La vida Suzuki

Suzuki Auto, the proud maker of exciting vehicles that reflect consumers’ active lifestyles, has announced its official sponsorship of the 8th New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF).

As the exclusive official vehicle sponsor for the festival, Suzuki Auto will present a special screening and after-party for the film “El Muerto,” produced by and starring Wilmer Valderrama.

The auto company will also play a starring role during the NYILFF Family Day on Saturday, July 28, at Maribel Sisters School in Washington Heights.

The free event will include family-friendly entertainment, flamenco dancing, outdoor games, arts and crafts workshops, and a unique opportunity to enjoy the ultimate mobile movie experience provided by Suzuki’s own Flix concept vehicle – an ultramodern XL7 SUV equipped with a digital projection system and a roof that opens to reveal a 40-inch movie screen that, for this occasion, will debut shorts produced by kids from the community-based media organization Manhattan Neighborhood Network.

Suzuki Auto is also launching a nationwide animation contest, “¡Anímate! – La vida Suzuki,” featuring the Suzuki XL7, which will be announced at this year’s festival.

Call for entries for the online contest will begin in September, coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month, and will conclude with the winning animation featured at the 2008 NYILFF.

Participants can visit Suzuki Auto NYILFF for more information.

Suavecito

The night is on when smooth operator Brad from “Murray Hill” locks eyes with a gorgeous Latina from the Bronx at a downtown party…that is, until his inner beast comes alive courtesy of some killer pot.

Sounds like my kind of film.

You can find this short film under the "Life's a Bitch" category, this Thursday at 3pm at NYILFF.

Also, “Suvaecito” actor Walter Krochmal, who plays Marisol's dad, will be appearing in no less than three films being shown at NYILFF one that same day, wow, congrats.

The Festival Starts...TODAY!!!

With the opening film Trade, a film about a 13 year old girl named Adriana (Paulina Gaitan) from Mexico City , who ends up being kidnapped by a brutal ring of international sex traffickers.

Throughout her ordeal, her only friend and protector is her fellow captive, Veronica (Alicja Bachleda), a young woman from Poland.

In hot pursuit of Adriana is her 17-year old brother Jorge (Cesar Ramos). He teams up with a Texas cop, Ray (Kevin Kline) whose family has been scarred by the sex traffickers.

From the slums of Mexico City and the treacherous Rio Grande border, to secret internet sex slave auction and the final climactic confrontation at a stash house in suburban New Jersey, Ray and Jorge form a close bond as they give desperate chase with time running out every step of the way.

Inspired by a New York Times Magazine expose, the script was written by journalist Peter Landesman and acclaimed “the Motorcycle Diaries” screenwriter Jose Rivera.

Here is some info regarding the Opening Night After Party, it’s to be held at China Club- 268 West 47th St. (b/w 8th & Broadway), with live performances by multifaceted artist, Notch, who has brought such hits as "Hay Que Bueno" and "Dale Pa'Tra" and the group The D.E.Y. (Divine, Elan & Yeyo) a Latin powerhouse trio breaking barriers with their English and Spanish lyrics.

The evening starts at 10pm - with performance shortly after.

Open bar courtesy of Heineken from 10 - 11pm (the bar will be serving Heineken Only).

See you there…

L.A. Noir

In breakout performances, Cris Judd (yes, JLo's Ex) and Staci Flood (yes, only the hottest dancer around) star in a suspenseful tale about a working stiff poet who chases after a beautiful but mysterious woman haunting him throughout the day, only to find he’s the one being stalked.

A unique, poetic and thought-provoking short film, L.A. Noir blends Bukowski-inspired poetry, the Twilight Zone, Film Noir and French New Wave to deliver a hybrid writer Ricardo Acuña likes to call 'existential horror.’

L.A. NOIR won best cinematography at the 2007 Boston International Film Festival and was recently selected to screen at the III Festival Internacional de Cine de Monterrey Mexico as part of their World Shorts Showcase.

There will be three (3) screenings of L.A. Noir as part of NYILFF’s On the Edge Shorts Program:

Thursday, July 25, 2007, 6:15 P.M. and Friday, July 27, 2007 at 10:30 P.M.
The Florence Gould Hall, 55 E. 59th Street (Between Park & Madison Avenues)

Saturday, July 28, 2007, 5:30 P.M. at the Riverbank State Park on 145th Street @ Riverside for the 1st Annual Audience Award for Best ‘On the Edge’ Short Film sponsored by Verizon.

Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster (212-307-4100) or through the NYIFF website.

For more information visit: L.A. Noir

Father Figure

We are thrilled to be having the New York Premiere of our film “Father Figure”, as part of the HARD KNOCK LIFE Shorts Program at the 2007 New York International Latino Film Festival.

Written and directed by Adam Schlachter, “Father Figure” stars Jesse Garcia (2007 ALMA Award winner and Imagen Award nominee for “Quinceanera”) as a young man forced to deal with his forgotten past when he encounters a stranger on a desolate beach - an older, gospel preaching man who is also his long estranged father (Alex Castillo).

We hope you can join us for our Wednesday and/or Sunday screenings.

For schedule, ticket and other information please visit: www.nylatinofilm.com, www.castle2000.com or www.palmarejofilms.com. See you soon!

Blind Leading The Blind Fun-Draiser

What: Blind Leading The Blind Fun-Draiser.

When: Friday, July 27th, 2007 - 9 PM - until your a** gets thrown out.

Where: Kate's Joint - 58 Avenue B East 4th Street.

For more information visit: Blind Leading The Blind

Chronicles Of A Hitman

A professional hitman, Xavier, is on the run from mysterious assassins, yethis greatest challenge erupts from within his tortured soul.

As Xavier desperately searches for his sanity, his destiny unexpectedly becomesintertwined with the fate of an innocent woman.

This unrelenting film is memorable for its unique cinematography, raw storytelling, and unforgettable conclusion.

For more information visit: Chronicles Of A Hitman

Sold Out

Here is a list of movies which have already sold out.

El Cantante

Trade - stand-by tickets available 1/2 hour prior to show at the theater.

But there are still a bunch of other films for you to see..

Los Pajarracos

"Los Pajarracos" is above, and for the most, a tale of faith.

The tale of a shameless man, a Lucha Libre pro-wrestler, from small account with a great dream: the dream of conquering Los Angeles's rings.

But every great dream takes a part of us, and fate has put in the way of our hero's way a handful of loafers against whom he will have to face in the hardest fight of them all.

Through faith and humor, this flock of merry mobsters (our hero included) touch the sore in serious subjects: the chaotic love-hate relationship between Mexicans and Americans; the mass media who cheats its audiences; drugs that give power and money; the corrupted law who allows pederasty to be forgiven and more touchy subjects ever present in the every day lives of Latin America.

This and even more makes our story a must for audiences worldwide, with critical sense of humor that can make you think and laugh at the same time.

The film will screen at NYILFF, Saturday, July 28, 10.30 p.m., The Imaginasian Theater. 239 East 59th Street. Between 3rd. and 2nd. Avenues.

Codirector Hector Hernandez will be present at the show to share a Q&A with the audience.

For more information visit: Los Pajarracos

Musical Acts Announcement

As per a reliable source, this years musical acts will be…drum roll please…

On opening night, Reggaeton artist Notch who will be performing his past hits, “Hay Amor”, “A Que Bueno”, and current hit “Dale Pa' Tra (Back It Up)”.

As part of Dominican Night, the Dominican Bachata group Xtreme will be also performing past hits such as, “Te Extrano”, “Shorty Shorty”, and their current hit “A Donde Se Fue?)”.

So, get your dancing shoes ready...

Visit our site for more info and to purchase tickets.

El Muerto

While illegally crossing the border from Mexico to the United States, Diego, a young orphan, is singled out by a fellow traveler – an old Indian man who speaks the ancient Aztec language Nahauti.

At a hidden shrine, the old man carves into the boy's hand the symbol of the Aztec god of human sacrifice, Tezcatlipoca. As quickly as the bizarre encounter began it ends. The old man dies and the boy is marked for life.

10 years later, Diego (Wilmer Valderrama) has made a life for himself in the Southwest. He is in love with Maria (Angie Cepeda), daughter of a Christian missionary.

But he is haunted by the strange encounter all those years ago.

One night, on his way to a Day of the Dead celebration, Diego is killed in a car accident.

He awakens in the Aztec afterlife known as Mictlan, where his heart is ripped from his body.

He is then returned to the land of the living to sacrifice humans so the Aztecs can return to their formal glory.

Now neither dead or alive himself, he is endowed with the dark power to restore life or take it, and finds himself in a battle for his soul and the souls of those he loves.

nocheLatina.com is giving away passes to catch the premiere of El Muerto, starring Wilmer Valderrama & Angie Cepeda.

Email them at promotions@nochelatina.com with your full name, address and phone number where you can be reached and you'll automatically be entered to win.

Please put "El Muerto" in the subject line.

For more information visit: El Muerto

Ash Wednesday: Capitulo Unus

What begins as a mother’s worst nightmare—the kidnapping of her son –mushrooms into something larger and even more terrifying than she ever could have imagined.

Ash Wednesday: Capitulo Unus is a highly stylized thriller that involves a secret underworld of drug trafficking, kidnapping and murder.

The screenings will take place at the following: World Premiere Screening: Thursday July 26 at 10:30pm at The Imaginasian Theater 239 East 59th Street (Between 3rd & 2nd Avenues).

BUY TICKETS HERE

Or Available at the theater (July 26) and Saturday July 28 at 6:15pm at Tinker Auditorium 55 E. 59th St. (Between Park & Madison Avenues).

BUY TICKETS HERE

Or Available at the theater (July 26)

For more information visit: www.digitalworkstudios.com/premiere

2007 Pitchathon

The New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF) is now accepting submissions from viable participants for the "2007 Pitchathon", a forum for fine-tuning your creative pitches to industry executives. Composed of seasoned industry insiders from the directorial, production, development, casting and legal sectors, this panel will provide invaluable insights on how to successfully pitch your idea, film, or completed script's concept, as well as how to avoid common industry pitfalls.

The panel will take place on Wednesday July 25, 2007 as part of the festival.

WHEN:

Wednesday July 7th, 2007 @ 3 PM @ Tinker Auditorium (Inside The Florence Gould Hall) 55 East 59th Street Between Park & Madison Avenues
Admission: $5.00 – Buy Tickets

HOW IT WORKS:

7-10 participants will be pre-screened and selected to pitch their project concepts and/or scripts ideas to a panel of buyers and development executives.

Each participant will have 5-7 minutes to pitch his/her ideas.

Two pitches will be selected to win, one by a panel of professionals, the second via a from the festival audience members in attendance.

Whether you are selected to pitch or just stop by the panel to take in the wealth of information offered, you don't want to to miss this event.

WHAT TO SUBMIT:

Please include the following items as text in both the body of the e-mail and attached as an MS Word document or PDF file (as safety) ONLY ONE PROJECT SUBMISSION PER PARTICIPANT. NO EXCEPTIONS.

* Short synopsis of your pitch, including a concise outline of the project, or script’s premise,
* The hook and essential beats of the story,
* Thumbnail sketches (descriptions) of the PRINCIPAL characters ONLY,
* Genre
* Likely target audience, and anticipated budget level.

Your submission should not be longer than two (2) pages max. Do NOT submit complete scripts and/or treatments.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

Friday, July 20, 2007

WHERE TO SEND YOUR SUBMISSION:

Info@nylatinofilm.com

NOTIFICATION:

All participants will be notified via e-mail whether they have been selected to participate no later than Sunday, July 22, 2007.

Lola

Betty Marisol Garcia’s “Lola” is less a film about a young idealistic girl in a big city, and more a film about immigrants and their search for the American dream.

Lola, a passionate young Latina, is trapped in a web of lust, drama and confusion.

Far away from her sheltered life back home in South America, she longs for freedom to pursue her dreams and make it in New York City.

Lola ends up running for her life in a bizarre scenario filled with strange characters and thrills.

The film premieres at the 8th Annual New York International Latino Film Festival on July 25th and July 29th, 2007.

For more information visit: Lola

Buy Your Tickets NOW!

The first batch of tickets are now on sale for this years film festival.

This year we are aiming to raise the a bar a bit higher, with more free events, more music, more parties and more films.

This year we are showcasing over 80 films, with movies for everyone's taste.

Visit our website at to see what events we have in store, view trailers and more.

We are updating our site and blog almost daily, so please continue to check back.

NYILFF In The News

Latino Film Festival set to open [Via: Variety]

City's Latino film fest is back: better, stronger, feistier [Via: NYDN]

All The Right 'Movies' [Via: NYP]

Hard Road Home [Via: The Huffington Post]

Pictures of Latino life [Via: NYDN]

A film fest with Latino flare [Via: 7Online]

Hispaniola Screenplay Takes Prize for 4th Annual HBO/NYILFF Short Film Competition [Via: EarthTimes]

Film and Music Stars Heat Up the Red Carpet for Sizzling Line-Up
[Via: Hispanic PR Wire]

NY Latino Film Fest Has All the Right 'Movies' [Via: HispanicBusiness.com]

I Believe In America

Reynaldo Pedro Ferrer (Jaime Harris), a former terrorist involved in the independence movement for Puerto Rico, is now living as Ronald Peter. He must confront his past after the murder of his eldest son.

His father Popo (Jaime Tirelli), a high level member of a clandestine faction of the movement, is posing as a double agent in order to protect his family and still preserve the group’s quest for freedom.

Still active within the movement is Pedro (Coati Mundi), a political prisoner who is willing to die for the cause. He secretly assigns a key operative, Cesar (Roger Guenveur Smith), to Reynaldo’s son, in an effort to lure Reynaldo back into the movement. Reynaldo must utilize reason, intelligence, and incorporate non-violence in order to avenge his son’s death, save his family from ruin, and come to peace with his past.

I Believe In America is a pilgrimage of this family’s journey and an entire culture.

For more information visit: I Believe In America Movie

El Cantante

Hector Lavoe (Marc Anthony) is an ambitious but emotionally vulnerable singer in Puerto Rico.

His talent – and fate – bring him to 1970s New York where he immediately develops a following and begins a tempestuous relationship with Puchi (Jennifer Lopez), a fiery, tough-talking beauty who puts herself in charge of his career.

Puchi encourages Hector to partner with trombonist Willie Colon (John Ortiz). Together they form a soon-to-be legendary record label – Fania – and pioneer a musical sound combining Puerto Rican and American influences: salsa.

Hector’s charisma, sex appeal and groundbreaking sound make him an instant Latin Superstar, but with success comes drugs, the ghosts of the past and self-destruction.

As Puchi says, "It was good. It was bad. It was beautiful."

FYI – This movie is Sold Out.

Related News: Q&A: Marc Anthony lives and breathes salsa

For more information visit: El Cantante