Barrio Boy, the feature received high praise and accolades when it premiered at the Iris Prize festival in Wales.  https://irisprize.org/film/barrio-boy/
The film has acquired UK distribution and is invited to screen at the Roze Filmdagen Amsterdam LGBTQ Festival, Spring 2023 and listed as #1 of the top films to not be missed at the festival. https://rozefilmdagen.nl/en/2023/barrio-boy

Additionally, the film was cited as one of the most highly anticipated LGBTQ+ Films on a list of films produced by Netflix, Universal, Tomorrowland and Paramount, we are honored to be included.Stateside festival dates will be announced as they come in.

Preliminary pre-production steps are underway for Boys in Summer, the second feature written and directed by Barrio Boy creator Dennis Shinners. We are hard at work strategizing for principle photography to commence late summer/fall 2023.

I had the pleasure to cast the short,  Pedacito de Carne for Good Mother Films. Congratulations to Writer/Producer/Actor Diana Gonzalez Morett and Director/Producer Akilah “AK” Walker  on being awarded participation in the Netflix-NALIP Latino Lens: Narrative Short Film Incubator For Women Of Color filmmakers. This essential and compelling short about unconditional love and the vocation of caregiving is universal in scope and has the makings of being developed into a feature which this team and story more than deserves.

Additionally,  I had the pleasure to be back in the room where it happens, to cast Canary, written/directed by Chuck Vuolo. Canary is a short about crossing the border, a surreal drama with horror undertones. Shot on location,  in Arizona, a cast of brilliant NYC actors spent the entire filming process outdoors. I’m anticipating what will be  a striking and haunting film.

Currently I am collaborating with Moon Molson who is an award winning Writer/Director and professor for the  film program at Princeton. I will be casting the thesis short, Key Lime Pie for his student Allen Delgado. I will also be giving a casting workshop at Princeton to demystify the casting process for emerging filmmakers.

I also am collaborating with a fellow filmmaker/educator  Writer/Director/Producer and Screenwriting Chair for New York Film Academy, Randall Dottin. In addition to casting experimental projects for the Department of Cinematography, I also had the honor to participate in a live zoom Q&A with Randall about the impact of  Identity and Conscious Casting practices today.

I am gratified to be part of the phenomenal NYU/Stonestreet Studios community. Currently in my fifth semester teaching in person I am in awe of the emerging  talent I am mentoring. Where I was once jaded about the future of the industry,  I am now filled with hope as I work with this brilliant generation of young creative from all over the world.

As spring peeks through winter’s bleakness I feel a hint of what life was like pre-Covid. We have to be kind and gentle to ourselves and each other. We’ve been through a lot and we need to honor that grace as we yield to brighter days ahead.

Until the next update, take excellent care of yourselves-

Liz

IG@LizOrtizNYC