“After eight successful years of bringing unique, independent cinema to Northeast L.A., the Highland Park Independent Film Festival is looking forward to our busiest and best year yet,” said HPIFF Co-Founder Mark Reitman.

Kicking off the celebration of the independent film scene, HPIFF’s Opening Night on October 7 will pay homage to the 30th anniversary of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs that was originally filmed locally throughout Highland Park. The red carpet to open the fest begins at 6 p.m. and the opening night program will follow with the free screening of the film itself preceded by a special presentation of the short film Abuelo, starring Pepe Serna (Scarface) and Izabella Alvarez (Euphoria). 

Previously presented to notable actors like Danny Trejo, this year’s Highland Park Independent Film Festival Humanitarian Award will be presented to Executive Producer and life-long Activist, Dolores Huerta, preceding the screening of her work on Feature Documentary, Backstreet to the American Dream on closing day of October 8 at 4 p.m. Directed by award-winning filmmaker and journalist Patricia Nazario, the bilingual documentary explores the modern-day American Dream and takes a deep dive into the birthplace of the food truck revolution – Los Angeles – which juxtaposes the experiences of American entrepreneurs and Mexican immigrants in the industry.

For the first time in its history, HPIFF will showcase a block of short Horror films, Horror in the Hood, featuring three world premieres screening on Friday night at 9:30 p.m. following the screening of Reservoir Dogs. 

An impressive line-up of short blocks including award-winning short films screens on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.  These films represent the best of independent cinema from across the country and the world with a focus on local, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ voices. 

This year’s award categories include, Best Documentary Feature, Best Short Film, Best Performance, Best Cinematography, Best Musical Composition, Audience Awards and Honorable Mentions, among others. 

The Highland Park Independent Film Festival program consists of the following films and screening times:

Opening Night Films, Friday October 7, 2022 at 7 PM, Theater 2

“ABUELO”

Directed by Kayvon Derak Shanian

Reservoir Dogs

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Horror In the Hood Friday, October 7 at 9:30 PM, Theater 2

“I’ll Be Back Tomorrow”

Directed by Summers Brothers Slabaugh

“Worm Food” – World Premiere

Directed by Joel & Shane O’Loughlin

“Something in the Garden”

Directed by Marcos Sánchez

“7 MINUTES IN HELL”

Directed by Jacob Rosenthal

“A Little Dead”

Directed by Ben Richardson

“Kickstart my Heart”

Directed by Kelsey Bollig

“Hell Hole”

Directed by Gregory Shultz

“Midnight Screams” – World Premiere

Directed by Sean Menendez

“Relax With Draco” – World Premiere

Directed by Julia Zanin de Paula

“Survivers”

Directed by Carlos Gómez-Trigo

SCI-FI ON FIG, Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 12 PM, Theater 2  

“Talk to Me”                                                                 

Directed by Daren Dien      

“See You On The Other Side”

Directed by Summers Brothers  

“Empiricism” 

Directed by Nate Hapke 

“ZER0 0NE ZER0”

Directed by Graham High   

“Sophie & Stephen” – World Premiere

Directed by Rob Perri                                                                            

“Another Night Out” – World Premiere

Directed by Jamie Connors

“Twenty Four Heaven”

Directed by Anna Tes                                                                  

“Keep/Delete”

Directed by Kryzz Gautier

ARROYO SECO Shorts, Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 2:30 PM, Theater 2 

“My Summer Vacation” 

Directed by Kelly O’Sullivan

“The Great American Short Story”                                                     

Directed by Daniel  Maggio  

“Car Stealers”                                                

Directed by Christopher Guerrero

“Uqi” – World Premiere

Directed by Peter Cameron

“Dog Lover” –  World Premiere                                                                 

Directed by Anne-Sophie Bine

“What a Harvest” – World Premiere                                                                          

Directed by Austin Davison

“Return to Sender”

Directed by Russell Goldman

“Out and Back”

Directed by Chad Corhan                                                                      

Los Filmmakers ’22, Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 5 PM, Theater 2

“La Macana”                                     

Directed by Maria Mealla

“CANCELED”

Directed by Christopher Guerrero

“Calabaza”

Directed by Stephanie Osuna-Hernandez 

“No Soy Óscar”                                                                 

Directed by Jon Ayon 

“Borders”                                                                 

Directed by Frank Velasquez 

“Huella”                                                                     

Directed by Gabriela Ortega

“Hey”                                                                                

Directed by Felix Martiz

“Chico Virtual”

Directed by Olivia De Camps

“Lodo”                                                                   

Directed by Alessandro Gentile                                                                                      

ROUTE 66 Shorts, Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 8 PM, Theater 2

“UNBOUND”

Directed by Sarah Moshman

“Frank & Emmet”

Directed by Carlos F.Puertolas

“The Lonely Store”

Directed by Amy Roy

“Hotter Up Close”

Directed by Leland Montgomery 

“White Now Please”                                                           

Directed by Kyle Lau

“Madness Incarnate” –  World Premiere

Directed by Olivia Wong

“Lead/Follow” – L.A. / California Premiere

Directed by Colby Day

“The Weight of It”

Directed by The Weight of It

“So Much More to Offer”

Directed by Sheila Sofian

“These Hands Were Made For Knockn’”

Directed by Laura Herring                                     

Documentary Features, Screening in Order Saturday, October 8, 2022 in Theater 3 at 12, 1, 2:30 and 4 PM             

Échale Ganas: The Villa’s Tacos Story   

Directed by Shirley Yumeng He

UNIDAD: Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos                                           

Directed by Gregorio Davila

Sound of The Surf                                     

Directed by John Blair

Backstreet to the American Dream                                                                  

Directed by Patricia Nazario 

The post The Highland Park Independent Film Returns to the Highland Theater October 7-8 first appeared on .

Chilean actress Lorenza Izzo is featured as Italian movie star Francesca Capucci in Quentin Tarantino’s much-anticipated motion picture Once Upon a Time In Hollywood that hit theater screens this past weekend to the tune of $40 million dollars at the North American box-office. 

Lorenza. as Capucci, in a scene within a scene, meets and marries Leonardo di Caprio in his role of fading TV star Rick Dalton, while filming a Spaghetti Western in Italy. 

 As Di Caprio’s Italian wife, it seems like Izzo easily has more lines of dialogue than the film’s top-billed female star Margot Robbie. Many film critics in their reviews including Richard Brody of The New Yorker have already singled out Izzo. 

Early audiences to the film as well have taken special notice of the South American beauty. 

“I’m a Chilean, a thousand percent and culturally I identify as a Latina,” Izzo told NBC News in a red carpet video interview at the film’s premiere.

The young actress in her first blockbuster motion picture shares the screen with two of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Leonardo di Caprio and Brad Pitt as well as the legendary Al Pacino under the direction of a filmmaker of such importance as Tarantino.

Izzo modeled her character of Francesca Capucci on the glamorous Italian actresses of the sixties such as Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale and Virna Lisi who went on to international Hollywood fame.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood evocative story of a 1960s’ era Hollywood in transition and the infamous 1969 Manson Murders is sure to be a major Oscar contender and will draw even more attention industry–wide in the coming months 

Izzo studied acting at the famed Lee Strassberg Actor’s Studio in New York and she made her film debut opposite Selena Gomez and Eli Roth in the earthquake thriller Aftershock. Lorenza followed with roles in several low budget horror films including Knock Knock and Green Inferno.  She is represented by Paradigm entertainment.

The post Lorenza Izzo, Rising Star Stuns in Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood” first appeared on .

By Luis Reyes

Director/writer Quentin Tarantino’s most talked about and anticipated film, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to huge acclaim, will open in the U.S on July 26 with an unusually high number of Latino actors, but only in supporting roles. Veteran actors like Clifton Collins Jr., Marco Rodriquez, Ramon Franco, and stuntman /actor Eddie Perez. are joined by newcomers Alfredo Tavares, Gabriela Flores, Carolina Vargas, Miranda dos Santos, Raul Cardona, Gilbert Saldivar, Mayra Alejandra Garcia, Bruce Del Castillo, David De La Garza, Dave Silva, Ricardo Felix Rojas, and Dyani Del Castillo.  

The first movie Tarantino movie without Weinstein, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood promises an exciting crime mystery where he brilliantly intertwined fictional characters with real-life people — mixing in a backdrop of the Manson murders that rocked Hollywood in 1969!

Though most of the roles are small and are bit parts such as a Mexican Vaquero, stereotypical bandidos in a recreation of a western movie scene, bartenders at the historic Musso and Frank’s restaurant and a Manson girl called Pebbles, it is symbolic that Tarantino included Latinos in his film about Hollywood in transition in the late ’60s.

In fact, these limited roles are what was available to Latino actors at that time and were as they were represented on film and television in that era. Latinos were a constant fixture especially in the heyday of the Western. So in retrospect, the Latino presence was limited to such genres as the Western but there was plenty of work in these roles and occasionally a significant actor would emerge such as Gilbert Roland, Ricardo Montalban, Rita Moreno, Henry Darrow, and Linda Cristal among many others, the most prominent star being Anthony Quinn.  

Once Upon a Time In Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Leonardo Di Caprio, teaming two of the most charismatic Hollywood leading men of today. The film features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines. The screenplay by Tarantino is based loosely on the relationship between the late film star Burt Reynolds and stuntman/director Hal Needham along with superstar Steve McQueen and how they collide with the notorious Charles Manson murder of actress Sharon Tate (played by Margot Robbie) and her friend, hairstylist to the stars, Jay Sebring (portrayed by Emile Hirsch) in the Hollywood Hills in 1969. 

Tarantino has spared no expense and has faithfully recreated Hollywood and Los Angeles of the late 1960s with hairstyles, wardrobe, art direction, period cars, and actual locations.

 Jacqueline Fernandez is the head makeup artist for the production and among her credits are the films Widows, Ant-Man and Alita: BattleAngel. She is also the personal makeup artist for actress Michelle Rodriquez and is commencing work on Fast and Furious 9.  

As to the film’s backdrop of the Charles Manson Hollywood murders on August 8-9, 1969, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, only adds to the film’s riveting suspense. Tarantino brilliantly brings to life — Sharon Tate and hairstylist Jay Sebring, working at their craft, living their lives and then they were slaughtered by the insane Charles Manson cult. Others murdered were Folger’s coffee heiress Abigail Folger. Those who missed the party but were supposed to attend was actor Steven McQueen and music producer Quincy Jones.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a Columbia / Sony Pictures release and is sure to be an Oscar contender this year in many categories. 

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
A Quentin Tarantino Film
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margo Robbie, Dakota Fanning, Maya Hawke, Timothy Olyphant, Margarate Qualley, Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, and so many others.

The post “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood” Where Latinos Exist Marginally first appeared on .