The New York Latino Film Festival, Presented By HBO, To Kick Off Opening Night With Icon Ruben Blades And The Documentary 'Ruben Blades Is Not My Name'

The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF), the nation's largest and most diverse Latino film festival, and a touchstone of the nation's thriving multicultural cinematic movement, kicks off its 15 th edition on Wednesday, August 22 nd with the New York premiere of the film "Ruben Blades Is Not My Name." Directed by critically acclaimed director, Abner Benaim, the film stars Ruben Blades, Sting, Paul Simon, Residente, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Larry Harlow, Andy Montañez, Ismael Miranda, Junot Diaz, Luba Mason, among others. The star-studded documentary offers an intimate portrait of Ruben Blades, revealing the artist's struggle to come to terms with his legacy and influence in elevating Salsa music to an international scale.

This year, the NYLFF will showcase a diverse slate representing 17 countries, spanning all genres and formats including features, shorts, documentaries, web series and experimental films featuring, about and/or for the U.S. Latino community. Highlights this year include: HBO Documentary Films "The Sentence," which explores the devastating consequences of mass incarceration and mandatory minimum drug sentencing and USA Today's, "The Wall," looking at the impact, and unintended consequences of President Trump's $20 billion promise to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Other notable selections include "La Palabra de Pablo/ The Word of Pablo," a sexy and tragic film-noirish take on William Shakespeare's "Othello" featuring a wealthy family in contemporary El Salvador; "Rich Kids," a vibrant portrait of six troubled teenagers ongoing challenges like economic disparities, gentrification, displacement, and evictions faced through the lens of Latino and Afro-Latino American youth in South Houston; "Heredera del Viento/ Heiress of the Wind," a highly personal and searing documentary about torture, tragic deaths, doubt, and disillusionment in Nicaragua, "Canal Street," a heart-pounding tale of faith and justice as a high school teen from the South Side finds himself at the center of a murder investigation, among many others. For a full list of programs and locations, click here.

"We are proud to be celebrating our 15 th year of serving and empowering our community. This important festival, in celebration of inclusion, aims to highlight our untold stories, unique experiences and daily realities in this country. It is important now, more than ever, that we provide a strong platform for emerging and established filmmakers to showcase films that audiences can truly identify with. NYLFF is you," said Calixto Chinchilla, Founder of NYLFF.

This year, NYLFF will present, once again, "FUTURO," a digital conference presented by Google and Driven Society, on August 22 rd at the Google NY Headquarters. The one-day conference will feature leading digital thought-leaders, executives, and social media influencers, whom will participate in panel discussions on the most innovative and upcoming trends in the Latino digital space.

Sponsors

The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) is presented by HBO. Major sponsors include American Airlines, Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo. Additional support provided by WarnerMedia's OneFifty, Hennessy, Google, Driven Society, AARP, USA Today, SociedAD, The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Third World Newsreel, AMC Independent, The Hispanic Federation and Everybody Digital. For sponsorship and brand partnership opportunities, please contact: Info@NYLatinoFilmFestival.com

About the New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF)

The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) is the nation's premier Urban Latino film event founded by Calixto Chinchilla. Since its inception in 1999, each year, the NYLFF brings together more than 20,000 movie fans and industry executives for a celebration of culturally relevant and entertaining experiences that aims to build audiences for Latino cinema, support the film community with professional development and foster relationships for Latino talent. Programming includes the flagship film festival in New York City, the Futuro digital conference, competition programs, as well as community programs. For more information on NYLFF, please visit www.NYLatinoFilmFestival.com.

To connect with NYLFF on social media, follow us on Facebook (@NYLatinoFilm), Instagram (@NYLatinoFilmFestival), and Twitter (@NYLFF). #NYLFF

About HBO

HBO is one of the most respected and innovative entertainment brands in the world, serving iconic, award-winning programming to 142 million subscribers globally. A subsidiary of WarnerMedia, HBO is the world's most successful pay TV service with an extensive array of programming that includes some of the most notable titles to be on television including Game of Thrones, Big Little Lies, Westworld, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Band of Brothers, and The Wire. In the United States, HBO and sister network Cinemax are available across multiple platforms including HBO On Demand, Cinemax On Demand, HBO GO and MAX GO, as well as HBO NOW. Internationally, HBO branded services, including television networks and the standalone streaming product HBO GO, are available in more than 70 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. HBO and Cinemax programming is also sold into more than 150 countries worldwide.