“Red Mesa” fundraiser featuring Jim Ward
In support of our ambitious, nationwide Oscar® campaign in order to be nominated for the 2011 Academy Awards, musician Jim Ward—formerly of the critically-acclaimed bands At the Drive-In and Sparta, and currently frontman for alt country outfit Sleepercar—will perform his only solo performance of the year at a fundraising event taking place at The Garden in El Paso, Texas on April 15. Admission is via suggested donation of $10 (no advance tickets) and the El Paso Community Foundation will be on hand to take additional contributions for the cause.
“Red Mesa is an amazing piece of work; I think it represents the border well,” says Ward, a proud El Pasoan. “I wasn’t planning on performing in 2010, but after seeing Red Mesa, it made sense that we should all do our part as a community to get this film and its message out to the rest of the world.”
Red Mesa co-star Gabriel Rivera—a native El Pasoan—will be present at the fundraiser along with writer-director Ilana Lapid, who grew up in Las Cruces. The 19-minute film will be screened twice followed by Q&A sessions with Lapid and Rivera. Ward will perform his live music in between each screening. Rivera, also a talented musician, will perform an acoustic set before the first screening.
The event aims to raise funds for a 35mm film print of Red Mesa—required for all Oscar® nominees—as well as an aggressive screening schedule presenting the short at film festivals, schools, community centers, cultural institutions and many other locales around the country so as to amass the broad public support necessary for the film to stand out above other potential nominees. In doing so, Red Mesa will be bringing significant positive attention to the El Paso/Las Cruces region, proving to the world that the art of filmmaking is alive and well in the area.
Lapid is a rising star in filmmaking and arts activism. Born in New York City, she grew up in Jerusalem, Ottawa and Las Cruces. She obtained her B.A. in Political Science from Yale University and received her MFA from USC School of Cinematic Arts, winning both the Jack Nicholson and the John Huston Directing Awards. Currently Artist in Residence at Slifka Center at Yale, Lapid is teaching a screenwriting seminar and organizing a lecture series of visionary Jewish artists, writers and filmmakers whose work is engaged with social justice and global issues.
Tax-deductible donations for Red Mesa can be made to the El Paso Community Foundation via its website, www.epcf.org/donate. Donors should specify “Red Mesa” as the project when contributing online. Donations can also be mailed to El Paso Community Foundation, PO Box 272, El Paso, TX 79943, made payable to the El Paso Community Foundation with “Red Mesa” written on the memo line.
Red Mesa was awarded Best Short Film at the 2009 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, making it eligible to be nominated for a 2011 Oscar® in the Best Live Action Short Film category. It world premiered at the 2009 New York Latino International Film Festival and was a finalist for Best Short Film at the 2009 Santa Fe Film Festival. It went on to play the 2010 San Diego Latino Film Festival and will next be seen at the White Sands International Film Festival and Cine Las Americas Film Festival in April.
