Quiet Pictures, a New York-based production company, announced today that “Roberto Clemente” won the 2008 NCLR ALMA Award® for Outstanding Made-for-Television Documentary. Written, Directed and Produced by Bernardo Ruiz, the American Experience (PBS) documentary chronicles the life of an exceptional baseball player and committed humanitarian, who challenged racial discrimination to become baseball’s first Latino superstar.
“This is an exciting award and we are grateful for the recognition,” said Bernardo Ruiz. “This only pushes us to work harder, and to make more dynamic, compelling and intelligent films that really connect with a wide and varied viewership.”
Roberto Clemente is a one hour HD documentary that delves into who Clemente was as a person as well as how issues of race, immigration and culture have shaped the United States in the second half of the 20th century. Narrated by Golden-Globe winning actor Jimmy Smits (The West Wing, NYPD Blue) the film features interviews with Pulitzer-Prize winning authors David Maraniss and George F. Will, Clemente’s wife, Vera, Baseball Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, and former teammates, to present an intimate portrait of a man whose passion and grace made him a legend. The film is a co-production of Quiet Pictures and WGBH with support from Latino Public Broadcasting “Latino Public Broadcasting is proud of Bernardo’s accomplishment, and salutes American Experience and PBS for bringing this moving portrait of a Latino hero to television audiences,” said Patricia Boero, Executive Director of Latino Public Broadcasting.
The 2008 NCLR ALMA Awards were taped on August 17 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The all-star event, which celebrates the outstanding artistic achievements of Latinos in motion pictures, television and music, airs Friday, September 12 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. Television and film actress, Eva Longoria Parker, returned once again as executive producer and host of the telecast.
About the ALMA Awards®
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S. NCLR created the ALMA Awards in 1995 as part of its strategy to promote fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry. The show was named “ALMA” (Spanish for “spirit” or “soul”) which represents the determined spirit of the Latino people in an effort to reflect the spirit as well as the scope of the awards program. For 40 years, NCLR has been promoting the advancement of Latino families in this country, creating opportunities and opening doors. The NCLR ALMA Awards are an integral part of that mission: a television entertainment special with a cause – to show how diversity strengthens our country and how inclusion strengthens the entertainment industry. For more information on the 2008 NCLR ALMA Awards®
About Quiet Pictures
Quiet Pictures is a New York-based production company dedicated to making original and innovative films for broadcast, theatrical distribution and new media platforms. Our staff have produced broadcast documentaries for PBS, HBO, the National Geographic Channel and the Discovery Networks.
About Bernardo Ruiz Award-winning filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz works on both sides of the narrative documentary border. He has been awarded grants from ITVS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, Latino Public Broadcasting and a New York Foundation on the Arts fellowship. He has written and produced non-fiction programming for PBS, the Discovery Networks, the National Geographic Channel and MTV. He serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers and is currently at work on an ITVS-funded documentary.
For additional information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Patricia Benabe, Development Associate
Phone: 718.554.0700
Fax: 718.554.6817
Or, visit us on the web at www.quietpictures.com
