Posted by Elena del Valle on October 7, 2024
This article and interview were created without AI-assisted technologies.
Maria Alejandra Requena, news anchor, Canela News
Photo: Canela Media
A podcast interview with Maria Alejandra Requena, news anchor, Canela News, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, she discusses Canela News with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Maria Alejandra is also known as Mariale. She is a communicator with more than 25 years of experience in television, 10 of them on CNN en Español. She was a news anchor for Cafe CNN, the morning show, and Panorama Mundial in Prime Time for an estimated audience of more than 35.1 million people from Argentina to the United States. She received two National Emmy Awards.
Mariale was widowed after 26 years with her first husband. She authored I Choose to Be Happy and Learn to Live Despite Grief hoping to inspire people through her story.
To listen to the interview, scroll down and click on the play button below. It is also possible to listen by looking for “Podcast,” selecting “HMPR Mariale Requena” and downloading the MP3 file to your audio player. You can also find it on the RSS feed. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the October 2024 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 25, 2024
We have not used AI-assisted technologies in creating this article.
Dusty and Stones
Photo: First Run Features
Thanks to funding from HBO New True Stories Funding Initiative, the Gotham Documentary Feature Lab, Film Independent’s Fast Track, Durban FilmMart, and the XTR Film Society filmmakers followed two struggling country singers from the African Kingdom of Swaziland (now the Kingdom of Eswatini) on a journey from their home country to the United States. The result is Dusty & Stones, an 84-minute First Run Features 2023 documentary release, scheduled to open in theaters in Los Angeles October 11 and Atlanta October 18.
The film centers on cousins Gazi “Dusty” Simelane and Linda “Stones” Msibi in Swaziland and their 10-day road journey to a recording studio in Nashville and a small town in Texas for a country music event. According to the film website Dusty is a high school English teacher at Swaziland’s National High School, and Stones is a construction project manager.
Dusty and Stones was directed and produced by Jesse Rudoy, produced by Melissa Adeyemo, executive produced by Sam Bisbee and Cody Ryder of Ominira Film in association with Park Pictures.
Per his biography Rudoy is a filmmaker, musician, and born-again country fan based in New York City. He was most recently an editor on Season 2 of HBO’s The Jinx. Per her biography Adeyemo is a Nigerian-American producer and the founder of Ominira Studios, a New York-based production company. Her first feature, Eyimofe, premiered at the 2020 Berlinale and was acquired by Janus Films.
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 11, 2024
We have not used AI-assisted technologies in creating this article.
Like Happiness
Photos: Celadon Books, Levi Travieso
For readers hungering for something a bit out of the ordinary Ursula Villarreal-Moura wrote Like Happiness (Celadon Books, $28), her first novel. The book explores the complexities of gender and power by examining a young woman’s destructive relationship with a well known writer. Set in 2015 in Chile, where Tatum Vega and her partner Vera lived, the story is narrated in the present and a past 10 years earlier, which Vega would rather forget. Accusations against the author with whom she had a relationship in the past force her to examine her history with the author and its lingering impact on her life.
The author answered questions by email via her publisher Celadon Books.
HMPR: What would you say is the primary target audience for the book?
UVM: I don’t know if there is one set target audience. The people who have reacted most positively describe themselves as 1) fans of thrillers, 2) readers of sad girl books, or 3) people fascinated with intersectionality and power dynamics.
HMPR: What did you mean by the title?
UVM: The protagonist of Like Happiness is infatuated with a book titled Happiness, so it’s a riff off that as well as an ode to her involvement with the book’s author.
HMPR: What made you choose the topic?
UVM: I was absolutely obsessed with the literary world and with power dynamics. I married those themes in Like Happiness and soon got sucked into that world.
HMPR: What do you think distinguishes your book from other titles?
UVM: I’ve been told it’s the nuance that makes it a different read. The main relationship lives in morally grey territory for quite some time. It’s also a Latinx book that doesn’t deal at all with immigration, or anything stereotypically considered “Mexican” or Latino. The main characters do ordinary things and just so happen to be Chicana and Puerto Rican.
HMPR: How will you measure success?
UVM: I’ve seen the book in multiple libraries, which means it’s available to people who might not be able to afford a hardcover. Like Happiness also has served as a bridge linking me with readers and other writers all over the globe. I consider those metrics of success.
HMPR: What is your next book project?
UVM: I’m working on another novel, a memoir, and possibly an essay collection. I never know which project I’ll complete next. It’s always a surprise. If readers enjoy Like Happiness, I also have a collection out titled Math for the Self-Crippling to hold them off until the next book.
Ursula Villarreal-Moura, author, Like Happiness
Villarreal-Moura was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She is the author of Math for the Self-Crippling, a flash fiction collection.
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Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 19, 2024
We have not used AI-assisted technologies in creating this article or interview.
Clement Feng, vice president of Product Management, Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions
Photo: Briggs & Stratton
A podcast interview with Clement Feng, vice president of Product Management, Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, he discusses backup power options with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Clement is an experienced executive with expertise in residential and commercial backup power, clean energy and home improvement products. For more than two decades, he has helped educate homeowners and business owners to pursue energy independence and improve resilience in managing power outages.
To listen to the interview, scroll down and click on the play button below. It is also possible to listen by looking for “Podcast” then select “HMPR Clement Feng” and download the MP3 file to your audio player. You can also find it on the RSS feed. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the August 2024 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 7, 2024
We have not used AI-assisted technologies in creating this article.
Graciously Assertive
Photos: Morehouse Publishing
Targeting an audience of women leaders Yasmin Davidds, Psy.D., founder, Multicultural Women Executive Leadership Foundation, wrote Graciously Assertive: How Becoming a Better Human Makes You a Better Leader (Morehouse Publishing, $23) as a handbook for them to become gracious and bold. The 235-page hardcover book was published this year. It is divided into 10 chapters. She promises readers that with the insights she shares they “will learn the balance required for effective leadership, self-advocacy, and communication, all while be respected, well-liked, and successful.”
When asked how she defines graciously assertive she replied via a email through her publicist: “‘Graciously Assertive’ is a communication style that combines assertiveness with graciousness. It allows you to express yourself in a way that fosters understanding, empathy and respect. It ensures that all parties feel seen, heard and included. It not only champions self-advocacy, but also enhances relationships, making every conversation a pathway to mutual success and understanding. Using the Graciously Assertive communication style not only changes outcomes, it changes lives, by embedding empathy and respect in the bedrock of every interaction.”
How does the leadership style and its pillars fit in with this era where many are brazenly breaking the rules and think they’re getting away with it? The author replied, “Let me begin by stating that there must be a conscious desire and effort made by a leader to evolve and grow. If the leader is in denial or is invested in maintaining a toxic culture, there is no leadership style that can help them.
However, if there is a conscious desire to evolve and grow, then there is hope for a better tomorrow. In an era where many individuals and leaders may seem to be breaking the rules and operating with a sense of impunity, the ‘graciously assertive leadership style’ and its eight pillars provide a much-needed framework for promoting ethical behavior, emotional intelligence, and compassionate interactions.”
Yasmin Davidds, Psy.D.
She said that “When life presents challenges to women, they often react in two possible ways: some withdraw and become fearful and timid, others build hard impenetrable walls of protection.” She offers guidance on how women can balance effective leadership while at the same time being liked and respected. And that, “Graciously Assertive Communication is the ability to communicate in a way that is firm and direct yet kind and respectful of feelings and needs of others.”
According to her biography Davidds, a San Diego, California resident, founded the Multicultural Women Executive Leadership Foundation, launched the Women’s Institute of Negotiation and established the Dr. Yasmin Davidds Leadership Institute.
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Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 29, 2024
Maria Rodriguez, owner, Vanguard Communications
Photo: Ana Isabel Photography
A podcast interview with Maria Rodriguez, owner, Vanguard Communications, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, she discusses paid internships funded by her company for Comunicadores for the Future internship program, an initiative of the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute at George Washington University, with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
To listen to the interview click on the play button below. It is possible to listen by looking for “Podcast” then selecting “HMPR Maria Rodriguez” and downloading the MP3 file to your audio player. You can also find it on the RSS feed. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the July 2024 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 17, 2024
Modernism, Inc. poster
Photo (and screener): First Run Features
Using archival footage and interviews Jason Cohn explores post-war design and Eliot Noyes, one of the leading figures of the modern design movement, in Modernism, Inc., a 79-minute documentary from Bread & Butter Films and First Run Features. The documentary was made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, IBM Corporation, The Better Angels Society, Jeannine and Jonathan Lavine (through the Library of Congress) and the Noyes Family. His adult children are among those interviewed.
The film, narrated by Sebastian Roché, is scheduled to open in New York on July 19, 2024 at IFC Center and in Los Angeles on August 9, 2024 at Laemmle’s Royal. Cohn plans to appear in person at both openings.
Per the film Noyes, an architect born in 1910, was one of the leading pioneers of modern design during the mid-century, post-war boom in the United States. Educated by Walter Gropius at Harvard, Noyes, according the the film, “did more than anyone to align the Modernist design ethos to the needs of ascendant corporate America.”
The film follows his impact on residential architectural design as well as on companies like IBM and Mobil Oil, and the International Design conference. That influence, the film proposes, reached many in the business community open to the up and coming ideas about the role and importance of design. Some pointed out that he also became the symbol of design’s close ties with corporate America and its excesses. Noyes passed away in 1977.
Cohn was writer, director and editor for the film. Camille Servan-Schreiber was producer. Kevin Jones also edited. Steven Emerson was the music composer.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 10, 2024
Cinco Lobitos poster
Photo (and screener): Outsider Pictures
Outsider Pictures and Latido Films to release Lullaby (Cinco Lobitos), an emotionally charged 104-minute film in Spanish and Basque with English subtitles, in the United States. It is scheduled to open as part of Outsider Pictures showcase of Latin and Spanish films that can be viewed either individually or as a group of five films screened at Cannes, San Sebastian, and Berlin.
According to promotional materials the films will be screened individually in rotation each day of the week, and can be seen separately or by purchasing a pass to attend all films. This collection is scheduled to open at the Cinema Village in New York on July 19, and the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles on July 26.
In Lullaby new mother Amaia appears overwhelmed with her maternal role. After a false alarm while her partner is away for several weeks for work, she goes to her parents’ house in a coastal village in the Basque Country. They help her with the baby and she in turn is forced to assume added responsibilities when unexpectedly the situation changes.
The 2022 film stars Laia Costa (Amaia), Susi Sanchez (Begoña), Ramon Barea (Koldo), and Mikel Bustamante (Javi). According to promotional materials Lullaby, written and directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azua, was nominated for 10 Goyas. Filming appears to have taken place in Madrid, Bilbao, Bakio and Mundaka.
Posted by Elena del Valle on June 26, 2024
You have to come and see it
Photo (and screener): Outsider Pictures
In the film You have to come and see it (Teneis que venir a verla) director and writer Jonas Trueba follows two couples in their thirties, their discussions as couples and as friends. The story begins in Madrid, where the two couples go to see a show. One couple rejoice in their new home, on the outskirts of town and close to the countryside. Then they announce that she is pregnant. Months later the other couple takes the train to visit them in their home.
The slow paced 64-minute film from 2021 is in Spanish with English subtitles. It will open in the United States as part of Outsider Pictures showcase of Latin and Spanish films that can be viewed either individually or as a group of five films screened at Cannes, San Sebastian, and Berlin.
According to promotional materials the films will screened individually in rotation each day of the week, and can be seen separately or by purchasing a pass to attend all films. This collection is scheduled to open at the Cinema Village in New York on July 19, and the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles on July 26.
