Project Involve

K. D.

The HFPA has been a proud supporter of Project Involve, the mentoring and artist development program run by Film Independent. For over 25 years the program has incubated the careers of aspiring filmmakers by pairing young creators with top Hollywood mentors to pursue industry tracks ranging from animation to festival programming, editing, cinematography, writing, directing and producing.

Doing the Work is a series profiling key recipients of HFPA Philanthropy Francisco Velasquez, the leader of Film Independent’s short film production program, has been a lover of film since childhood. A Mexican-born bicultural man, he grew up in Los Angeles with his family, watching “bad Mexican movies from the ‘70s and ‘80s” at the local drive-in while enjoying pan dulce and coffee, and big Hollywood productions every weekend at theaters downtown.

HFPA Grantee Project Involve (PI) is the most extensive artist development program of Film Independent (FI), a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles and designed to support as well as nurture independent cinema. PI offers 9 months of intensive free mentorship, education and career development for about 25-30 emerging filmmakers the majority of whom belong to minorities, such as women, African Americans and LGBTQ groups.