Stage 32 Short Film Program Winner Shortlisted For An Oscar!

Happy Thursday, Creative Army!

Your fellow Stage 32 community member and winner of Stage 32’s Short Film Program, Lisa Cole, is on the shortlist for an Oscar this year for her film BIENVENIDOS A LOS ANGELES!

Together with Stage 32’s decade-long partnership with Hollyshorts, we were thrilled to be able to screen her film at the 2023 Hollyshorts Festival this past August. Now we can add the excitement of being shortlisted for an Oscar!

Inspired by true events and shot on location at LAX airport, “Bienvenidos a Los Angeles” tells the timely story of Imani, a Nigerian single-mother living in Los Angeles, who offers to help a perfect stranger reunite with her son. In doing so, Imani learns this simple act of kindness threatens to jeopardize her path to citizenship.

Written & Directed By Lisa Cole:

Lisa Cole is a creative activist, writer, producer, and director, who amplifies underrepresented voices and exposes social injustices. Her film “Bienvenidos a Los Angeles”, inspired by a true story of immigration, won the 2023 Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase, sponsored by Viola Davis. A Regional Finalist of the Student Academy Awards, Lisa co-wrote the feature screenplay, “Diamond Girls” with Selena Gomez attached to star. Her screenplay “Girl Named Sue” won the Page International Screenplay contest and was being produced by acclaimed filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee until his untimely passing. The project continues in development with Academy Award-winning producer Laura Bickford and Jean-Marc’s producing partner Nathan Ross. Having lived with 201 host families across 12 countries in just three years, Lisa’s diverse background fuels her storytelling. She has directed and produced documentaries for The Gates Foundation, Sundance Institute, Viacom, BET, and A&E, focusing on women’s health and safety in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, Lisa serves on the board of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. She lives with her partner, Mark Monroe, and their two children in Los Angeles.

You can read Lisa’s recent Stage 32 blog HERE!

A Huge Shout-Out To Lisa’s Talented Cast & Crew:

Destiny Faith Nelson

Destiny Faith Nelson is a Nigerian American writer, director, and actor from the nation’s capital by way of Sin City. She's known for portraying serene resilience in her work. Growing up as the oldest girl of a single-adopted mother from D.C., this makes a lot of sense.

Having moved a lot as a child, gone to 12 different schools, and having worked in four different countries and dozens of cities, Destiny has learned a lot about the human experience through many different walks of life. She aims to demonstrate those experiences, ask tough questions, explore her own identity, and flip a middle-finger to the status quo through underexposed voices and moving stories where love and truth are centered.

Since 2016, Destiny has gone on to produce an award-winning short film, direct a few plays and socially conscious music videos, and write short films becoming a finalist in a few short screenplay competitions. She is a Nevada Women’s Film Festival award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress winner, and a Rocaberti Screenwriting Retreat scholarship recipient for 2024.

Stacey Patino

Stacey Patino is a Mexican American actress and artist known for her integrative work in the visual and performing arts. A native of southern California, she began acting professionally at age fourteen, working on set and in local theatre productions. Stacey studied Theater and Studio Art at California State University Long Beach where she earned her B.A. in Theatre Arts Performance while also studying aboard at the Lir Academy of Performing Arts.

Stacey is a series regular on the web series "Sons of the Universe" and landed the role of Zaxhira on the upcoming pilot "Dredgewood." Stacey's work can be found circulating the film festival circuit and she has more original projects in development.

In the theatre realm, Stacey had the pleasure of recently working on Fugitive Kind's world premiere of "Antigone, or We Are the Rebels Asking for the Storm" at the Bootleg Theatre under the direction of Amanda McRaven. Stacey has also been working with Contigo Theatre company to develop a new original play in the Los Angeles area.

Past Credits include Keira in Burning Brightly which premiered in collaboration with Theatre Threshold Company in Long Beach, Lisa in Mainstream the Dream which premiered for Latinx Heritage Month at CSULB's Multicultural Center, Karen in People of Color produced by Up & Coming Actors, Denise Savage in Savage in Limbo produced by Theatre Threshold Company, and Lady McDuff in Macbeth at the Landis Performing Arts Center.

Rashmi Rustagi

Born and raised in Lucknow, India, Rashmi has brought stories to life from a young age, starting with radio plays and theater. A fluent Hindi, Urdu, and English speaker, she has performed in several plays throughout the country. She has written, produced, and acted in several short films that focus on social impact stories, hoping to move audiences to shape social change. Her award-winning short film Unborn sheds light on an important issue plaguing the Indian American communities and is streaming on Amazon Prime. She plans to shoot her feature film, Designed by Preeti, in the San Francisco Bay Area to shed light on domestic violence and, ultimately, help empower its victims. Outside of acting, she's an avid gardener, loves to cook, and writes a popular food blog.

Yvonne Huff Lee

Yvonne Huff Lee is Co-CEO of Lagralane Group, as well as an actor, creative investor, philanthropist, and mother to three with her husband and co-founder Jason Delane Lee. Yvonne (who is of Black and Filipino descent) is inspired by the female experience and seeks to elevate both female-driven narratives and women's perspectives. Through Lagralane, Yvonne has breathed life into a diverse slate of films. Some of her personal credits include co-executive producing the documentary THIS IS HOME and associate-producing the narrative feature NIGHT COMES ON, both of which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Yvonne also starred alongside Harry Dean Stanton in his final film LUCKY, which was distributed by Magnolia Pictures in 2017. This year, Yvonne has executive produced the Berlinale world premiere THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN as well as Sundance darling THE INFILTRATORS through Lagralane Group. Yvonne currently serves as president of the board at Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble and is also a board member of Array Alliance, an initiative founded by Ava Duvernay.

Please share and show your support for the incredible talent that we have in our community! You can find and share our social media post about this fantastic achievement HERE!

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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