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2009 New York International Latino Film Festival and Cinelatino Announce Audience Choice Award Winners

Posted on: Monday, 3 August 2009, 15:36 CDT

NEW YORK, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2009 New York International Latino Film Festival and Cinelatino, the leading Spanish-language movie channel in the United States, proudly announce the winners of the Cinelatino Audience Choice Awards for Best Picture and Best Documentary at the conclusion of the tenth anniversary of the premier Urban Latino film event in the country.

The winner of the 2009 Cinelatino Audience Choice Award for Best Picture is El Regalo de la Pachamama by Toshifumi Matsushita (synopsis below).

The winner of the 2009 Cinelatino Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary is Stages by the Meerkat Media Collective (synopsis below).

"We are honored to participate in this prestigious event that recognizes all of the emerging Latino filmmaking talent from the U.S. and Latin America, and we are excited to present the Audience Choice Awards on behalf of the public, for whom these films are made," said Jim McNamara, President of Cinelatino.

The Festival was made up of a mix of highly-anticipated Hollywood premieres to independent films from filmmakers across the globe. 28 feature films and 19 documentaries competed for the Cinelatino Audience Choice Awards.

As the winners of the Cinelatino Audience Choice Awards, the directors of both categories will receive $1,000 on behalf of Cinelatino.

For more information on Cinelatino, visit www.Cinelatino.com.

About Cinelatino:

Cinelatino is the leading Spanish-language premium film channel in the United States, with more than 3.6 million cable and satellite subscribers on major cable, satellite and telephony providers throughout North America. Cinelatino offers the most current Spanish-language blockbusters and critically-acclaimed titles from Mexico, Latin America, Spain and the U.S. Cinelatino is jointly-owned by Grupo MVS, InterMedia Partners and Panamax Films.

About the New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF):

Celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2009, 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, free community events, scholarships, and a nationally recognized short film competition in partnership with HBO. The NYILFF has been endorsed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's NYC Latin Media and Entertainment Commission since its inception in 2003.

Synopsis: El Regalo de la Pachamama:

In the Salar de Uyuni, there is a 13 year-old boy, Kunturi, who lives a life much like any other boy in his village. But when his grandmother dies and his best friend moves away, he decides to embark on a trip with the llama caravan. For three months, he travels throughout the "Ruta de la Sal," exchanging salt for other Andes products, reluctantly bearing witness to an animal sacrifice in the snow-covered peaks and interacting with the indigenous cultures seemingly untouched by modernity.

But when the caravan arrives at its destination, the town of Macha where the "Tinku" Festival is taking place, Kunturi's life will be changed forever. There he finds the most beautiful girl he could have ever imagined, Ulala. Kunturi and Ulala share the same dream: "to run together across the immense white sea that is the Salar de Uyuni, until they reach the end of the horizon. Run time: 104 min.; Bolivia.

Synopsis: Stages:

In New York City's changing Lower East Side, a group of older Puerto Rican women are brought together with a group of inner city youths to create an original play from the stories of their lives. Over a twenty-week period, the participants confront stereotypes and examine their own histories, exploring themes of immigration, relationships, coming of age and growing older. Woven together, their stories take on new meaning, first as they are spoken across generations, and later when they are performed in a sold-out show. Responding to a political climate that assigns little value to community arts initiatives, "Stages" offers an intimate portrait of an unlikely ensemble, transformed by the liberating power of their own stories. Run time: 83 min.; USA.

SOURCE Cinelatino

Source: PR Newswire

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