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Home » Kristian Mercado’s “Pa’lante” Takes Top Music Video Award at SXSW

Kristian Mercado’s “Pa’lante” Takes Top Music Video Award at SXSW

NEW YORK—April 2, 2019— Pa’lante, director Krisitan Mercado’s riveting short film exploring the struggles of working-class Puerto Ricans in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, won the Jury Award for Music Videos at the recently concluded SXSW Film Festival in Austin. Based on the song of the same name by the band Hurray for the Riff Raff, Pa’lante was a decided underdog as one of 20 finalists for the award, beating out films from several chart-topping artists, including Childish Gambino’s This is America, Anderson .Paak’s Bubblin’ and Kaskade’s Tight.

It was a huge win, not only for Mercado, whose acceptance speech was the emotional highlight of the night, but also for the broader Puerto Rican and Latin communities. It underscored the power of cinema as a tool for social change. “In a world where honesty is rare, we took a chance to share our pain,” says Mercado. “SXSW has shown that the future of cinema is now. Cinema provides a platform for people on the fringe, people who have been marginalized and oppressed. SXSW heard the voices of the people of Puerto Rico and provided them a forum to tell their story to the world.”

Mercado, whose own family suffered dislocation and loss in the storm, had a visceral, emotional reaction when first presented with the song Pa’lante(from a Spanish phrase meaning “forward”) by Hurray for the Riff Raff singer Alynda Segarra. “Alynda was looking for a director of Puerto Rican descent to help tell her story,” he recalls. “When we spoke on the phone, we connected immediately. I understood her perspective, because the hurricane also affected me and my family deeply.”

The director adds that he hopes the film’s success at SXSW will draw attention to the continued plight of Puerto Rico and open doors for other Latino filmmakers. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to tell the story of the people of Puerto Rico, who have not only lost their homes, but have also suffered a loss of dignity,” he says. “For a director like me, who does not come from means, winning this award is very significant. I hope it will inspire others to step forward and share their stories.”

Starring Mela Murder (The Florida Project) as Milagros and Kareem Savingnon (The Girl Is in Trouble) as Manuel, Pa’lante was shot over five days in Puerto Rico. Although it was months after the hurricane, working conditions were still challenging as electricity was spotty and debris had yet to be cleared. “It was a very scrappy production,” Mercado says. “We shot in a lot of places that were devastated, including my grandparents’ neighborhood. It was odd to be in a place that was so familiar, yet so changed.”

Editorial for the film was done by Michael Reuter. Post-production audio finishing was completed at Sound Lounge in New York. Mercado teamed with Mixer/Sound Designer Pete Crimi in finalizing the film’s soundtrack. Crimi created an environment through sound for Pa’lante’s opening and closing narrative sequences that was authentic to the island. He also blended subtle effects with the music in the body of the piece to help tie it to the visuals. “The life of Puerto Rico comes through in its sounds…the roosters, the wind, the palm trees, the ocean,” observes Mercado. “Pete helped flesh out that soundscape. He captured the texture of that world.”

Crimi says it was an honor to work on a project that sheds light on a story of the strength of the human spirit, noting, “All of us at Sound Lounge are grateful for opportunities to use our skills to build awareness for important issues. Films like this deserve to be awarded and celebrated.”

If you’d like to see Pa’lante, click herehttps://vimeo.com/266748395

Pa’lante Credits

Director:             Kristian Mercado Figueroa

Talent:                 Mela Murder (Milagros), Kareem Savinon (Manuel), Amethyst (Baby Linda), Kylie B (Maria).

DOP:                    Rudolf Costin

Edit:                     EDITBAR. Michael Reuter, Editor.

Story:                  Kristian Mercado Figueroa.

Director Rep:     Reprobates, Doug Klinger.

Production:        BabyPanther, Andrew Nisinson and Avtar Khalsa, Executive Producers; Yanira Figueroa Velázquez, Matthew Glueckert and Luis E. Mendez; Producers; Tiffany Stephens, Assistant Director/Story Supervisor; Luis Mendez, Locations; Christina Morales, Casting Director; Daniel Maldonado, Driver; Nora Cruz, Event Organizer; Balois Cora, Emily Iraola, Francheska Figueroa and Maria Justiniano, Additional Locations; Felipe Figueroa Jr., Puerto Rico Prep; Peter Roman; DIT; Tony Colon, Additional Housing; Jose Chamorro, Hispanic Federation; Club Raul Reyes, El Nuevo Caribe Democratic; Alex Mercado and Jabreel Shakir, Pas; Dennis Febo, Street Casting; Ali, Abel, Street Casting; Paige Campbell, Hair and Makeup; Ramona Todoca, Art Director; Ionut Radulescu, Type Design.

Post:                    The Mill. Josh Bohoskey, Colorist.

Sound:                 Sound Lounge, Pete Crimi, Sound Designer, Mixer

Rentals:               Flug. Kristine Guzman.

Aerials:                Drone Dogs. Su-Jeng Sang, Drone Operator; Gilberto Cruz, Drone Gimbal Operator.

Thanks:               Comunidad La Perla, Case De Poeta Luis Pales Matos, Guayama, Gaby’s Restaurant, Arroyo, Residencial Las Margaritas, Municipio De Arroyo, Barrio Yaurel, Municipio De Maunabo, Municipio De Patillas, Municipio De San Juan

Special Thanks:  Jose Enrique Segarra, The Community of Spanish Harlem El Barrio NY, The City of Newark NJ, The Young Lords Party, The Figueroa Family, Ineabell Figueroa, Yanira Figueroa Velázquez, Eveny Padilla, Juanita Velázquez, Jennifer R. Colón, Yolanda Figueroa, The Sand and Sea Restaurant In Cayey Rey and Irelsa, La Perla y su bella gente, 
Yashira en Impactó la Perla con Coco y la comunidad, Don Benny el Frutero, Milk Burger & Erik Mayor.

Filmed on Location, New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico

About Sound Lounge

Sound Lounge is an audio post-production facility, providing services for TV and radio commercials, feature films, television series, digital campaigns, gaming and other emerging media. Based in Manhattan, Sound Lounge is artist-owned and operated. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram or visit http://www.soundlounge.com for the latest Sound Lounge news.

www.soundlounge.com

Contact

Taylor Maggard
Marketing Director
149 Fifth Avenue, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10010
212.388.1212 

taylor@soundlounge.com

Community & Partner Links

How Sony’s New Virtual Sound Technology Can Change How We Hear Films

Kami Asgar and Jessica Parks are post-production heavyweights who work with major studios, namely Sony. As a sound designer (Asgar) and as a post executive (Parks), their collective resume touches on everything from Apocalypto to Grandma’s Boy to Venom.

Parks has recently shifted her focus from supervisor to hands-on sound design, and we talk about how it’s never too late to pivot on your career path and find the thing you love doing wherever you are in life.

Click on this link to read the rest of the article on No Film School’s site.

NJ – Governor Murphy signs $14B Incentive Program Bill – the NJ Economic Recovery Act of 2020

 Film tax credits — amending existing programs to include provisions for so-called New Jersey film partners and New Jersey film-lease partners and allowing an additional $200 million of tax credits annually over 13 years.

Click this link if you want to read the full article on the Lexology site. http://bit.ly/35NtDx6

Film Commish announces date for production restart

In her December 18, 2020 news update, MOME Commissioner Anne del Castillo announced that the Film Office is now accepting permit applications for production activity that begins on July 27th.

She also announced awards now (Awkwafina) and more. To read all of the Film Commish’s bloggy sort of news column, click here.

Stimulus Offers $15 Billion in Relief for Struggling Arts Venues

The coronavirus relief package that Congressional leaders agreed to this week includes grant money that many small proprietors described as a last hope for survival.

For the music venue owners, theater producers and cultural institutions that have suffered through the pandemic with no business, the coronavirus relief package that Congress passed on Monday night offers the prospect of aid at last.

To read the full article on The New York Times’ site, click here.

If you want to start production, here’s the latest news from the Mayor’s Office

Phase 4 production guidance is available on the Film Permit website. All production activity, whether it requires a Film Permit or not, must comply with New York Forward Industry Guidance.

For more information see, please refer to the State Department of Health’s Interim Guidance for Media Production During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Please review the guidelines and FAQ before submitting permit applications. The Film Office is operating remotely, so please allow additional time for Film Permit processing.

The above paragraphs contain links to the various FAQ – just mouse over the relevant words.

Nikon to Stop Making Cameras in Japan

Nikon has fallen on hard times as of late as its camera sales have cratered, and now there’s a new indicator of how dire its financial situation is: the company is reportedly pulling the plug on making cameras in Japan after over 70 years of doing so.

To read the full article on Petapixel’s site, click here.

NVIDIA Uses AI to Slash Bandwidth on Video Calls

NVIDIA Research has invented a way to use AI to dramatically reduce video call bandwidth while simultaneously improving quality

What the researchers have achieved has remarkable results: by replacing the traditional h.264 video codec with a neural network, they have managed to reduce the required bandwidth for a video call by an order of magnitude. In one example, the required data rate fell from 97.28 KB/frame to a measly 0.1165 KB/frame – a reduction to 0.1% of required bandwidth.

To read the rest of this article on Petapixel, click this link.

 

 

 

Union Health Plan Dodges Film Workers’ Suit Over Virus Relief

Law360 (October 9, 2020, 5:22 PM EDT) — The Motion Picture Industry Health Plan’s board can’t be sued under ERISA for allegedly flouting its duties when it relaxed plan rules in response to COVID-19, a California federal judge has ruled, nixing a proposed class action filed by two cinematographers who still couldn’t qualify for benefits.

In an order entered Thursday, U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the board of directors’ motion to dismiss Greg Endries and Dee Nichols’ Employee Retirement Income Security Act suit accusing board members of breaching their duty to treat all plan participants fairly.

Endries and Nichols, members of Local 600 of the International Cinematographers Guild, said in July that the board left them and others “out in the cold” in its attempts to address the problems COVID-19 caused for plan participants.

But Judge Klausner agreed with the board’s contention that the case, which alleged a fiduciary breach, should be tossed because plan administrators don’t act as fiduciaries when they amend health care plans.

Read the full article on the Law360 site by clicking here.

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Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo photographed at the PMC Studio in Los Angeles for the Variety Playback Podcast.

The Russo brothers, directors of the all-time top grossing film “Avengers: Endgame,” quietly secured a roughly $50 million cash infusion for their production company AGBO from Saudi Arabia earlier this year, multiple sources tell Variety.

In a deal brokered and closed at the beginning of the pandemic, the Russos received the investment from an undisclosed Saudi bank in exchange for a minority stake in the brothers’ Los Angeles-based shop.

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