Josefina Lopez Appears at 10th Anniversary Screening of REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES Today, 9/6

The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre and Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival will present an evening celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the award-winning film "Real Women Have Curves" with special guest, Josefina López, today, September 6, 2012 at the American Cinemtheque at The Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, Calif.

Josefina López, the award-winning creator of the play and co-screenwriter of the film, "Real Women Have Curves" which stars America Ferrera, Lupe Ontiveros and George Lopez, will kick off the evening by signing copies of her book, Real Women Have Curves And Other Plays. The book signing will be followed by a screening of the film at 7:30 p.m., after which there will be a Q&A with the film's co-screenwriter Josefina López, director Patricia Cardoso, producers Marilyn R. Atlas and Effie Brown and cast members Ingrid Oliu, Soledad St. Hilaire, Julia Vera, Sandie Torres, and others to be announced.

The screening will be a tribute to the late actress Lupe Ontiveros (September 17, 1942 – July 26, 2012). At the event Josefina López will also announce details about a new scholarship she is establishing in memory of her late friend and colleague, Lupe Ontiveros.

The film "Real Women Have Curves" (NewMarket Films, 90 minutes) is about a First-generation Mexican-American teenager Ana (America Ferrera) who is fresh out of high school and navigating the difficult decision between a full scholarship to Columbia University and family pressure to stay in East Los Angeles and work with her mother Carmen (Lupe Ontiveros) and sister Estela (Ingrid Oliu) at a downtown sewing factory. The film co-stars George Lopez as Mr. Guzman. Director Patricia Cardoso's moving feature made a splash at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

The film won a Special Audience Award for director Patricia Cardoso at Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival 10 years ago, while the stars of the film, America Ferrera and Lupe Ontiveros won the first ever Jury Award for Acting and the film's screenwriters, Josefina López and George LaVoo, won the Humanitas Prize for Screenwriting. In addition, Lupe Ontiveros won an Imagen Award as Best Supporting Actress and producer Effie Brown won the Producers Award at the Independent Spirit Awardsâ. America Ferrera was also nominated for Best Debut Performance for the 2003 Independent Sprit Awardsâ. The film also won Special Recognition from the National Board of Review, a Youth Jury Award for director Patricia Cardoso from the San Sebastián Film Festival, a Grand Jury Prize nomination from the 2002 Sundance Film Festival for director Patricia Cardoso and a Young Artists Awards nomination for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Actress for America Ferrera. According to Maud Nadler, former Sr. VP for HBO, "'Real Women Have Curves' was the first movie made by HBO to receive a theatrical release." The film launched the career American Ferrera who went on to become a Golden Globe Awardâ, Emmy Awardâ and Screen Actors Awardâ-winning actress in the popular television show, "Ugly Betty."

Tickets are $11 each for General Admission; $9 for Seniors (65 and over) and Students with current I.D. and $7 for American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre Members. The Box Office opens one and half hour before the first program of the day/evening and closes 30 minutes after the last film of the evening begins. Tickets can be purchased by calling Fandango at 1-800-FANDANGO, (1-800-326-3264), and then entering the express code for the Egyptian Theatre, which is 2206#. Tickets can also be purchased online at HERE.

For further information, call the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre's 24-hour information line at 323-466-3456 (for September 6th) or visit online at this LINK. To view the movie trailer for "Real Women Have Curves," go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKpDifyDIp0.

Josefina López (Playwright, Screenwriter, Author, Founder and Artistic Director of Casa 0101 Theater) is best known for authoring the play and co-authoring the film "Real Women Have Curves," a coming-of-age story about Ana, a first-generation Chicana torn between pursuing her college ambitions, a personal goal and securing employment, which is a family expectation. Along the way, Ana confronts a host of cultural assumptions about beauty, marriage and a woman's role in society. Although "Real Women Have Curves" is Lopez' most recognized work, it is only one of many literary and artistic works she has created since her artistic career began at 17. Born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico in 1969, Josefina López was five-years-old when she and her family immigrated to the United States and settled in the East Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights. López was undocumented for 13 years before she received Amnesty in 1987 and eventually became a U.S. Citizen in 1995.

López has been an activist and has been doing public speaking for over 20 years and has lectured on various topics including Chicano Theater, Women's History Issues and Minority representation in Cinema at over 200 universities such as Yale, Darmouth, and USC. She also has a magazine column called "Ask A Wise Latina" in the "Brooklyn and Boyle Newspaper." She has been the subject of countless television and radio interviews in which she has passionately discussed immigration issues and other controversial subjects concerning women and minorities.

López is the recipient of a number of other awards and accolades, including a formal recognition from U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's 7th Annual "Women Making History" banquet in 1998; and a screenwriting fellowship from the California Arts Council in 2001. She and "Real Women Have Curves" film co-author George LaVoo won the Humanitas Prize for Screenwriting in 2002, The Gabriel Garcia Marquez Award from Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn in 2003, a Golden Eagle Award from the Nosotros organization in 2003 and the Artist-in-ResidenCy Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group for 2007.

López has had more than 80 productions of her plays throughout the United States. In addition, she also paints, writes poetry, performs, designs, is a mother of two boys and resides in Silver Lake, CA. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of CASA 0101 Theater in Boyle Heights, CA. At CASA 0101 her commitment is to teach screenwriting and playwriting and nurture a new generation of Latino artists. López is actively working to create an Artist District in Boyle Heights where theater, arts and music can flourish and create opportunities for the many talented artists who reside in Boyle Heights or grew up in Boyle Heights and want to return to contribute.

López is developing the musical version of "Real Women Have Curves" for Broadway. Her first novel titled "Hungry Woman in Paris" came out in 2009. She wrote a play to protest SB1070 titled "Detained in the Desert," which won her many awards and she is turning into a film. She is working on numerous writing projects for the stage, screen and for print. To learn more about Josefina López, visit www.josefinalopez.co, www.hungrywomaninparis.com and www.casa0101.org.

Photo courtesy of George Gregorian.

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