HBO & NY Int’l Latino Film Fest Announced Competition.

HBO has teamed up with The New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF) to find the next hot Latino Filmmaker. The NYILFF announced that HBO will be sponsoring a competition where the winner will receive $15,000 in funding to produce and direct an original short film narrative. The winning film will be presented on-screen this summer during the 2004 New York International Latino Film Festival in July.

“HBO shares our commitment to supporting and showcasing Latino film and this competition will take that commitment to another level,” said Calixto Chinchilla, Founder and Director of NYILFF. “The Festival has presented different types of screenwriting and pitching session competitions, but this one will give an emerging filmmaker the unique opportunity to realize a project from beginning to end.”

Call for Entries

The details for the competition are as follows:

* Filmmakers should submit completed scripts for a narrative short film, maximum 5 minutes long, plus a filmmaker reel or previously produced short by May 31, 2004 to NYILFF, c/o HBO SHORT FILM CONTEST, P.O. Box 72 New York, NY 10023
* Winner to be announced by June 21, 2004
* HBO to receive final cut of winning film by July 19, 2004
* Finished short film to premiere at NYILFF’s 2004 opening night and presented before every 2004 NYILFF feature screening

“HBO understands the challenges of finding fresh voices and stories that speak to the Latino experience and we’ve been actively pursuing this area for awhile,” said Olivia Smashum, executive vice president, subscriber marketing and business development at HBO. “Along with the NYILFF, this competition allows us to continue to support the development and promotion of new Latino talent, and on a broader base, help capture the attention and cultural diversity of Latinos on film.”

The New York International Latino Film Festival is the first festival in New York City to showcase the works of national Latino filmmakers alongside international Latin American films, while offering expansive images of the Latino experience. The festival presents works in the categories of Feature Film (in Spanish and English) and Vanguard Cinema, which includes experimental works, documentaries, student works and short films. The 6-day festival also includes panel discussions, parties, educational forums and special events. The festival will be presented in July 2004 (official dates of the festival to be announced shortly).

For more information at http://www.NYLatinoFilm.com