BxFW: JANUARY

Miguel Picker, a New York-based Chilean American filmmaker, is an award-winning editor, director, and music composer with nearly three decades’ experience. He edited and composed music for Borinqueneers (2007), broadcast nationally on PBS in 2007 and the winner of the Audience Award at the Orlando Hispanic Film Festival, 2009, and Insight Award of Excellence by the National Association of Film and Digital Media Artists, 2008. He also directed and edited Mickey Mouse Monopoly (2001), Beyond Good and Evil (2003), and The Price of Pleasure (2008), and is currently working on three projects: Ulises’ Odyssey, Siqueiros: Walls of Passion, and Bandidos Never Die? Before moving to New York City, Miguel worked as an editor at WGBH-TV in Boston beginning in the 1980s, and his editing credits include the series La Plaza, Greater Boston Arts, and a 52-part national series titled Destinos. At WGBH he also produced and directed several programs including Como Hacemos, Dúo, and The Early Music Workshop. The award-winning programs he has edited include: Anything for Dance (Golden Eagle Award, 2000); Orchestra of Dreams (Documentary Program Award, 2000; Emmy Award for best cultural affairs program, 1999); Doctors for Two Worlds (Golden Eagle Award, 1999); A Long Way to Love (Parents’ Choice Award Silver Honor, 1998), From Here and There (Emmy Award for best target audience program, 1996), The Making of Don Gato (Golden Eagle Award, 1996); Champs: The Strength of Survival (Golden Eagle Award, 1995); and Mercedes Sosa in Concert (Emmy Award for best entertainment programming, 1990).

Chyng Sun, Director / Writer

Chyng Sun was born and raised in Taiwan, where she Chyng Sun was a journalist for a daily newspaper and received numerous national awards for her books for children. After coming to Boston in 1989, Sun continued to publishing write children’s books, and the titles including (all by Houghton Mifflin Co.): Square Beak, On a White Pebble Hill, Mama’s Bear, Cat and Cat-face, etc., all published by Houghton Mifflin. Sun received a master’s degrees in education ((Syracuse University)), and a maser’s degree in children’s literature (Simmons College, Boston), and a Ph.D. in communication (University of Massachusetts, in Amherst). She is currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Media Studies (School of Continuing and Professional Studies) at New York University. Her research, teaching, and writing are centered on media representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality, and their cultural and social impacts. Since 2004, Sun’s research has focuseds on the production, content, and effects of pornography. Currently, Sshe is currently the designer and leader for a multinational research team of a global research project on studying pornography users. Sun is also a documentary filmmaker who, in collaboration with Miguel Picker, has produced and written four documentary films (see Picker’s bio above).

Edwin Pagán, Producer / Cinematographer

Edwin Pagán is a New York-based filmmaker, producer, photographer, cinematographer, screenwriter and cultural activist with over 25-years of hands-on experience in content creation, film production, design concurrence and branding, and social media manager in both the documentary and narrative film sectors. His extensive experience with arts groups includes working at the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA), Association of Hispanic Arts (AHA), and Black Filmmaker Foundation. He also co-founded the PAX Theatre Community artist collective as a means of expanding community-based arts participation in the South Bronx. Pagán has served on the boards of various organizations including the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) and was president of its New York chapter, and more recently the Hispanic Organization of Latino Actors (HOLA). He has also served on numerous juries, selection and curatorial committees for the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), New York International Latino Film Festival and prestigious Tribeca Institutes’ Tribeca All Access Connects initiative, among others. He has also curated the NewLatino Filmmakers Screening Series at Anthology Film Archives for the past 11 years. He is currently producing BRONX BURNING, a documentary that chronicles the rise, fall and resurrection of the South Bronx. His production company, Pagan-Images, will produce the film. Pagán is the founder-in-chief of LATIN HORROR (latinhorror.com), an online portal geared to the genre of Latin horror in all its forms. He is also writing a book on the subject titled “MIEDO – The History of Latin Horror.”

Lorena Manríquez, Producer

Lorena Manríquez is an award-winning independent filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Her love of film began at an early age watching Spanish and French films in Chile, where she was born and raised. Lorena has been the recipient of several industry fellowships including the NALIP Latino Producers Academy, the CPB/PBS Producers Academy, the NBPC New Media Institute, and the IFP Rough Cut Lab with her film Ulises’ Odyssey. During the 2007 IFP Market, she was nominated for the IFP/Fledgling Fund Emerging Latino Award. Her new film Siqueiros: Walls of Passion has been awarded two California Documentary Project grants by Cal Humanities, has received funding from the ITVS Diversity Development fund, and from LPB’s Public Media Content Fund.

Ronelle Rodríguez Torres, Associate Producer

Ronelle Rodriguez Torres brings her skills in production, artist management, marketing and her passion for positive change to Latinos Beyond Reel, her first film. Ms. Torres’ professional experience includes work in various music, fashion and media entertainment companies in the Tri-State area. At an early age Ms. Torres nurtured her creativity through dance, art, poetry and music, and she strives to reflect a commitment to diversity, equality and social justice in her work. A proud Nuyorican, Ms. Torres is a native of The Bronx and currently attends New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Alejandro Picker, Communications Director

Alejandro has been introduced to the media industry from a young age. Having been part of multiple productions, he has had first hand experience of the work, intelligence, and communications that is required to make successful multimedia productions. Alejandro has always advocated openness and truth. Dedicated to helping others learning, growing, and being more aware, he has joined efforts to bring important truths and facts to the main stream. Alejandro is committed to protecting our earth and life. Focusing on building and networking bleeding-edge technologies that integrate new media platforms, algorithms, advanced science and math, integrative CMS with custom front-end designs and UI, geo mapping, hardware/ software integration, and sustainable buildings/ infrastructure, he hopes to bring new tools in efforts to important issues like stereotypes in the media, climate change, world hunger and poverty. Alejandro is a strong promoter for good health, wellness and equal opportunity.