The HBO New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF) presented its 2011 awards at a ceremony on Sunday August 21 beginning with a reception at 6 PM and presentation at 7 PM at AMC Empire, Screen 14, 234 West 42nd Street. Heineken presented the event.
NYILFF presented over 100 features, documentaries and short films in English and Spanish, reflecting America’s cultural diversity as well as the global urban experience. For more information, log on to nylatinofilm.com.
NYILFF Awards are presented in the Categories of Best U.S. Feature Film, Presented by HBO; Best International Feature Film, Presented by El Diario-La Prensa; Best Director, Presented by HBO; Best Documentary, Presented by CNN; Best Short Film, Presented by Sprint; HBO/NYILFF Short Film Competition Winner. NYILFF Judges include Carlos Gutierrrez, Co-Founding Director of Cinema Tropical; Leslie Cohen, Director of Programming, HBO; Nicolas Entel, Director of the award-winning feature, SINS OF MY FATHER; Lucila Moctezuma, Head of the Production Assistance Program at Women Make Movies; Michael Dagnery, Vice President of Content Services and Development for MTV Tr3s; Araceli Cruz, Sr. Associate Editor, The Village Voice; and Tamir Muhammad, Director of Feature Programming, Tribeca All Access. Rashaad Ernesto Green, director of GUN HILL ROAD; Elizabeth Nuñez, journalist and producer for CNN’s In America; and Livia Bloom, Director of Exhibition and Broadcast at Icarus Films
The 2011 NYILFF Impact Award was presented to Mr. Andy Garcia on Thursday August 18.
“We are delighted with the success of this year’s festival and proud to recognize these outstanding films,” said Calixto Chinchilla, NYILFF Co-Executive Director. “NYILFF continues to push the envelope in quality and scope of films we showcase, continually expanding our programming vision.”
“NYILFF is dedicated to fostering the art of filmmaking and providing a wide platform to express not only the rich fabric of the Latino experience, but also the global urban experience, which is shared by millions around the world,” said Elizabeth Gardner, NYILFF Co-Executive Director
2011 NYILFF WINNERS
BEST SHORT: LA DUCHA (THE SHOWER)
LA DUCHA
10 Min/CHILE
Director: Jose Maria San Martin
Elisa and Manuela have lived together for five years, but now they must separate. On their last morning together, they will pass through emotions of love, anger, guilt, joy and punishment, as they try to capture the last fragments of their relationship before it dissolves forever. Presented by Sprint. Winner receives $1,000.
Judges Statement
It's hard to deny the power of La Ducha, directed by Maria Jose San Martin. In one complete shot the story about the end of a relationship had us spellbound. Because of the film's clear and precise direction shot all in one room executed by phenomenal actors, La Ducha exceeded as the best short film---hands down.
BEST U.S. FEATURE FILM: MARIA MY LOVE
MARIA MY LOVE
99 MIN.
Director/Writer: Jasmine McGlade Chazelle
Producers: Jasmine McGlade Chazelle, Jennifer Glynn, Tiana Matthews
Cast: Karen Black, Lauren Fales, Judy Marte, Brian Reiger
Reeling from her mother’s death, and filled with resentment over her father’s mistakes, Ana feels disconnected from everyone around her – and herself. As she finds an unlikely friend and confidante,Ana finds herself in an emotionally complex relationship that reveals some uncomfortable truths about herself as well. Presented by HBO. Winner receives $1,000 and an Avid Media Composer 5.5 worth $2,295.
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM: EL REGRESO
(EL REGRESO) THE RETURN
WORLD PREMIERE/COSTA RICA/90 MIN
Director/Writer: Hernan Jimenez
Producers: Manuel Granda, Hernan Jimenez and Amanda Pham
Cast: Andre Boxwill, Luis Fernando Gomez, Barbara Jimenez, Hernan Jimenez
After a decade of living in New York, 30-year-old Antonio returns to his native Costa Rica for a short visit. When events force him to stay, he is confronted with everything he has desperately struggled to put in the past. Presented by El Diario-La Prensa. Winner receives $1,000.
BEST DIRECTOR: AARON BURNS for BLACKTINO
BLACKTINO
NEW YORK PREMIERE/ 90 MIN
Director/Writer: Aaron Burns
Producers: Elizabeth Avellán, Aaron Burns, Sandra Condito, Andy Kleinman, Carlos Rincones
Cast: Dona Dye, Jeff Fahey, Austin Marshall, Devyn Raye, Michelle Rodriguez, Tiger Sheu, Danny Trejo
A coming of age story reflective of our cynical times, Blacktino gives an honest -- and hilarious -- depiction of high school life as seen through the imaginative eyes of a bi-racial computer nerd. Sad. Fat. Black. Latino. Nerd. It doesn’t get any worse than that! Presented by HBO. Winner receives $1,000 and an Avid Media Composer 5.5 worth $2,295.
Judges Statement:
This year's festival was especially strong. All the films were directed beautifully. The jury has chosen this year's best director because of his unique voice and execution of a quirky yet evocative story. Films that make us laugh rarely get recognized during award ceremonies. We want to make sure that we encourage filmmakers to explore their unique voice no matter how serious, funny, scary, or quirky it is. We present this year's award for best director to Aaron Burns for Blacktino.
BEST DOCUMENTARY: EL EDIFICIO DE LOS CHILENOS
EL EDIFICIO DE LOS CHILENOS (THE CHILEAN BUILDING)
96 Min/CHILE
Director: Macarena Aguiló Marchi , Susana Foxley
At the end of the 1970’s, the militants of MIR, exiled in Europe, decided to return to Chile in order to support the fight against the Pinochet dictatorship. Many had children they were forced to leave behind. It was then that the idea of a community center to shelter these children was born. Project Home gathered 60 kids who were left in the care of people who assumed the responsibility of their upbringing for years to come. This is their remarkable story. Presented by CNN. Winner receives $1,000.
Judges Statement
On behalf of the 2011 Documentary Jury at the New York International Latino Film Festival, congratulations all the filmmakers for their tremendous accomplishments! We're pleased to announce that the winner of the Best Documentary Award goes to "The Chilean Building" (El Edificio de los Chilenos), directed by Macarena Aguilo and Susana Foxley. This remarkable film, about children left in communal care overseas while their militant parents fought against the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, impressed us with its meticulous research and fascinating, informative interviews. "The Chilean Building" brings heartfelt, personal and political characters from the historical world to life onscreen, and makes a significant contribution to the historical record. We all thought about the film long after it ended and we look forward to seeing more films by these gifted filmmakers in the future.
HBO/ NYILFF SHORT FILM COMPETITION WINNER: CRUSH by Dominic Colón
CRUSH
Written by: Dominic Colón
Director: Gloria LaMorte
Producers: Dominic Colón, Joseph LaMorte
HBO and the New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF) announced that Crush, a screenplay by Dominic Colón, has won the 2011 HBO/NYILFF Short Film Competition. Colón received the $15,000 grand prize from HBO to complete a short film based on his original script. The short was shown during the NYILFF festivities, August 15-21.
Crush takes place in the South Bronx during Prom Night, where a young man is in for an evening filled with mixed emotions as he decides whether or not to man up and face his high school “crush” or punk out and let him walk away.
THE 2011 JURY
Best Director, Best U.S. Feature Film, Best International Film
LESLIE COHEN
Leslie Cohen is Vice President of Film Programming at HBO, celebrating 18 years with the network in 2012. She is responsible for the acquisition of films from the major film studios for both HBO and Cinemax. She also acquires Spanish language films and series for HBO Latino as well as independent films for HBO Video, HBO Enterprises and HBO Program Distribution. Previously at HBO, Leslie worked on the launch of HBO’s international ventures in Asia and Central Europe and performed financial forecasting and deal analysis for programming and cable revenue areas in HBO’s strategic planning group. Leslie serves as a Board Member of the Picture House Regional Film Center in New York and an Advisory Board Member for Florida’s Gasparilla Film Festival Cinema by the Bay. Leslie holds a BA in English from Dartmouth College and an MBA from New York University. She lives in Westchester with her husband Dan, 11 year old daughter Camryn and 9 year old son Ty.
RASHAAD ERNESTO GREEN
After spending three years acting in theaters nationwide and working with directors such as Spike Lee, Rashaad moved behind the camera. Selected for the 2010 Tribeca All Access Program, IFP’s Independent Film Week, and a recipient of the prestigious Princess Grace Foundation–Cary Grant Film Award, Rashaad's film Gun Hill Road, starring Esai Morales and Judy Reyes, premiered in the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. A gripping drama about a Latino family in the Bronx, Gun Hill Road (www.gunhillroad.com) opened #1 for Independent films and is currently playing in theaters. Rashaad was included on the 2010 Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film list and in indieWIRE's 2009 Top Ten New Voices in Cinema.
CARLOS GUTIERREZ
Carlos A. Gutiérrez is the Co-Founding Director of Cinema Tropical (www.cinematropical.com), the leading presenter of Latin American cinema in the U.S., founded in 2001 with the mission of distributing, programming and promoting what was to become the biggest boom of Latin American cinema in decades. Through a diversity of programs and initiatives, New York-based Cinema Tropical is thriving as a dynamic and groundbreaking 501(c)(3) non-profit media arts organization experimenting in the creation of better and more effective strategies for the distribution and exhibition of foreign cinema in this country.
Best Documentary Film
LIVIA BLOOM
Livia Bloom is a film curator and the Director of Exhibition and Broadcast at Icarus Films, a leading distributor of documentaries for over 30 years. She organizes the "Documentary in Bloom" film showcase at the Maysles Cinema in Harlem and edited the book "Errol Morris: Interviews" (University of Mississippi Press). Her writing and interviews are regularly published in the journals Cinema Scope, Filmmaker Magazine, and Film Comment.
NICOLAS ENTEL
Nicolas Entel’s last feature film documentary Sins of My Father premiered at Sundance in 2010. It was broadcasted by, among others, HBO (US), Channel 4 (UK), Discovery (Lat Am) and Arte (France & Germany). Sins also won multiple awards at numerous film festivals including Best Documentary at the Havana and Miami. Entel previously directed the documentary Orquesta Tipica (2006). He is the 2010 recipient of the NALIP Estela Award and the founder of Red Creek Productions, one of the largest Latino owned production companies in the US.
LUCILA MOCTEZUMA
Lucila Moctezuma runs the Production Assistance Program at Women Make Movies. Previously she founded and coordinated the Tribeca Latin America Media Arts Fund, and was director of the Media Arts Fellowships for the Rockefeller Foundation. She also worked with the Latin American Video Archive (LAVA) and the IFP. She is co-founder of Cine Qua Non Lab, a residency for international filmmakers that is based in Michoacan, Mexico, and sits on the Board of Trustees of the Flaherty Film Seminar and on the advisory board of Rooftop Films. Lucila is from Mexico City and lives in New York since 1996.
ELIZABETH NUñEZ
Elizabeth Nuñez is a Venezuelan-American journalist and producer, part of CNN’s documentary unit In America. She has worked on Black In America: Almighty Debt; Unwelcome: The Muslim’s Next Doorand is currently in the production team of Latino in America 2: In Her Corner. Previously, Elizabeth worked on The Hugo Chavez Show documentary for Frontline/PBS. In Venezuela, she reported on politics and government for the Associated Press and before that worked for El Nacional Newspaper as the military correspondent. Elizabeth obtained dual master's degrees from Columbia University in International Affairs and Broadcast Journalism.
Best Short Film
ARACELI CRUZ
Araceli Cruz is a California native, covering arts & entertainment as Senior Associate Editor at the prominent Village Voice. Prior to making her quest to the East Coast, she majored in Journalism at the San Francisco State University, and left her mark in the media world as Features Reporter at The Press-Enterprise and Editor at nocheLatina. She also contributes her talent today as a Freelance writer in a diverse range of media. Her inspiration extends from, and towards, her involvement in the art world, contributing her own artwork as part of the art collective called Openings. You can follow Araceli on Facebook and Twitter @chelipj.
MICHAEL DAGNERY
Michael Dagnery is currently Vice President of Content Services and Development for MTV TR3s where he has developed and executive produced various productions such as Unplugged: Camila andUnplugged: Julieta Venegas (2008 Latin Grammy winner). He has also executive produced various projects for MTV International such as MTV At The Movies and MTV At The Playground (2009). While working as VP of Production for MTV Networks Latin America (MTVNLA), Dagnery co-produced the network’s flagship award show, Los Premios MTV (2003 - 2009). Previously, Dagnery was an independent producer living in Los Angeles where he began his MTV relationship as producer/director/editor of the highly rated and Peabody Award winning series Biorhythm for MTV US.
TAMIR MUHAMMAD
Tamir Muhammad currently serves as Director of Feature Programming at the Tribeca Film Institute where he’s responsible for directing and developing programs such as Tribeca All Access, TFI Sloan Fund, and other initiatives. He started his career with Tribeca in the office of Founder Jane Rosenthal during the inaugural year of the Tribeca Film Festival. Since that first year he has held several positions at numerous other festivals including The New York International Latino Film Festival and Urbanworld. Earning his B.F.A. at New York University (Tisch School of the Arts), Tamir also went on to serve as an international staff member for the University, traveling to such countries as South Africa, China, Brazil, and Cuba. He currently serves on the board for Firelight Media and Moving Mountains, Inc. along with consulting for other art organizations. Tamir also has several years of film and television production experience to his credit dating back to a stint at Department of Film (Goldcrest) and has scouted and developed the careers of several filmmakers.
NYILFF SPONSORS
The 2011 NYILFF is presented by HBO and HBO Latino, and made possible with the additional support of Heineken, American Airlines, Daily News/Viva, NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47, 103.5 KTU, Terra.com and Wing Advertising. The NYILFF is also proud to have as Benefactors CNN, Fiji Water, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Macy’s, L’Oréal Paris, Martin Códax and Las Rocas. The NYILFF Sprint EVOlution Industry Lounge is presented by Sprint. Media partners consist of El Especial/El Especialito Newspaper, Remezcla.com, HOMBRE Magazine, LatinTRENDS, Latina Media Ventures, Urban Latino Media Group, The Village Voice, NocheLatina.com, El Diario Impremedia, Jones Magazine and The Source. Venue partners are AMCÒ Empire 25, Clearview Chelsea Cinemas 9, Columbia University Medical Center, ImageNation Cinema Foundation and Mount Sinai Hospital. Industry Partners are Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers. Technology and Creative partners include Puenzo Hnos, Avid, Hula Post, Analog Digital, Slated and Spoon + Fork. Special Thanks to Color Latino, Nuela Restaurant, The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, and the New York Latin Media and Entertainment Commission and Reyes EntertainmentÒ.
ABOUT NYILFF
Launched in 1999, the New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF) 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. Programming includes the flagship film festival in NYC, new music and art showcases, family and community events, scholarships for aspiring filmmakers, and a nationally recognized short film competition in partnership with HBO.
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