8th Annual The Americas Film Festival New York Virtual Cinema Opens Monday, June 21

The Americas Film Festival New York opens its Virtual Cinema again for its eighth edition (www.TAFFNY.com), offering audiences in the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) the opportunity to enjoy and celebrate the rich diversity of the stories, languages, and cultures of the Americas from the comfort of their home. The 8th TAFFNY runs online from June 21-27, 2021, to present six feature films and more than 25 short films of exceptional quality online and free of charge.

TAFFNY Virtual Cinema, in partnership with Instituto Cervantes New York, opens on Monday, June 21 at 5:30pm, with the newest crowd-pleaser from Oscar-award-winning director Juan José Campanella (The Secret in their Eyes) The Weasels' Tale (El cuento de las comadrejas). The Weasels' Tale is a biting comedy about a group of eccentric film veterans from Argentina's Golden Age of cinema- a beautiful starlet, an actor in the twilight of his life, a witty screenwriter, and a cunning director- who live together in a mansion. Their unusual life is turned upside down when the house becomes the target of young real estate developers, forcing the elderly inhabitants to come together and conspire to drive the couple away and keep their home.

Dr. Juan Carlos Mercado, Dean of the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education of CUNY (CWE) says of this year's festival: "The festival has become a platform to continue with CWE's mission, which is to create bridges of understanding between the various cultures that make up our student body with the stories and filmmakers of The Americas."

TAFFNY, in partnership with the National Museum of the American Indian, closes on Sunday, June 27, starting at 4:00 pm, with director Loretta Todd's debut feature film Monkey Beach, based on Edna Robinsons' beloved novel of the same name. After Lisa (played by Secwépemc actor Grace Dove) is served notice by her cousin's ghost to return to her native village, she sets out on an epic journey to save her brother and contend with the mystical creatures that lurk in the woods nearby. A film about reconnection with the land, its denizens and the secrets it holds, Monkey Beach is also a testament to Indigenous women's ability to not just endure trials but emerge from them empowered. Following the screening is an interactive Q&A with director Loretta Todd and actor Grace Dove, that will be live-streamed on TAFFNY's Facebook and Youtube pages.

"This year under the motto knowledge is power in TAFFNY, we want to highlight the work that filmmakers make to discover and provide different angles and facets of historical events that as human beings it is up to us to understand," says Artistic Director Diana Vargas.

The Americas Film Festival New York opens its Virtual Cinema again for its eighth edition (www.TAFFNY.com), offering audiences in the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) the opportunity to enjoy and celebrate the rich diversity of the stories, languages, and cultures of the Americas from the comfort of their home. The 8th TAFFNY runs online from June 21-27, 2021, to present six feature films and more than 25 short films of exceptional quality online and free of charge.

TAFFNY Virtual Cinema, in partnership with Instituto Cervantes New York, opens on Monday, June 21 at 5:30pm, with the newest crowd-pleaser from Oscar-award-winning director Juan José Campanella (The Secret in their Eyes) The Weasels' Tale (El cuento de las comadrejas). The Weasels' Tale is a biting comedy about a group of eccentric film veterans from Argentina's Golden Age of cinema- a beautiful starlet, an actor in the twilight of his life, a witty screenwriter, and a cunning director- who live together in a mansion. Their unusual life is turned upside down when the house becomes the target of young real estate developers, forcing the elderly inhabitants to come together and conspire to drive the couple away and keep their home.

Dr. Juan Carlos Mercado, Dean of the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education of CUNY (CWE) says of this year's festival: "The festival has become a platform to continue with CWE's mission, which is to create bridges of understanding between the various cultures that make up our student body with the stories and filmmakers of The Americas."

TAFFNY, in partnership with the National Museum of the American Indian, closes on Sunday, June 27, starting at 4:00 pm, with director Loretta Todd's debut feature film Monkey Beach, based on Edna Robinsons' beloved novel of the same name. After Lisa (played by Secwépemc actor Grace Dove) is served notice by her cousin's ghost to return to her native village, she sets out on an epic journey to save her brother and contend with the mystical creatures that lurk in the woods nearby. A film about reconnection with the land, its denizens and the secrets it holds, Monkey Beach is also a testament to Indigenous women's ability to not just endure trials but emerge from them empowered. Following the screening is an interactive Q&A with director Loretta Todd and actor Grace Dove, that will be live-streamed on TAFFNY's Facebook and Youtube pages.

"This year under the motto knowledge is power in TAFFNY, we want to highlight the work that filmmakers make to discover and provide different angles and facets of historical events that as human beings it is up to us to understand," says Artistic Director Diana Vargas.

Films offer us the opportunity to explore the complexities of truth-a reminder that headlines rarely tell the whole story. This year's program includes documentaries and narrative features that open our eyes to the people behind the breaking news and history book excerpts. Documentary Women in Blue by Deirdre Fishel offers an unprecedented view into the inner workings of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), chronicling a department-and a community-grappling with racism and a troubled history of police misconduct. Filming both before and after George Floyd's murder, Fishel follows four female MPD officers as they navigate the changing department, offering a compelling inside look at the complex intersection of gender, race, and the limits of reform within an ethically questionable institution. Colombian filmmaker Marta Hincapié Uribe shares an intimate portrait of her own family to tell the story of 50 years of violence in her country. Her documentary, The Reasons of the Wolf (Las razones del lobo), follows the memories of an atypical family from a typical, wealthy Colombian neighborhood: the father the former mayor of Medellín and the mother a leftist academic.

TAFFNY partners with the Havana Film Festival New York to present two Cuban films that add human layers to the conversation surrounding U.S.-Cuban relations. Roberto Salinas' Cuban Dancer is a captivating, coming-of-age documentary that follows talented 15-year-old Alexis Valdes, who leaves behind his promising future at Havana's Cuban National Ballet to move to Florida with his family, and pursue ballet perfection in an alien environment. Silvio Rodríguez: My First Calling (Silvio Rodríguez: Mi Primera Tarea) by Catherine Murphy is a short but powerful documentary- a first-person account of world-beloved Cuban trovador (poet-musician) Silvio Rodríguez's experiences of the youth brigades during the 1961 Cuban Literacy Campaign.

Films offer us the opportunity to explore the complexities of truth-a reminder that headlines rarely tell the whole story. This year's program includes documentaries and narrative features that open our eyes to the people behind the breaking news and history book excerpts. Documentary Women in Blue by Deirdre Fishel offers an unprecedented view into the inner workings of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), chronicling a department-and a community-grappling with racism and a troubled history of police misconduct. Filming both before and after George Floyd's murder, Fishel follows four female MPD officers as they navigate the changing department, offering a compelling inside look at the complex intersection of gender, race, and the limits of reform within an ethically questionable institution. Colombian filmmaker Marta Hincapié Uribe shares an intimate portrait of her own family to tell the story of 50 years of violence in her country. Her documentary, The Reasons of the Wolf (Las razones del lobo), follows the memories of an atypical family from a typical, wealthy Colombian neighborhood: the father the former mayor of Medellín and the mother a leftist academic.

TAFFNY partners with the Havana Film Festival New York to present two Cuban films that add human layers to the conversation surrounding U.S.-Cuban relations. Roberto Salinas' Cuban Dancer is a captivating, coming-of-age documentary that follows talented 15-year-old Alexis Valdes, who leaves behind his promising future at Havana's Cuban National Ballet to move to Florida with his family, and pursue ballet perfection in an alien environment. Silvio Rodríguez: My First Calling (Silvio Rodríguez: Mi Primera Tarea) by Catherine Murphy is a short but powerful documentary- a first-person account of world-beloved Cuban trovador (poet-musician) Silvio Rodríguez's experiences of the youth brigades during the 1961 Cuban Literacy Campaign.

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