This year’s New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) will open with the NYC premiere of Amazon Prime’s film Cassandro (2023, 99 min. USA), starring Gael Garcia Bernal; the film follows the true story of a gay wrestler from El Paso who rose to international stardom. NYLFF, the nation’s premier Latino film festival, will once again be held at Regal Union Square (850 Broadway, NYC) and kicks off on September 15 to 24, 2023, during Latino Heritage Month with an impressive roster of 116 films from nearly 20 countries.

Presented by Kino Lorber, the Festival will screen Aristotle Torres‘ debut feature Story Ave (2023, 94 min. USA), starring Luis Guzman as an MTA worker held up by young graffiti artist Kadir (Asante Blackk) in a robbery gone right. HBO Documentaries will present You Were My First Boyfriend (2023, 97 min. USA), the heart-warming story of Cecilia Aldarondo as she revisits her 1990s adolescence. Also showing is Radical (2023, 122 min., USA), the story of actor Eugenio Derbez as a teacher in a Mexican border town who tries a radical new method to unlock their students’ potential. Music lovers can enjoy Sony Pictures Classics’ film Carlos (2023, 88 min., USA), which follows Santana‘s journey from a 14-year-old street musician to a 10-time Grammy-winning global sensation.

“Amidst this historic moment in the entertainment industry, NYLFF continues to uphold the importance of stories as a powerful and important tool for collective social change,” said Calixto Chinchilla, Founder New York Latino Film Festival. “The Festival, for 23 years, has and will continue to offer Latino filmmakers and content creators a platform to highlight our stories”

“We are thrilled to shine a light on independent film production in NYC by once again supporting the New York Latino Film Festival,” said Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Pat Swinney Kaufman. “This year’s opening night film, Story Ave, directed by up-and-coming NYC filmmaker Aristotle Torres, is the perfect example of why this festival, and others like it, are so important; to provide a global platform to amplify diverse storytelling. Congratulations to Calixto Chinchilla and team on what is sure to be another terrific festival.”

Festival Highlights

This year, NYLFF will present an exciting line-up of feature films in various forms, including feature, documentary, and shorts from the United States and Latin America. Highlights include: Sony Pictures’ Dumb Money (2023, 104 min., USA), the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (yes, the mall video game store) into the world’s hottest company; in celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the Festival will present a special screening of Beat Street (1984, 105 min., USA), the story of a DJ from the South Bronx and his best friend, a promoter, who try to get into show business; celebrating its 30th anniversary, NYLFF presents the film Blood in, Blood Out (1993, 180 min., USA) based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on step-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo; Playing Sam (2023, 89 min., USA), the story of a non-Spanish-speaking Latina actress from the Bronx who struggles to fit into Hollywood; and Simón (2023, 99 min., USA) follows a Venezuelan freedom fighter exiled in Miami who has to cope with trauma and guilt. From the Caribbean, the Festival will present Boca Chica (2022, 90 min., Dominican Republic), the tale of a musically gifted young woman determined to find her voice and escape the threats of betrayal and prostitution on the beaches of her hometown in the Dominican Republic.

The Futuro Digital Conference returns, presented by OFF THE CUFF, with a day-long forum spotlighting leaders and top social influencers in digital content (creators and distributors), mobile app companies, and mobile technology leaders targeting the market. To complement the Festival, FUTURO presents an exciting new roster of web series, including Dominicanyork (2022, 12 min., USA), which dives into the breakups, secrets, purpose, and identity of 8 Dominican-American millennials; Amor en Cuarentena (2022, 30 min., USA), a Spanglish series that follows Emi, a funny, dedicated and complicated Mexican-American teacher, as she looks for love with the help of friends and family during a global pandemic; Migrants (2022, 7 min., USA), the story of two naive Brooklyn hipsters who set up a “Migrant Integration Initiative” in response to the news that the Texas governor was shipping migrants from Latin America to Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Click HERE for festival information and tickets. 

Click HERE to watch the NYLFF 2023 Trailer.

The post The New York Latino Film Festival Opes with ‘Cassandro’ Starring Gael Garcia Bernal first appeared on .

After a successful 15th anniversary edition last year, the New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) announced it is gearing up to kick off its 16th edition this summer – presented by its founding partner, HBO.  The festival will once again light up the screens with the best the Latino community has to offer.

NYLFF is currently accepting submissions until April 26. Projects in a language other than English must have English-language subtitles. Films cannot have been broadcast (television or Internet) or distributed commercially in the U.S. prior to the festival. Exceptions may be granted for short films and documentaries. Submission portal can be found by visiting: NYLatinoFilmFestival.com

“As we (Latinos) continue to dominate the box office, and the conversation surrounding diversity and inclusion is at the forefront of all things, we are truly proud to be here,” said NYLFF Founder Calixto Chinchilla. “We’re thankful to be recognized as the premier platform for fresh, creative, and diverse voices. We are appreciative to our existing partners who continue to see in the importance in what we do, and we welcome new partners to join in NYLFF’s return to celebrate its 16th edition.”

HBO’s Sr. VP of Corporate Affairs Dennis Williams said: “Now, more than ever, we are honored to partner with NYLFF to offer Latino creatives the opportunity to present, represent, and define their culture and experiences in their own voices.”

The festival expands its creative partnership with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the global trade association that advocates on behalf of the film and television industry. The MPAA previously produced the Multicultural Creativity Summit, which brought together all of the major studios to connect rising talent with established artists and cultivate conversations around career growth and community.

AMC Theatres has come on board as the festival exhibitor partner by hosting this year’s edition, as part of its AMC Pantallas program. The festival will take place at the AMC Empire 25.

Partners also include Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo, American Airlines, AMC Theatres and the Motion Picture Association of America.

For more information on the festival and opportunities please contact email: Info@NYLatinoFilmFestival.com.

The post NY Latino Film Fest Back for 16th Edition: Call for Entries first appeared on .