WooHoo! Ramona Diaz (Global FWN100™ '15) Scores Prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship
Baltimore filmmaker Ramona Diaz (Global FWN100™ '15) recently earned the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship which are granted to artists with proven track records and exceptional promise. Ramona is best known for her documentary film, Don't Stop Believin' which chronicles Journey Filipino frontman Arnel Pineda's rise to fame. News story from Baltimore Sun.
Photo credit: Jen Rynda, Baltimore Sun.
Ramona Diaz remembers the moment during her college years that she realized she was destined to make movies.
"I was influenced by seeing Francois Truffaut's "Day for Night", a movie about a film director trying to get his movie made," said Diaz. "I was so enamored with it. It was such a romantic notion."
Diaz quickly switched her focus from photography to filmmaking and earned a master's degree in communication and documentary filmmaking from Stanford University.
Today Diaz, who was born in the Philippines and lives in Mt. Washington, is an award-winning documentary filmmaker known for her character-driven subjects that range from rock stars to dissidents.
Diaz is perhaps best known for her acclaimed documentary "Don't Stop Believin': Every Man's Journey" about the iconic 1980s rock band Journey and its new Filipino lead singer Arnel Pineda, whom the band discovered through YouTube.
Although Diaz had heard of the band Journey, she wasn't a diehard rock 'n' roll fan. Still, she was intrigued by Pineda's rags-to-riches story. After receiving an unsolicited email with a link to Pineda singing, Diaz was hooked.
"I met Arnel," said Diaz, whose films often spotlight Filipinos. "I knew he was a good person to have in a film. I really believed in him. He was what we call in the documentary world 'golden.'"
Diaz approached Journey's management about making a documentary. After submitting a a 10-minute test film, Diaz was given the green light by the band to make the movie.
"Don't Stop" opened in 2012 at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival and had its international premiere at the Dubai Film Festival. The film was also screened at the Charles Theatre in Baltimore in 2013.
"She [Diaz] is an amazing asset for filmmaking," said Baltimore producer Capella Fahoome, who worked with Diaz on "Don't Stop." "As a producer I get to work with a lot of directors. Ramona is a visionary; she immerses herself in her projects. She's very willing to share knowledge and resources."
"Anytime I see a filmmaker, especially a woman, it's inspiring," said Amy Kozak, a Baltimore filmmaker and head of the Baltimore Documentary Group.
Diaz has been a juror at major film festivals around the world, including South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Silverdocs Film Festival in Silver Spring.
In 2011, public television aired Diaz's film "The Learning," a documentary inspired by a series of Baltimore Sun articles by former reporter Sara Neufeld. The film followed the lives of four Filipino women who reluctantly leave their home to teach in Baltimore City schools.
Earlier this year, Diaz was one of three Baltimoreans to receive a prestigious 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship, along with musician Neil Feather and Johns Hopkins University professor Mitchell B. Merback. The fellowships are awarded annually to writers, performers and artists with proven track records and "exceptional promise."
Read the rest of the story here.
News story from Baltimore Sun
Filipina Photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani Named BBC's 100 Women of 2015
28 year old documentary photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani was recently named BBC's Top 100 Women of 2015. Bacani has also been shortlisted numerous times for National Geographic magazine's photo competition in Hong Kong where she works as a domestic worker. Bacani's photos of everyday urban life in Hong Kong have been published in the New York Times and Vogue Italia. In an earlier feature in The Philippine Inquirer, Bacani took a personal stance to describe how photography has a political function in upending the stereotypes that OFWs face: “It’s not that I’m ashamed of being a domestic worker. In fact, I’m proud of my job. But you also can’t deny that there’s discrimination, judgment and stereotyping when you’re an OFW. So, photography for me is a protection against racism and discrimination.” Story from The Philippine Inquirer.
Image credit: xyzacruzbacani.com
Xyza Cruz Bacani, a Filipina domestic worker-turned-street photographer, shared on Wednesday that she has been included in the list of the BBC 100 Women of 2015.
“Very Honored to be one of the BBC 100 Women of 2015 from all corners of the world. Thank you so much Sarah Bukley and BBC. This is awesome! Yey! #100Women #MagnumFoundation #BBC #Pinay #Ofw Thanks to my Ma and Pa who always inspire me!” the 28 year old enthused on her Facebook account.
Bacani started working as a maid in Hong Kong at the age of 19 with her mother. To unwind, she began taking casual pictures which evolved into dramatic street photographs that gave a raw look into the lives of people from diverse backgrounds.
She is known for her remarkable black-and-white photos which have been featured in several international news sites, such as CNN and The New York Times.
“Having worked as a domestic worker in Hong Kong for almost a decade, Xyza tells the stories of the victims of human rights violations through photography,” BBC describes the Filipina on its website.
The BBC 100 Women of 2015 is a list “of the most inspirational women across the world” named by the British media outlet. The list features “30 entrepreneurs under the age of 30 and inspiring women over the age of 80,” as well as “nurses on the front line, young female film-makers documenting the pressures and expectations in their community and leaders in science, politics, education and the arts.”
News story courtesy of The Philippine Inquirer.
Learn more about Xyza Cruz Bacani.