Movie News: VANGUARD signs Kung Fu Panda co-director John Stevenson to long-term deal

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Select Academy Invitations For Membership

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sent out invitations to join the Academy. We have chosen from the list of 135 invitations the ones we felt would be of most interest.

�The work of these individuals has been appreciated by moviegoers all around the world,� said Academy President Tom Sherak. �The Academy is proud to invite each and every one of them.�

The 2010 invitees include:

Actors
Tobin Bell � �Saw�
Jeremy Renner � �28 Weeks Later"
Zoe Saldana � �Avatar,� �Star Trek�


Animators
Darragh O�Connell � �Granny O�Grimm�s Sleeping Beauty� (no, really, she's made it creepy and funny)
Simon Otto � �How to Train Your Dragon,� �Kung Fu Panda�


Art Directors
Kim Sinclair � �Avatar�
Dave Warren � �Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"


Cinematographers
Shane Hurlbut � �Terminator Salvation�
Dan Mindel � �Star Trek�
Tobias Schliessler � �The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3"
Stephen Windon � �The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,� �House of Wax�
Robert Yeoman � �Get Him to the Greek�


Film Editors
John Refoua � �Avatar�


Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
Kris Evans � �X-Men The Last Stand," �Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl�
Mindy Hall � �Star Trek�
Joel Harlow � �Star Trek,� �Pirates of the Caribbean: At World�s End�


Music
Brian Tyler � �Fast & Furious,� �Aliens vs. Predator Requiem�


Producers
Jon Landau � �Avatar�


Set Decorators
Caroline Smith � �The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus�


Sound
Frank Eulner � �Iron Man 2,� �Hellboy�
Gary A. Rizzo � �How to Train Your Dragon,� �The Dark Knight�
Gwendolyn Yates Whittle � �Avatar,� "The Simpsons Movie"


Visual Effects
Matt Aitken � �District 9,� �The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring�
Karen Ansel � �Angels & Demons,� �Men in Black II�
Richard Baneham � �Avatar,� �The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers�
Paul Debevec � �Avatar,� �King Kong�
Russell Earl � �Star Trek,� �Transformers�
Steve Galich � "Transformers"
Andrew R. Jones � �Avatar,� �I, Robot�
Dan Kaufman � �District 9�
Derek Spears � �The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor�
Steve Sullivan � �Avatar,� �Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith�
Michael J. Wassel � �Hellboy II: The Golden Army�


Writers
Neill Blomkamp � �District 9�
Alex Kurtzman � �Star Trek,� �Mission: Impossible III�
Roberto Orci � �Star Trek,� �Mission: Impossible III�
Terri Tatchell � �District 9�

17th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival

Films of specific Interest:

2033
In the 2033 futuristic society of Villaparaiso, formerly known as Mexico, the general public is manipulated by religion and a dictatorship regimen lead by General Jamaro. Jamaro is also the president of Phaarmax, a company that develops an addictive beverage that allows for the working subclass to work more than 12 hours a day, deforming their bodies. Pablo, a privileged young man looking to find meaning in his life, discovers the cover up and leaves his life of luxury to help out the revolutionaries. With help of Miguel and Lucia, Pablo struggles to find an antidote and fight the status quo. Starring past SDLFF special guest Raul Mendez.

APARECIDOS, LOS
One night, Malena and Pablo, a sister and brother traveling together in Argentina, discover a diary that details crimes committed twenty years ago during Argentina's military dictatorship. Later, after checking into a hotel, the siblings hear a man being murdered in the next room and his family abducted in a manner described word for word in the diary. The siblings' trip soon becomes a nightmare where they cannot discern whether they people they are trying to save are real or ghosts from the past. As they dig deeper into the mystery of the diary, truths are revealed that tie them to the murders in a way they never imagined. Seamlessly combining horror and history, "Los Aparecidos" is an engrossing reminder that sometimes the sins can never be forgotten.

GIGANTE
Jara, a heavy-set surveillance officer working the graveyard shift, leads a dull and routine existence: he watches CCTV monitors all night long, goes home to sleep on a sofa while the television drones on in the background, solves crossword puzzles, listens to heavy metal on his iPod and spends some time with his nephew. On the weekends, he works as a bouncer/doorman at a local discotheque. Things change when he notices young cleaning woman, Julia on his monitors, and he becomes fascinated with her to the point of obsession. He starts to wait for her to come out in the morning after work and shadows her through the streets of Montevideo. Winner of three prizes at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival

IMAGINADORES
�What�s wrong with wanting to escape when you are in prison?� an Argentinean comic book artist asks, referring to the referring to transformative possibilities of fantasy-based literature. This powerful documentary, which focuses on the amazing cultural force that is the Argentine comic book industry, describes for all of us the appeal and potential of the fantasy genre. This journey into a vibrant art form reveals why, in Argentina, comic books are revered in ways that they aren't in most other countries. What began as a genre targeting children quickly evolved to take on bigger subjects, eventually challenging the country's most powerful people, and the cultural status quo. Exhaustively comprehensive, this doc introduces us to the major players in the field, and�an innovative touch�animates for us some of the best-known and influential four-color dramas. If you consider yourself a comic book nerd or a manga fan, this exploration of South America�s center for sequential art is a must-see.

NO DO
Francesca is a pediatrician who suffers from postpartum depression. Following the advice of friend and psychiatrist Jean, Francesca and her husband Pedro move out of the city to a new home. Unfortunately, the new house turns out not to be the respite they hoped. Francesca soon begins to see furtive figures and ghostly shadows everywhere. Jean and Pedro are convinced that her visions are manifestations of her illness but she believes that the house is possessed. This stylish horror film is based on a true story. Starring Ana Torrent ("The Other Boleyn Girl").


ABOUT
The 17th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival (March 11-21, 2010) will take place at UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas at Hazard Center (off 163 Freeway & Friars Rd.). Over 150 feature and short films are scheduled to be screened and close to 100 special guest actors and filmmakers will be in attendance.

http://www.sdlatinofilm.com/