Armando P. Ibanez, Director of Radio, Television and Film at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, is one of 12 film directors selected to participate in a series of 10 workshops alongside Hollywood directors.
The series which will be held via Zoom, is entitled Directors Class, to be led by two noted directors and former instructors at The American Film Institute, Gloria Gifford and Brian Dannelly.
Dannelly served as executive producer and director in a number of television series, including In the Dark, Insatiable, All Night, Haters Back Off and Scream: The TV Series. Gifford’s filmography includes acting, directing and producing in film and television. Gifford’s television and film projects include: The Festival, to be released in 2022, Getting Some Jail Time, 12 Monkeys, Untitled Murder Project and The Christmas Pageant. Moreover, Gifford opened the prestigious Actors Academy in Milano in Milan, Italy, where she taught acting to Italian actors and international models. She is the founder of Rebel Planet Short Film Festival of Hollywood.
“This is an excellent opportunity, a Godsend, in a number of ways, especially helping us at Pluma Pictures to launch our next film project,” said Ibanez, Founding President of Pluma Pictures. “We are preparing to go into production of our narrative film, Maggie.”
Taking part in the 10-session-workshop will provide participating directors talented actors to work with in selected scenes, and the insights and guidance from two highly accomplished Hollywood filmmakers. Thus, directors may adapt and prepare their screenplays for production, said Ibanez, who wrote Maggie, a feature length screenplay.
Pluma Pictures, Inc., a 501c film production company, which produced the award-winning documentary, South Texas Gentle Men of Steel – Los Padres, is producing Maggie, about a homeless woman—a gifted world renowned harpist—scraping a living off the streets with her fellow street performer Jake. Maggie, in some ways, is reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin.
Dr. Thomas Hedberg, Vice President of Pluma Pictures, said the homeless are “the walking wounded. Many of them are gifted and talented people. We need to be aware that they are our brothers and sisters and help them in whatever way we can.“
“Our films are made possible by the generosity of our donors and, most especially, by our board of directors,” Ibanez said.
Members of the board are Christopher Renz, O.P., Central Province, secretary, Bruce Schultz, O.P., Southern Province, Michael Paz, Dr. Erlinda Grey, Dr. James Moises and Ned Greene, treasurer.
