Rome Film Festival

Latinx Film Category at the Rome International Film Festival.

A Latina-owned production studio to partner with RIFF to empower Latin filmmakers, stories with new film category. Rome PAM Studios and the Rome International Film Festival have partnered to launch the Latinx Film Category, allowing Latinx filmmakers to submit shorts and featured films to the Rome International Film Festival, which are shown during the Latinx day at the festival.

Maria Guerra-Stoll

PAM Studios

Rome Film Festival

Rome PAM Studios Hosts Latin Filmmaker Panel

“Here at PAM Studios, we are prioritizing women, Latinos and people of color behind the camera so that our voices can be heard,” Rome PAM Studios CEO Maria Guerra-Stoll said. “It’s behind the camera where we want to raise the bar.”

“We are incredibly excited to have PAM Studios as our headquarters,” RIFF Executive/Co-Creative Director Seth Ingram said. “We are looking forward to the various events in PAM Studios that will highlight Latino voices.”

Source: RIFFGA

 The Rome International Film Festival

The Rome International Film Festival (RIFF) is proud to announce that its headquarters for 2022 will be Rome Playa Azul Media (PAM) Studios. The studio recently sponsored a Latinx Film Category in the submission categories for the festival and will be hosting and promoting various Latin-focused events and screenings that were chosen from the category during the Nov. 10 – Nov. 13 event. Their sponsorship will reflect the support of a multi-year partnership with the studio and festival.

RIFF and PAM Studios provided an exclusive opportunity for Latinx filmmakers with Latinx backgrounds or Latinx-themed films to be considered in the hopes of giving the community behind the camera a voice. The newly established category received Latinx features and shorts from five different countries and PAM Studios CEO Maria Guerra-Stoll served as a judge for the category submissions.

The building has housed many different businesses since 1916 including a furniture store, a restaurant and most recently Rome PAM Studios.

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Rome, GA

PAM Studios is Official Sponsor of ROME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2023.

The Rome International Film Festival was created by, and for, filmmakers. The spotlight is on innovation and creativity. We are based in Rome, Georgia, USA (not that other Rome) but we draw film submissions from all over the world.

They consider films in any language, from anywhere in the world. English subtitles are required.

Rome Film Festival 2023

Rome International Film Festival Short Winner

Victor is involved in an awkward family dinner at his grandparents’ house. By interfering with the aggressions of his father and grandfather towards the women and the youngest of the family, Víctor refuses to drink a black wine that seems to be the cause of his family’s behavior. While some black leaks appear that begin to soak and flood the dining room, Víctor looks for a way out of the torment that is about to drown him and his family.

Director Biography – Isaac Areizaga

Rome International Film Festival Panel 2023

Priscila Torres
Writer / Director
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Lou Simon
Writer / Producer / Director
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José Alejandro Acosta
Writer / Director
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Angelica Perez-Castro
Cinematographer / Writer
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Nelson Bonilla
Actor / Writer
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Denise Santos
Actress / Producer
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Tony Guerrero
Actor / Producer
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Maria Alejandra Bastidas
Moderator
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Highlights of the Rome Festival 2023

Rome International Film Festival 2022

Rome PAM Studios hosts Latin Filmmaker Panel 2022 (RIFF)

The Rome International Film Festival (RIFF) is proud to announce that its headquarters for 2022 will be Rome Playa Azul Media (PAM) Studios. The studio recently sponsored a Latinx Film Category in the submission categories for the festival and will be hosting and promoting various Latin-focused events and screenings that were chosen from the category during the Nov. 10 – Nov. 13 event. Their sponsorship will reflect the support of a multi-year partnership with the studio and festival.

Do you have a story to tell? Contact us today!

Contact Us
Playa Azul Media Studios
PAM Studios, LLC Corporate

3017 Bolling Way NE
Atlanta, GA 30305

Rome PAM Studios

510 Broad St
Rome, GA 30161

Tel: (706) 622-5579
[email protected]

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Priscila Torres

Writer / Director

Priscila Torres is a writer/director from El Salvador. Her past writing projects have been selected for the 2019 Sundance Screenwriting Intensive Macon, 2020 Sundance Talent Forum, 2020 Sundance Knight Fellowship, and as a finalist for the 2020 Westridge grant. Her short film Thank You for Calling received positive feedback from numerous film festivals, including the Macon Film Festival and New Filmmakers LA. In addition to writing and directing, Priscila has gained valuable experience as an assistant to notable individuals within the film industry, including showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer, cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe, and actresses Carmen Ejogo and the late Carmen Salinas.

Lou Simon

Writer / Producer / Director

Lou Simon, stumbled into filmmaking by fate and became a”triple threat” within the indie film community by melding passion with hard work. Born inHavana, Cuba, at age nine Ms. Simon and her family migrated to Miami, Florida toescape the communist regime. Ms. Simon soon found her own escape and safe havenamid the change and turmoil in her life: Writing. Assigned as a tool to assist the processof learning English, Lou was required to write a short story that would inadvertentlyignite her passion for writing. She eventually graduated from the University of Floridawith a degree in English and Creative Writing. Although she continued to freelance, sheultimately decided to continue her education at NYU School of Law before finding herway back to her roots in 2011 when she helped a friend work on a screenplay. It was thenthat she discovered her true gift: Screenwriting. Never one to wait around, Lou not onlywrote, but also produced and directed her feature film, “HazMat” and secureddistribution for it in a record time of nine months. “HazMat” went on to win Best HorrorFilm at both the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival and the Berlin IndependentFilm Festival. Her latest film, “Agoraphobia”, which she also wrote, produced anddirected, stars legendary actor Tony Todd and rising star Cassandra Scerbo. Thesupernatural thriller is slated for release early 2015.

José Alejandro Acosta

Writer / Director

José Alejandro Acosta started his career as a 3D animator and soon was promoted to Director of Computer Animation at the Art Institute of Atlanta. He earned a Southeast EMMY win for his animation work on Salsa, a Spanish-language Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) show for kids. He is best known for writing and directing Edgar Allan Poe’s Mystery Theatre, a 1hr historical drama originally aired on GPB and now on Amazon. It garnered him a 2015 Southeast EMMY nomination for best writing. His other award-winning indie films include Hey Zeus (2019) dramatizing the immigration crisis on the US-Mexican border. He founded DoubleRaven Pictures in 2004. As a commercial director/DP, José is trusted by some of the world’s best-known brands including AT&T, Cartoon Network, Chevy, Coca-Cola, Comcast/NBC/Universal, Delta Air Lines, Dunkin’ Donuts, ESPN, Ford, FOX Sports, The Home Depot, Major League Soccer, Turner, Mercedes- Benz, PBS, Showtime, and UPS. He has also lensed faith-based feature films, a wide range of documentaries, concerts, and entertaining reality shows for a variety of distributors. José has filmed in the US, Australia, Colombia, Cuba, Italy, and Mexico. In 2023 José has re-entered the world of academia, teaching a video production course at Kennesaw State University. He recently authored a chapter about Poe’s influence on film in The Enduring Fascination with Edgar Allan Poe (Mercer University press, 2024). José, whose parents emigrated from Cuba, was born in Washington DC and now resides in Marietta Georgia with his family.

Angelica Perez-Castro

Cinematographer / Writer

Angelica Perez-Castro is a cinematographer and steadicam operator from Puerto Rico, currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Her passion for cinematography began with black and white photography and constructing a camera obscura. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design from Escuela de Artes Plasticas in San Juan, PR and a masters degree in Film and Television from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Angelica is a member of IATSE Local 600 and the Society of Camera Operators, and has worked on various TV shows and movies that are available on major platforms such as Netflix, Fox, Amazon, and HBOmax. She has also filmed numerous independent projects that have been showcased at film festivals worldwide.

Nelson Bonilla

Actor / Writer

Nelson Bonilla is an American well-known actor, writer, rising Instagram personality, and media celebrity, who has garnered global popularity as an actor because of his impressive acting in a few popular movies, short films, and Tv shows including Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural (2011), Banshee (2013), Being Mary Jane (2014), The Walking Dead (2014), Quantum Break (2016), The Haunting of Hill House (2018), Sacrifice(2021), and many others. He is also famous for sharing his lifestyle, travel, family photos, videos, and movie updates on social media platforms, especially on Instagram.Nelson was born and raised in Camden, New Jersey, USA to native American parents. Ata young age, he uncovered his passion for acting while studying in a local high school, and subsequently, he took part in various school stage plays. His initial recognition as an actor came because of his remarkable acting in theater plays across the USA. Nelson chose to make a career in cinema and acting while studying in high school, and took part in multiple school plays and dramas. After graduation, he joined an acting school and briefly trained there, then moved to a theater. Nelson garnered his initial recognition as an actor because of his impressive acting in numerous plays.

Denise Santos

Actress / Producer

Actress and Producer, Denise Santos, is a long time Atlanta resident and Miami native with roots deeply entwined in her Ecuadorian and Colombian heritage. Most notably, Denise is best known as Mamá in the Emmy award-winning NFL Super Bowl commercial “Run With It,” and has appeared in TV shows like Long Slow Exhale (Paramount), MacGyver (CBS), and

The Resident (Fox). In stage, she performed in plays such as Carmen Rivera’s “La Gringa,” “The Vagina Monologues,” and Alan Ball’s “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” as well as over 100 national and regional commercials under her belt, catering to both English and Spanish-speaking audiences.

Denise Santos is also the founder and producer of Latinas in Media Atlanta and Latinx Filmmakers Atlanta. The groups missions are to foster community and to continue to share the platform in order to shine a spotlight on Latin Film and Television industry in Atlanta. Denise was most recently recognized as one of Georgia’s 50 Most Influential Latinos and is featured on the cover of OZ Magazine’s, “Latinos, Interrupting the Narrative”. She also organizes La Fogata Readings and is on the Advisory Board of Arte GA. Denise Santos not only advocates for inclusion within the Latin community, she is also an inclusion specialist working with children who are neurodiverse and differently-abled. Above all, she is most passionate about her family and enjoys spending time outdoors on a cool Fall day.

Denise Santos is represented by Stewart Talent Agency (Atlanta) | Eris Talent (LA) | Management: Sandstone Artists | www.imdb.me/DeniseSantos

Tony Guerrero

Actor / Producer

Tony Guerrero is a very versatile Spanish Actor, born in Mexico, known for: Pitch Perfect3,American Made, Coup d Etat , X-men first class, Dumb and dumber, Undocumented executive and other films.a well-recognized actor, producer, and voice-over talent, but what most people don’t know is that he works constantly to give back to those with the same dream throughout his seis segundos acting workshop program.

Maria Alejandra Bastidas

Moderator

Maria Alejandra Bastidas is the CEO of MAB Digital Media and Latina Leads. A journalist with over 25 years of experience in the United States and Latin America. She’s earned six Emmy Awards during her career and has held leadership roles at Telemundo Atlanta and MundoNow. Maria has also been involved in digital marketing campaigns for notable companies like Nascar, Toyota, Nestle, and Lala, among others.

Driven by her passion for empowering women, she established Latina Leads, a non-profit organization that equips Latina girls to become future leaders. Through this initiative, she helps them embrace their cultural heritage, boost their self-esteem, and becomecontent creators, inspiring girls from all corners of the world.

Maria Alejandra actively conducts seminars and workshops to empower women and entrepreneurs, guiding them towards personal growth and leadership. She also encourages them to harness the power of social media for promoting their businesses, careers, and personal brands.

In addition to her work with Latina Leads, Maria serves on the board of directors for the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and HOPE (Hispanic Organization Promoting Education), further contributing to her community’s advancement.