2004 New York International Latino Film Festival
May 28, 2004
The New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF) just announced the dates for this year’s festival: July 27 – August 1, 2004. Celebrating its fifth year, NYILFF will feature an impressive slate of over 60 films, including several U.S. premieres. The festival is presented by HBO and supported by The New York City Latin Media and Entertainment Commission (LMEC), which advises Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on strategies to make NYC the Latin media and entertainment capital of the world.
“With the support of our partners, the festival will continue to provide Latino filmmakers the opportunity to highlight the diversity of our culture on film. Over the past five years, we have built a solid reputation for being a platform to showcase Latino filmmakers and Latino film, and this year’s offering is our strongest and most diverse yet,” shared festival executive director Calixto Chinchilla.
The festival will open on July 27 with the U.S. premiere of Arenas Entertainment’s IMAGINING ARGENTINA, starring Antonio Banderas, Emma Thompson and Ruben Blades. This powerful and epic story is set in Argentina during the 1970’s when the people were forced to live under a corrupt military dictatorship. Those who opposed it risked their lives, and the lives of their families, and became “desaparecidos” (the disappeared). Banderas plays Carlos Rueda who uses hope, courage and the will to survive to search for his outspoken journalist wife (Emma Thompson) and their daughter (Leticia Dolera) when they suddenly become “desaparecidas”. The screening will take place on Tuesday, July 27 at 7:00 p.m. at United Artists Union Square Theatres located at East 13th Street.
“The Latin Media & Entertainment Commission is proud to support the New York International Latino Film Festival in its efforts to promote the art, culture and vision of emerging Latino filmmakers,” said Commission Co-Chair and Time Warner Vice President of Corporate Responsibility Lisa Quiroz.
“As more doors open, festivals like the New York International Latino Film Festival take on a pivotal role in the future of Latino cinema,” said Bernadette Aulestia, Vice President of Subscriber Marketing & Brand Development at HBO. “We’re pleased to see how the festival has grown to the premiere international event it is today and we’re proud to be a partner in the creation of this year’s Latino Filmmaker Competition.”
The lineup also includes the N.Y. premiere of Sergio Arau’s A DAY WITHOUT A MEXICAN, a political comedy that describes what would happen if all Latinos suddenly disappeared from California.
The festival will close with Marisol Torres’s BORICUA, a film about four Puerto Rican youths from Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, dealing with issues of cultural identity, gentrification, love and pride. Utilizing a style reminiscent of Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” and Darnell Martin’s “I Like it Like That,” a colorful group of characters fill the screen, and deliver an irreverent, unflinching, semiautobiographical tale in this debut feature film. Closing night is Saturday, July 31 at 8pm at Florence Gould Hall.
All films, with the exception of opening night will be screened at Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street off Park Avenue and at the Lighthouse, 111 East 59th Street between Lexington & Park Avenues. A full roster of festival films, special activities and tickets can be obtained on the festival’s website http://www.nylatinofilm.com , or by calling the festival hotline at 212-726-2358. Tickets are on sale now.
The 2004 NYILFF also is made possible with the support of The New York Times, Time Warner, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, Volkswagen, The New York State Department of Health’s Reality Check campaign, American Airlines, Jack Daniels, NBC/Telemundo, Roger Smith Hotel, WKTU, Latino Mix, Writers Guild of America, East, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nick at Nite and TV Land, with additional support from The New York State Council on the Arts, Sideshow Creative and Somos Arte.
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, educational forums and special events.
