Governor Richardson Announces Premiere of Governor’s Cup Documentary Films

Two short docs and one work-in-progress to be shown at the Santa Fe Film Festival on November 30th

November 26, 2007 -- SANTA FE - New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced that the winners of the 2007 Governor’s Cup Short Documentary Competition will premiere their films at the Santa Fe Film Festival this week. The screening will take place at the Armory for the Arts, 1050 Old Pecos Trail in Santa Fe, on Friday, November 30 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are free of charge, and available through the Santa Fe Film Festival.

“The Governor’s Cup Competition is just one way that we support our local filmmaking talent,” stated Governor Bill Richardson. “I hope you’ll join the community in honoring the work of these young home-based filmmakers."

Three winners were chosen from over 200 applications to the competition last spring: Ramona Emerson, Thomas Tischler, and the team of Armando Kirwin and Daniel Dinning. Funded by Comcast and the National Geographic All Roads Film Project, each winner received a $5,000 budget toward the creation of their film, plus use of the state’s production equipment, and trainees from the Film Technicians Training Programs statewide.

To be screened at the Festival: A RETURN HOME by Ramona Emerson. This documentary follows Navajo artist B. Emerson Kitsman as she begins a monumental project while trying to adjust to her return to reservation life. Ms. Emerson, a member of Navajo nation, received her Bachelors degree in Media Arts from the University of New Mexico in 1997 and was one of the first two graduates of the program. Since then she has created a number of films, including THE LAST TREK, which was shown at the National Museum of the American Indian, both in New York and Washington, DC. A RETURN HOME has been funded by the National Geographic All Roads Film Project.

THE POET AND THE WIND by Armando Kirwin and Daniel Dinning. After working on a number of feature films and shorts in New Mexico, in 2006 Mr. Kirwin founded Galloquema Films, a boutique production company that focuses on local projects. Mr. Dinning has worked closely with Galloquema Films since its inception. THE POET AND THE WIND follows three New Mexico poets as they prepare for and compete in a national poetry slam competition.

SIGNING A DREAM by Thomas Tishler. Mr. Tischler is a graduate of the New Mexico School for the Deaf and Gallaudet University. He is currently pursuing a degree in Media Arts at Santa Fe Community College. He has been profoundly deaf since birth. Mr. Tischler’s documentary is about Robert Huizar, a football coach at the New Mexico School for the Deaf, and his work to bring New Mexico’s six-man North All-Star team (deaf and hearing) to a state championship. SIGNING A DREAM is currently a work-in-progress.

SIGNING A DREAM and THE POET AND THE WIND were funded in part by Comcast.

The All Roads Film Project is a National Geographic initiative to provide a global platform for indigenous and under-represented minority-culture storytellers around the world to showcase their talents and teach a broader audience about their cultures.

For more information on All Roads, please visit www.nationalgeographic.com/allroads.

Comcast Corporation generously donated $20,000 towards the Governor’s Cup. Comcast is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. Comcast serves over 300,000 customers and employs nearly 700 people in New Mexico and Tucson.