MEXICO CITY -- The MPAA is sponsoring a U.S.-Mexico Border States Conference at the University of Arizona in Tucson on Thursday and Friday to address bilateral issues related to filmmaking, economic development and intellectual property protection.

Producer Frida Torresblanco, who heads up Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron's Esperanto Films shingle, will give the keynote speech at the Student Union Memorial Center at noon Thursday.

The event is expected to draw film industry professionals, government officials and development experts.

Industry guests slated to attend the workshop include Panamax Films production chief Ben Odell, MPAA president Bob Pisano, "Babel" still photographer Eniac Martinez and Carlos Gutierrez, co-founder of Latin American film distributor Cinema Tropical.

Also supporting the event are the University of Arizona's Hanson Film Institute, the National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade and Mexico's Exterior Relations Secretariat.

MPAA makes run for the border

By John Hecht

March 24, 2008,