Samuel Rodriguez’s NHCLC Partners With PureFlix for Music, Film Festivals

The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) and Pure Flix Entertainment are proud to announce that submissions are now open for the NHCLC Pure Flix Music and Film Festivals.

The music and film festivals are the product of the partnership formed between NHCLC and Pure Flix Entertainment in late 2016 to address the under representation of Hispanics within the entertainment industry and to more fully express the richness and diversity of the broader Hispanic community.

“When it comes to the entertainment industry, Hispanics have been unjustly typecast as gang members and drug dealers for years,” said NHCLC President Rev. Samuel Rodriguez. “This is not an honest representation of our community. The vast majority of us are God-fearing, hardworking people, and it’s time we broke free from this depiction. That’s why the partnership between the NHCLC and Pure Flix is so important. These festivals mark the very exciting next step in that pursuit.”

The goal of both the music and film festivals is to create a dynamic conduit for developing young talent and to enrich participants’ cultural storytelling through both musical and filmmaking mediums. And now aspiring Hispanic musicians and filmmakers have official submission deadlines for each festival:

• The NHCLC Pure Flix Music Festival with Dream Label Group – Submission Deadline of July 15, 2017
• The NHCLC Pure Flix Film Festival – Submission Deadline of Sept. 30, 2017

The NHCLC Pure Flix Music Festival is joining forces with Dream Label Group—a Christian music label founded in 2008 by lead singer of Press Play, David Hanley—to invite up-and-coming musicians to “create an impactful array of musical outreach through various possible formats,” inspired by Pure Flix’s forthcoming feature film, Samson.

The NHCLC Pure Flix Film Festival is accepting short film submissions of less than 15 minutes with participants being judged on the cinematography, lighting, editing, direction, as well as their ability to captivate and hold the attention of the audience. The top six films will receive non-cash recognition and be reviewed for a potential paid staff position on set on the next Pure Flix theatrical movie and inclusion in the PureFlix.com streaming platform.

Winners of both festivals will be announced at the 2017 National Hispanic Education Summit held at Nyack College in New York City, Nov. 8, 2017.

“We are beyond excited to see what these young musicians and filmmakers are going to create,” said Pure Flix Vice President of Strategic Alliance Franklin Santagate. “For the music festival, the incredible story of Samson is such an inspirational project to bring to life in music.”

“As for our film festival, Pure Flix has 12 divisions where we produce four films every year,” added Santagate. “There is ample opportunity for aspiring filmmakers to present their ideas and even get the opportunity to acquire professional experience in a Pure Flix movie set. If there is content submitted that we believe could be expanded or developed into a feature film or television series, we are excited about those opportunities as well. The sky’s the limit.”

The National Hispanic Education Summit is an annual gathering of the Hispanic Alliance of Education overseen by the Faith and Education Coalition, a subsidiary of the NHCLC created to advocate for education equality on behalf of low-income and minority students in America.

“We want to encourage young Hispanic students to get involved in the arts,” said Faith and Education Coalition Executive Director Dr. Andrea Ramirez. “Both of these festivals represent a tangible way to provide unique opportunities for students. The Faith and Education Coalition is thrilled to be involved, and we look forward to Pure Flix announcing the winners at the 2017 National Hispanic Education Summit this fall in New York City.” {eoa}