The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF), the nation's leading Latino film festival, opens Hispanic Heritage Month, Sep. 15-24, with a diverse lineup of 116 films from nearly 20 countries.

The event, which will be held at its iconic venue, in Regal Union Square (850 Broadway, NYC), will open with the premiere of the Amazon Prime film Cassandro (2023, 99 min. USA), starring Gael García Bernal and which follows the true story of a gay wrestler at El Paso, who rose to international stardom.

Calixto Chinchilla, founder of the New York Latino Film Festival, said in a press release:

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.

Hispanic Heritage Month

The Festival will take place during Hispanic Heritage Month with special presentations and an impressive lineup of films, panel discussions, a free outdoor event, and more.

“For 23 years, has and will continue to offer Latino filmmakers and content creators a platform to highlight our stories. More than ever, we been ready,” added Chinchilla.

This year, NYLFF will present an exciting lineup of feature films in various formats, including features, documentaries, and shorts from the United States and Latin America.

Highlights

Premieres highlighted by the organization 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 (the mall video game store) into the world’s hottest company
• 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.
• Blood in, Blood Out (1993, 180 min., USA) based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca.
• Simón (2023, 99 min., USA) follows a Venezuelan freedom fighter exiled in Miami who has to cope with trauma and guilt.
• Playing Sam (2023, 89 min., USA), the story of a non-Spanish-speaking Latina actress from the Bronx who struggles to fit into Hollywood.
• 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 New York Latino Film Festival has a rich history of celebrating Latino voices and the communities that inspire them. We are proud to be long-time sponsors of the event and wish the festival and its filmmakers a week of exciting and powerful programming,” pointed out Axel Caballero, vice president of External Engagement for Warner Bros. Discovery.

More Presentations

The organization also highlights the following presentations:

• 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.
• 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) that follows Santana’s journey from 14-year-old street musician to a 10-time Grammy winning global sensation.

Trailer Premiere We’re back baby!

The 2023 New York Latino Film Festival, presented by Warner Bros. Discovery, returns 9.15-9.24. You now have your plans for Latino Heritage Month. The hottest ticket in town is NYLFF. Tickets on sale TOMORROW at NOON!

You’ve Been Ready. pic.twitter.com/6YEKhEd1BA

— NYLatinoFilmFestival (@NYLFF) August 24, 2023

“We are thrilled to shine a light on independent film production in NYC by once again supporting the New York Latino Film Festival,” noted Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

“Bonus Track”

Among the special audience engagement segments, NYLFF highlights the return of the Digital Future Conference, presented by OFF THE CUFF with a day-long forum highlighting the leaders and top social influencers in digital content (creators and distributors), mobile app companies, and market-driven mobile technology leaders.

To complement the Festival, FUTURO presents an exciting new lineup of web series, including:

Dominicanyork (2022, 12 min., USA), a 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.

“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,” added Kaufman.

For more information on NYLFF 2023, click here.