Friar Prepares to Produce his Next Film

Southern Dominican Friar Armando P. Ibanez, O.P., is one of 12 film directors selected to  participate in a series of 10 workshops via Zoom, entitled Directors Class, to be led by two noted Hollywood directors and former instructors at The American Film Institute, Gloria Gifford and Brian Dannelly.  

Dannelly served as executive producer and director in a number of television series, including In  the Dark, Insatiable, All Night, Haters Back Off and Scream: The TV Series. Gifford’s filmography  includes acting, directing and producing in film and television. Gifford’s television and film  projects include: The Festival, to be released in 2022, Getting Some Jail Time, 12 Monkeys,  Untitled Murder Project and The Christmas Pageant. Moreover, Gifford opened the prestigious  Actors Academy in Milano in Milan, Italy, where she taught acting to Italian actors and  international models. She is the founder of Rebel Planet Short Film Festival of Hollywood.  

“This is an excellent opportunity, a Godsent, in a number of ways, especially helping us at  Pluma Pictures to launch our next film project,” said Ibanez. “We are preparing to go into  production of our narrative film, Maggie.” 

Taking part in the 10-session-workshop will provide participating directors talented actors to  work with in selected scenes, and the insights and guidance from two highly accomplished  Hollywood filmmakers. Thus, directors may adapt and prepare their screenplays for production,  said Ibanez, who wrote Maggie, a feature length screenplay.  

Pluma Pictures, Inc., a 501c film production company, which produced the award-winning  documentary, South Texas Gentle Men of Steel – Los Padres, is producing Maggie, about a  homeless woman—a gifted world renowned harpist—scraping a living off the streets with her  fellow street performer Jake. Maggie, in some ways, is reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin.  

Dr. Thomas Hedberg, Vice President of Pluma Pictures, said the homeless are “the walking  wounded. Many of them are gifted and talented people. We need to be aware that they are our  brothers and sisters and help them in whatever way we can.“ 

“Our films are made possible,” said Ibanez, “by the generosity of our donors and, most  especially, by our board of directors.” Members of the board are Christopher Renz, O.P., Central  Province, secretary, Bruce Schultz, O.P., Southern Province, Michael Paz, Dr. Erlinda Grey, Dr.  James Moises and Ned Greene, treasurer.  

Ibanez teaches filmmaking at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where he also serves as Director  of Radio, Television and Film.