Latino Director to Iceland

Iceland is great, isn't it? One, they film some of the show "Game of Thrones" there. Two, when the big bankers asked the Icelandic people for a bailout, the people told the big banks to jump in the lake and they let the big banks 'fail.' Three, when an Icelandic police officer killed a man for the first time in the country's history last year, the Icelandic people held a candlelight vigil. Four, it's the home of singer/actress Bjork. Finally, Iceland  likes the filmmaking work of yours truly, Sammy Sarzoza!

I have been selected to participate in the 2014 Transatlantic Talent Lab at the 11th Reykjavik International Film Festival from September 30th to Oct 4th. It is a pretty big honor to be selected. The applicants were many and the participants are among some of the best and brightest young filmmakers from around the world.

I have been a struggling independent filmmaker for about six years now and my participation in the Transatlantic Talent Lab marks a great achievement in a competitive field. The main focus of the lab is to assist filmmakers who have only made short films (like myself) transition into making their first feature. While at the lab, it will provide me the opportunity to sharpen my directing and producing skills through expert seminars and will allow me to make contact with filmmakers, actors, and festival directors from around the world. In addition to the lab, I will get to experience The Reykjavik International Film Festival, which is quickly becoming one of the crown jewels of the world film festival circuit.

I was selected due to the strength of my portfolio but primarily, my recent short films "The Red Dress" and "Geeky Pheebs: An Ideal Man." Also, I have never been outside of the US, so this will be my first international trip.

I am looking for funding to assist me in my travels. The $500 will be applied to the following:

-Airfare to Keflavik International airport.
-Transportation to and from destinations via taxis and shuttles.

For your generous gift, I will provide you with some lovely gifts:

-Link to view "The Red Dress" or "Geeky Pheebs: An Ideal Man"
-DVD of "The Red Dress"
-BluRay of "The Red Dress" or "Geeky Pheebs: An Ideal Man"
-Photobook of pictures I take during my travels to Reykjavik.

I currently do not have any "Geeky Pheebs: An Ideal Man" DVDs in stock.

All contributors will receive their name in a 'thank you' section on my personal website.

Thank you very much for your support, it means the world. If you would like to watch my work or learn more about me, you can visit my personal website at http://sarzoza.com

I couldn't have done any of this without the talented and hard working crews and actors of my many films over the years. So I thank them all and hope to work with them again very soon.