Writer & Director | Pablo Toledo
April 14, 2008 by pablo
Since graduating from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television, Pablo has directed his energies towards becoming an accomplished and well-rounded filmmaker. This is evident in his first feature film, Runnin’ At Midnite, which he wrote, produced, and directed.
The film, one of the first of its kind shot on HDTV, is an edgy and poignant drama of five inner-city kids trying to escape the dangers of street life through a midnight basketball league. The project was completed for a fraction of the cost of most feature films through focused financing efforts and widespread community support. Both audiences and critics alike praised the film for its gritty exploration of the contemporary urban Latino and African-American experience. In his review of the film Phil Villarreal of the Arizona Daily Star wrote, “Rarely, save for Boyz N The Hood, has there been such an honest, unglorified portrait of the street life,” (October 2002).
Runnin’ At Midnite premiered in Arizona and during its weeklong theatrical engagement broke the box office record at the Screening Room, a small venue for independent films. Soon thereafter the film received invitations from film festivals across the globe and had the good fortune to screen in cities such as Austin, New York, San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles. Perhaps the most exciting event occurred during the 2003 Los Angeles Latino Film Festival, where the film screened as part of the Emerging Filmmaker category. Legendary director Edward James Olmos (American Me, Selena) introduced the film to a capacity crowd at the Egyptian Theater, and during a Q & A session afterwards proclaimed the film “one of the best Latino films of the year.”
Runnin’ At Midnite’s success continues to this day, being available nationally on Netflicks, and slated to screen in Oaxaca, Mexico this November.
In addition to feature film work, Toledo produces and directs broadcast commercials for local and national entities, having worked with clients such as the National Organization for Women (NOW), and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). In addition, several political campaigns and community organizations have enlisted his directorial services for their marketing and fund-raising efforts.
He was the awarded the 2002 Tucson Pima Arts Council Media Arts Fellowship and was named to the Arizona Artists Roster. In 2003 he was commissioned as a Repertory Director at National Association of Latino Independent Producer’s First Annual Producer’s Academy.
He has spoken at numerous national conferences and local workshops about filmmaking and social commentary in cinema.
He has served as adjunct faculty in the School of Media Arts at the University of Arizona and helped create the New Media Project, a federally funded program by which film and video skills are taught to highly at-risk youth.
Most of the youth in the New Media Program were teenagers facing incarceration or other serious challenges unique to urban youth. Through a rigorous training program the program was able to help them redirect their lives in a more positive and fulfilling direction.
He lives in Venice, CA and heads up The Good Fight, a multimedia design firm, and is the Lead Digital Artist at Venice Arts, a non-profit community arts organization that provides art classes to low-income youth. Also, he is Program Manager of the Institute for Photographic Empowerment, a joint collaboration between USC Annenberg School of Communication and Venice Arts.
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ITS been an honor to say ive worked with you.You truly deserve all ur success. I can never be thankful enough for what running at midnite did to save my life..I know libertad will have the same impact..if not bigger on other lives as well……FLIPPER