Miami International Film Festival Names Celebrated Spanish Film Producer to Lead 2011 Industry Office and REEL Education Seminars
MIAMI, November 22, 2011 – The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), produced and presented by Miami Made College (MDC), has hired one of Spain’s top film producers, industry veteran Elena Manrique, to spearhead the Festival’s Entertainment Industry Relations initiative and oversee the REEL Education Seminar Program for its 28th Edition, March 4-13, 2011.
Manrique, a six-year veteran with one of Spain’s top production companies, TeleCinco Cinema, served as an executive producer on the 2007 Oscar-winning Pan’s Labyrinth (Art Direction, Cinematography and Makeup), which also scored nominations for Best Foreign Film and Best Original Screenplay for director Guillermo del Toro.
More recently, she served as executive producer of several Goya Award winners (the Academy Awards of Spain): prison drama Celda 211, winner of multiple honors, including the 2010 Goya for Best Picture, and the 2007 ghost story The Orphanage, another multiple Goya nominee (including Best Picture) and multiple winner (including Best New Director and Best Screenplay). Her other producing credits include the 2009 drama Rabia, an international film festival circuit favorite; the 2008 train murder mystery Transsiberian from director Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Session 9); the 2008 drama The Oxford Murders; and 2008 MIFF Official Selection The King of the Mountain.
In addition to producing, Manrique lends her expertise to film festivals and film promotion initiatives around the world. Her most recent experience includes: member of the Selection Committee of the Venice Days section at the 2010 Venice Film Festival; board member for La Fundación Caja, Madrid’s short film project awards (2009-10); and the founder of an industry workshop in Valencia to create and promote cinema among public and private broadcasters in Mediterranean countries. She also has served as a juror for numerous film festivals, including MIFF, San Sebastian, Sitges and Montpellier.
Manrique will be working in partnership with Diana Sanchez, MIFF’s Senior Program Consultant (Ibero-American Cinema) & Encuentros Director, on bringing top buyers and sales agents to meet with producers during the ninth edition of the Encuentros program, a three-day event which gives emerging producers from Florida, Spain, Portugal and Latin America the
opportunity to come together with and present new projects to established U.S. and international industry professionals.
Prior to joining TeleCinco Cinema, Manrique began her career in 1993 in the film department of the French premium pay television network Canal+, where she worked her way up to director of acquisitions and programming for the channel’s Spanish operations. She earned degrees in Contemporary Literature and Art History from Madrid’s Universidad Complutense, and is fluent in Spanish, English and French and conversant in Italian and Portuguese.
About Miami International Film Festival
The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), celebrating its 28th edition March 4-13, 2011, is the premier Ibero-American film festival in the U.S. The annual event, which is produced and presented by Miami Dade College, attracts more than 70,000 film enthusiasts and 300 filmmakers, stars and industry professionals. During the past five years, the festival has screened films from 60 countries and hosted 300 East Coast, U.S. and world premieres. Through Encuentros, the festival’s mentorship and film development program for filmmakers and projects from Spain, Portugal and Latin America, MIFF has become a primary gateway for the discovery of Ibero-American talent in the entertainment world. In addition, the festival’s REEL Education Seminar Series consistently attracts top executives from Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Classics, IFC Films, Fox Searchlight, DreamWorks Animation, HBO Films/HBO Latino and William Morris Endeavor, among many others. For more information, visit www.miff2020.wpengine.com or call 305-237-MIFF (3456).
About Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College has a long and rich history of involvement in the cultural arts, providing South Florida with a vast array of artistic and literary offerings: the Miami Book Fair International; the Florida Center for the Literary Arts; the Cultura del Lobo performance series; The Cuban Cinema Series; nine visual arts galleries, including The Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College and the School of Entertainment and Design Technology; in addition to the renowned Miami International Film Festival. MDC is the largest institution of higher education in the country and is nationally recognized for many of its academic and cultural programs. With an enrollment of more than 170,000 students, MDC is the nation’s top producer of degrees. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer nearly 300 distinct degree programs, including several baccalaureate degrees.
Additional MIFF Media Contact: Tatyana Chiocchetti, Marketing Manager, 305-237-7879, tatyana@miamifilmfestival.com.
Additional MDC Media Contacts: Tere Estorino, director of media relations, 305-237-3949, testorin@mdc.edu; Sue Arrowsmith, 305-237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu;Tarnell Carroll, 305-237- 3359, tarnell.carroll@mdc.edu; or Alejandro Rios, 305-237-7482, arios1@mdc.edu.
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