Tag Archives: New York Latino Film Festival

STXfilms Acquires Worldwide Rights to Melissa Barrera-Starrer “Bed Rest”

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Melissa Barrera’s latest project is going global…

STXfilms has acquired the worldwide rights to Bed Rest, a supernatural thriller to star the 31-year-old Mexican actress/singer and In The Heights star.

Melissa Barrera

Writer-director Lori Evans Taylor will make her directorial debut on the project.

After years of struggling to start a family, Julie Rivers (Barrera) is pregnant again and moving into a new home with her husband as they embrace a fresh start. Upon being ordered to mandatory bed rest, Julie begins to slowly unravel as she suffers through the monotony and anxiety of her new constraints. Soon, terrifying ghostly experiences in the home begin to close in on Julie, stirring up her past demons and causing others to question her mental stability. Trapped and forced to face her past and the supernatural, Julie fights to protect herself and her unborn baby.

Bed Rest is being produced by William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, and Paul Neinstein through their Project X banner, along with Evans Taylor and Barrera. Cameras roll next month in Winnipeg.

STXfilms will release Bed Rest directly in the US, UK and Ireland, and in the rest of the world through its network of foreign distribution partners.

“Bed Rest is a chilling supernatural cinematic thriller,” said Adam Fogelson, chairman, STXfilms Motion Picture Group. “Lori Evans Taylor’s script was on the Black List for a reason: her compelling writing comes from a personal point of view we haven’t often seen on the big screen, and that will elevate the material. We’re also big believers in Melissa Barrera’s talent as an actress to bring this character to life. Horror has been a consistently successful genre for us at STX, and as a studio with a strong track record supporting female filmmakers, we are proud to be releasing Lori’s directorial debut. We’re also thrilled to be in business with William, James, Paul and the Team at Project X on a movie that will keep audiences riveted.”

Project X partners Sherak, Vanderbilt and Neinstein added, “We have known Lori both personally and professionally for years and have always been huge fans of her writing. This screenplay was so unnerving and deeply felt, we knew she was the right director to bring this to the screen. We had just worked with Melissa on Scream, where we saw her incredible talent first hand. We’re thrilled to have put them together, and that our longtime friends at STX will be our partners on this project. Their success with low and mid budget films and their commitment to female and diverse talent, both in front of and behind the camera, make them the ideal home for this film.”

In addition to In the Heights, and the upcoming Scream from Spyglass Media and Paramount, Barrera starred in the musical Carmen, and the Netflix series Breathe. She previously starred in the Starz series Vida and the independent film All The World Is Sleeping, which recently premiered at the New York Latino Film Festival. She was recently announced as Clinique’s new Global Ambassador.

Mark Viera Officially Announces HBO Latino & New York Latino Film Festival’s 2nd Annual National Latino Stand-Up Comedy Competition

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Mark Viera is inviting fellow Latino comedians to bring the funny…

The Puerto Rican comedian is helping launch HBO Latino and the New York Latino Film Festival’s (NYLFF) second annual national Latino Stand-Up Comedy Competition.

Mark Viera

The search for the best Latino stand-up comedians around the country was announced today by 2019 winners Viera and Alex Carabaño — with the help of Entre Nos’ best comedians Gina Brillón and Orlando Leyba.

The competition is designed to support emerging talent and increase awareness and representation of Latino voices in the comedy industry. The top five comedians will perform, and a winner will be chosen at a virtual event in early December, which will be hosted by Viera.

“I’m excited to be the host of the 2020 Latino Stand-Up Comedy Competition,” said Viera. “After winning last year and taping my first Entre Nos Special, I am honored to be a part of this tournament of funny, knowing what’s at stake and how these performances will potentially change the career of an up-and-coming comedian. Let the jokes roll and the laughter flow, again.”

You can catch last year’s winners on the aforementioned Entre Nos: The Winners, which is available to stream on HBO Max.

If you think you have the comedy chops, submissions for the competition are officially open and will be accepted through November 13.

For those who are interested in submitting to the Latino Stand Up Comedy Competition, here are the entry details:

  • Applicants must submit a 3-5 minute video of their stand-up performance in English (or bilingual), which has not been previously broadcast in any form at NYLatinoFilmFestival.com (free to enter). Submission deadline is Friday, November 13, 2020 by 11:59pm EST.
  • All eligible submissions will be judged by a panel of screeners, comprised of Viva Producers, NYLFF members and HBO executives, who will determine the top 5 finalists based on performance and creative material.
  • The finalists will be invited to perform an 8 -10 minute comedic performance at the ’Latino Stand-Up!’ finals, scheduled to take place virtually the week of December 7th. The winner will be revealed that night.
  • The winning comedian will be included in an upcoming Entre Nos comedy special airing in 2021 on HBO Max.

The Munoz Brothers Sign with Inner Voice Artists for Representation

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The Munoz Brothers have new representation…

Inner Voice Artists has signed Yago and Carlo Munoz Osio, the Mexican directing duo behind indie film Paper Boats.

Film Reel

The film premiered at HBO’s New York Latino Film Festival in 2019, where it won the Best Feature Award, and also screened at the Indie and Foreign Film Festival in New York among others.

Spain’s Moonrise Pictures is handling international sales for the film.

The Munoz Brothers run the production banner Desierto Films, which also makes music videos, advertising campaigns and have a slate of Mexican and English projects in development.

Inner Voice Artists, with offices in Los Angeles and Oslo, has also recently signed Colombian-Canadian filmmaker called Andy Alvarez, whose directorial debut short La Mariposa screened at multiple festivals and won awards.

HBO Latino’s “Habla Now,” Featuring Diane Guerrero, to Kick-Off the New York Latino Film Festival’s First-Ever Drive-In Showings

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Diane Guerrero’s hitting the festival circuit…

The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) has announced the lineup for the fest’s forthcoming hybrid edition, with HBO Latino’s Habla Now, featuring the 34-year-old Colombian American actress and author, as the Opening Night drive-in feature.

Diane Guerrero

The documentary special, the 15th installment of HBO Latino’s award-winning “Habla” series, features testimonials from US Latinos – celebrities, recognized professionals, and everyday Latinos – who share honest stories about being Latino in the U.S.

In addition to Guerrero, the storytellers include Arturo Castro, Nely Galan, Amara La Negra, Cristina Jimenez, Ozzie Areu, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Edgardo Miranda Rodriguez, Mark Hugo Lopez, Mariana Atencio, Laurie Hernandez, Justina Machado, Diane Guerrero, Carmen Carrera, José Andrés and many more.

In addition, Angel Manuel Soto’s Charm City Kings will have its New York premiere at the fest.

Produced by Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and James Lassiter, with a story by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins, Charm City Kings marks the feature directorial debut follows the journey of 14-year-old Mouse who desperately wants to join the Midnight Clique, an infamous group of Baltimore dirt-bike riders who rule the summertime streets.

John Leguizamo’s Critical Thinkingwill also make its New York premiere. The film tells the true story of five Latinx and Black teenagers from Miami Jackson Senior High School who fight their way into the National Chess Championship under the guidance of their unconventional but inspirational teacher.

This year’s virtual NYLFF will take place from September 14-20.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, festivals around the world have either canceled or pivoted to an entirely virtual program. NYLFF is one of the Latinx-based fests that continued with plans for the annual fest with the appropriate changes.

The 21st edition will be a combination of virtual events and in-person screenings that celebrate Latinx creators.

The fest will also host the first Latino drive-in experience to take place both in New York and in The Bronx.

This year’s festival features nearly 75 films representing more than 10 countries, spanning all genres including features, shorts, documentaries, web series and experimental films.

“Inspired by the resilience of the Latino community, NYLFF is proud to return with a fresh format featuring our first-ever drive-in experiences,” said Calixto Chinchilla, founder of NYLFF. “We are proud to serve as an important platform for Latino creatives to share culturally relevant stories about intersectionality, diversity, and lived experiences in this country. Gracias to our sponsors for continuing to support our community of content creators and movie-goers. While there’s much learned this year, one thing we can all agree, the culture continues!”

Click here the complete lineup for this year’s NYLFF.