The presentation started with a brief history of the HFPA, stories of Golden Globes past, HFPA’s philanthropic activities, and then went on to the main purpose of the event, which was to explain the rules of submission for foreign language films to the Globes.  The young filmmakers were eager participants in the Q and A that followed, and the discussion included deadlines for submission, securing screening venues, and the importance of hiring good publicists to get the word out for their films and maximize attendance.  Concerns about marketing budgets were raised, and a brainstorming session emerged on creative ways to stretch a peso with a little bit of hustle and a lot of hard work.

SANFIC, the Santiago International Film Festival has been in existence since 2004, and is one of the most important film festivals in Latin America and this year screened more than 100 movies in five venues.  The Lifetime Achievement Award went to French director Laurent Cantet, and Colombian actress Catalina Sandino received a special recognition.  Willem Dafoe, Abel Ferrera and Diego Luna have attended in previous years. and Chilean films like The Nanny and Violeta were first screened in SANFIC, and went on to become world renowned.