LatinoBuzz: The New York International Latino Film Festival Announces Opening and Closing Night Films

The New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF),the premier Latino film festival in the country, opens its 13th edition with FILLY BROWN, starring breakout actress Gina Rodriguez (GO FOR IT, OUR FAMILY WEDDING), and closes with LEMON, the raw story of three-time felon and one-time Tony Award-winner, spoken word artist Lemon Andersen.

The festival kicks off on Monday, August 13 with a 15th anniversary presentation of SELENA at Cinema Under The Stars, a free outdoor screening at St. Nicholas Park in uptown Manhattan.

Special Events include a World Premiere exclusive screening of THE GIRL IS IN TROUBLE, attended by stars Wilmer Valderrama and Columbus Short, and will include a Q&A.  The heartwarming ELLIOTT LOVES, winner of the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Audience Award for Best Picture, will headline the festival’s Dominican Night.

The New York International Latino Film Festival runs August 13 - 19, with most screenings taking place at Chelsea Clearview Cinemas. Schedule information and tickets will be available online and at the Chelsea Clearview Cinemas box office beginning July 27, 2012.

OPENING NIGHT – Co-Presented by Latina Magazine
Tuesday, August 14 – 7 pm – Chelsea Clearview Cinemas
FILLY BROWN (New York Premiere)
Directors: Youssef Delara, Michael D. Olmos
Writer: Youssef Delara
Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Jenni Rivera, Edward James Olmos, Chrissie Fit, Lou Diamond Phillips
Maria Jose “Majo” Tonorio is a tough LA street poet who spits from the heart.

DOMINICAN NIGHT – Presented by Heineken.
Sponsored by HBO®  and the Dominican American Professional Alliance
Thursday, August 16 – 7 pm – Columbia University Medical Center Alumni Auditorium
ELLIOTT LOVES (New York Premiere) (ISA:TLA Releasing) Writer/Director: Gary Terracino
Cast: Elena Goode, Tillman Norsworthy and Robin de Jesus
Two stages of a Dominican-American’s life: first as a boy trying to bond with his young mother, and then a 21-year-old looking for love in New York City.
 

CLOSING NIGHT – Presented by Pepsi
Saturday, August 18 – 7 pm – Chelsea Clearview Cinemas
LEMON (ISA:The Film Sales Company) Directors: Laura Brownson, Beth Levison
Written and Performed by: Lemon Andersen
A feature-length documentary film depicting Lemon Andersen’s struggle to free his family from poverty and pain as he exposes his most shocking secrets on the NY Stage.

WORLD PREMIERE EXCLUSIVE PRESENTATION
Saturday, August 18 – 8:45 pm – Chelsea Clearview Cinemas
THE GIRL IS IN TROUBLE

Director: Julius Onah
Co-Written by: Julius Onah and Mayuran Tiruchelvam
Cast: Columbus Short, Wilmer Valderrama, Alicja Bachleda and Jesse Spencer
From executive producer Spike Lee comes the thriller “The Girl Is In Trouble,” a Lower East Side bartender becomes entangled in a murder mystery involving a desperate woman, a missing drug dealer and the scion of a powerful investment firm.  

2012 FILM PROGRAM

NYILFF will present domestic and international features, documentaries and shorts in competition, plus On The Edge, a showcase of non-traditional film genres and NYILFF Spectrum, which highlights global urban films, not limited to the Latino perspective.  

DOMESTIC FEATURES

186 DOLLARS TO FREEDOM
DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR
LOVE, CONCORD
MARIACHI GRINGO
SUNSET STORIES
TONY TANGO
UNDER MY NAILS

INTERNATIONAL FEATURES

180 SEGUNDOS (180 Seconds) (Colombia)
A NOVELA DAS 8 (Prime Time Soap)  (Brazil)
EL RUMOR DE LAS PIEDRAS (The Rumble of the Stones) (Venezuela)
JAQUE MATE (Check Mate) (Dominican Republic)
LA ÚLTIMA ISLA (The Last Island) (Spain)
LA MUJER DE IVÁN (Ivan’s Woman) (Chile)
LA LUCHA DE ANA (Ana’s Struggle) (Dominican Republic)
LA BRUJULA LA LLEVA EL MUERTO (The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man) (Mexico)
SANGRE DE FAMILIA (Family Blood) (Mexico)
UNA NOCHE (Cuba)
ZOOLÓGICO (Zoo) (Chile)

DOCUMENTARIES

BUSCANDO A LARISA (Looking for Larisa) (Mexico)
EL MÉDICO: THE CUBATÓN STORY (Cuba/Sweden)
ESPERANDO A LOS BITLES (Waiting For The Beatles) (Mexico)
HIJA (Daughter) (Chile)

SPECTRUM

WOLF

ON THE EDGE

EL HOYO DEL DIABLO (The Devil’s Hole) (Dominican Republic)
LOS CHIDOS (Mexico)

SHORTS PROGRAM 1: Something In The Way She Moves

A JOURNEY TO HOMELAND
LA PLAYA
PESCADORA
GABI
SALOME

SHORTS PROGRAM 2: The Catchers In The Rye

BOTES AL AMANECER
FIREWORKS
JESUS LOVES YOUSSEF
FLUTTER
HOW JIMMY GOT LEVERAGE
LA MIRADA PERDIDA
QUINHA
LEYENDA

SHORTS PROGRAM 3: Use Your Illusion

THE LEPIDOCTOR
THE MAGICIANS
THE SHOOTING STAR SALESMAN
OTTO AND THE ELECTRIC EEL
THE LIFE & FREAKY TIMES OF UNCLE LUKE
THE TRAINEE
CARGOLS

SHORTS PROGRAM 4: Check Yo Self

DESERT ROAD KILL
DETRÁS DEL ESPEJO
MADDOGGIN'
DIVERGENCE
HOUR GLASS
OCTOBER 31ST

SHORTS PROGRAM 5: The Anatomy of Melancholy

AFTER EVER AFTER OR NUMBERS ON A NAPKIN
LA BODA
PRIMAVERA
FALLEN COMRADE
MENTIROSO
TRÓPICO EXÓTICO
REINALDO ARENAS

ABOUT NYILFF

Launched in 1999, the New York International Latino Film Festival is now the premier Urban Latino film event in the country. The NYILFF’s mission is to showcase the works of the hottest emerging Latino filmmaking talent in the U.S. and Latin America, offer expansive images of the Latino experience, and celebrate the diversity and spirit of the Latino community. Calixto Chinchilla and Elizabeth Gardner head up the festival staff, acting as Co-Executive Directors. The programming team is made up of Juan Caceres, Director of Programming, and Vanessa Erazo, Documentary Programming Manager.

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Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature onSydneysBuzzthat highlights emerging and established Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow@LatinoBuzzon twitter.