American film and television productions. He has received more than 70 national and international awards for his work as art director, director of photography, and director. His work in "Unguento para Manos Agrietadas", won him the Kodak Ecumenical Jury Award at the Clarmont-Ferrand Festival, and the First Prize award at the prestigious Montreal International Film Festival. He also received the Best Photography award at the Festival de Las Palmas, for "La Pluma del Arcángel". Although Mr. Jaworski’s portfolio is mostly focused on feature films and feature documentaries, he has also worked on several high end commercials an shorts. Mr. Jaworski currently works as a director and director of photography for some of the most prestigious Latin American production companies, and is a permanent faculty of direction and photography at the University of Los Andes’ Film School 
The Andes is one of the most amazing and unique mountain ranges in the world. Extending from the base of the Caribbean in Venezuela to Chile’s Tierras de Fuego at the southern tip of Patagonia, the Andes enjoy a geography and culture like no other and provides filmmakers with a wonderful unique backyard for any mountain project. From blockbuster films such as “Alive” and “Touching the Void” to acclaimed independent Latin productions such as “A House with a View of the Sea” and “One Life and Two Trails”, this region has been the backdrop to dozens of amazing films, documentaries, and television commercials. 
Based on the French masterpiece "Cyrano de Bergerac", Cyrano Fernandez is the story of a fierce romantic warrior in Latin America’s largest favela. His great tragic love, Roxane, is a complex woman navigating the contradictory place in which she lives. A dance student in a theater down in the city, she also teaches dance to little girls on her shanty's roof. Christian, whose innocence and beauty seduce Roxane, is born in the favela but emigrates to New York as a child. In the story, he returns to his place of birth after avenging his brother's death to find himself in a world he doesn't understand. www.cyranofernandez.com 
Walter Salles' film 'The Motorcycle Diaries' is a coming-of-age road trip whose protagonist happens to be the iconic revolutionary Che Guevara. While biopics are notoriously unimaginative rehashings of a celebrity's life, Salles is more interested in exploring and challenging myths than reinforcing them, elevating the film above the usual pitfalls.