The Hanson Film Institute recently held their annual Pitch Fest—an where UA students and other members of the community were pitch their film/TV ideas to industry professionals. Now, the women who took second and third place are trying to scrape together some cash to use the opportunity they've been given. 

From their Go Fund Me page:

As second and third place winners, we’ve been given the shot to pitch to other top Hollywood pros and receive some consultation on how to get our ideas produced. We want to make the most out of this wonderful and rare opportunity and meet with these professionals in person but as you might know, we artists are rich in spirit but lack the resources to reach our goal. With help from friends, family and the community, we hope to reach our destination to represent the underrepresented: Latinas in film and tv. Your support will cover travel costs, food, and lodging.

Both of our projects feature strong female protagonists and Latino characters in various roles. Despite the pushback that exists in the film and television industry for women, we’re determined to show the world that we too are capable of telling compelling stories and capturing that essence visually.

And a little info about the projects and the women behind them:

The Lyons of L.A. by Liz Felix
The Lyons of LA is a serialized drama about a broken family of rich misguided siblings who have to reunite after their mother’s car is pushed off a cliff and she falls into a coma. As the family tries to figure out who would want their mother dead, they discover secrets of a criminal past and the real truth behind the success of the family business.

Liz Felix is a television/film writer from Tucson, Arizona who graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in Media Arts. Her treatment for her feature length script, La Vida No Vale Nada (Life is Worthless) won second place in the LATC's 2014 Mexico-US Screenplay Treatment Competition. She’s currently working on producing a short film called, Benny which focuses on important cultural issues affecting the low-income Latino community.

HER“IT”AGE by Daniela Ontiveros
Delfina is selfish, wild, and couldn't care less about her Mexican roots- until she's kicked out of high school in Virginia and is sent to live with her estranged family in Tijuana, Mexico. She falls in love with an abuser, and after a run-in at the border, loses her green card. Then, just when she’s determined to change, things get heavy.

Daniela Ontiveros resides in Tucson, Arizona as a filmmaker and arts administrator at The Loft Cinema. In 2002, she completed her first feature length documentary film, The Heart and The Monster; A Journey to Cananea, a film in which she received a critical mention in The New York Times film section. Daniela has produced, directed, and edited numerous short films that include experimental works, music videos, documentaries, and narratives. Currently, Daniela is working on her first narrative script, a project which was selected as a finalist for the Latino Screenwriting Project and most recently winning 3rd place at the Hanson Film Institute Pitch Fest.