GFDD and FUNGLODE Participate in Florida Film & Media Market Conference

In order to promote the Global Media Arts Institute (GMAI) and prepare for the 2007 Dominican Republic Global Film Festival (DRGFF), Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) participated in the Florida Media Market Conference, October 18-21, 2007, at the Alexander
Resort in Miami Beach, Florida.

The international conference exposed participants to current industry trends and provide opportunities for networking. The event included workshops and panels on
marketing, advertising, financing and international project management, as well as pitch sessions, project presentations by television and film producers and professional networking gatherings. It featured presentations by keynote speakers, Bill Block, CEO of QED International, and Paul Breuls, CEO of Corsan N.V. NALIP-DR representatives, Carmen María Grullón and Marcela Mirabal also participated in a panel discussion in which they promoted the Dominican Republic as a prime location for shooting television and film projects. 

GFDD and FUNGLODE were represented at the conference by GFDD Program Coordinator, Asunción Sanz; GFDD and FUNGLODE Educational Activities Coordinator, Yamile Eusebio; and Director of
FUNGLODE’s Multimedia Department, Omar de la Cruz. GFDD and FUNGLODE staff were accompanied by Dominican filmmakers, Francisco Disla, Humberto Espinal, Freddy Arturo Ginebra, Frank Peroso and Marta Checo. Disla and Espinal were awarded scholarships to attend the conference for their innovative projects developed during Project-a-Thon, a workshop presented by GMAI in collaboration with the Dominican Chapter of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP-DR).

The up-in-coming Dominican filmmakers brought their projects to the conference, where they received encouraging feedback by industry professionals. Production and distribution companies from Peru, Venezuela, Mexico and the United States expressed interest in productions submitted by Disla and Ginebra. All of the filmmakers had the opportunity to present their diverse accomplishments in the areas of television and documentary and dramatic film.

The emerging Dominican industry is beginning to be recognized by international television and film companies, distributors and producers such as SONY, whose representative articulated his delight in learning about the Dominican Republic’s industry potential — potential he was not aware of prior to the Florida Media Market Conference.

GMAI is dedicated to providing up-in-coming professionals in the television and film industry with comprehensive instruction in the latest trends in audiovisual production, as part of its overall mission to expand the multimedia industry of the Dominican
Republic. The Institute seeks to play a key role in the development of a highly qua