[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 126 (Thursday, August 2, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1696-E1697]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATING THE NEW YORK LATINO FILM FESTIVAL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 1, 2007

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, today I rise to congratulate one of my 
constituents, Calixto Chinchilla, on the completion of what has quickly 
become a New York film tradition: the New York International Latino 
Film Festival.
  This past Sunday, Chinchilla and a group of dedicated volunteers and 
sponsors closed out another fantastic 5 days of film screenings and 
panels for the eighth straight year. Chinchilla, then a young marketing 
executive, founded the festival in 1999 to showcase the talent of the 
growing Hispanic community, at home and abroad.
  Its crazy to think that despite's New York's immense Latino talent, 
there has never been a consistent side-by-side display of Spanish-
language and English language films from all of Latin America and the 
U.S. But there wasn't. So he pulled together an event that looked to 
shatter stereotypes that society had about Latinos with films that came 
from all over the Hispanic Diaspora and that challenged notions that 
both mainstream society and the Latino community had when it came to 
race, ethnicity and class. He sought to do this in an environment where 
Hollywood could meet independent cinema, so that fresh faces could be 
brought to the stage and longtime community voices could be heard.
  The journey has not been perfect, yet Chinchilla, current co-
Executive Director Elizabeth Gardner and enthusiastic mix of veterans 
and newbie volunteers always seem to pull it off bigger and better each 
time around. Although many of the films are shown downtown, Chinchilla 
has made a habit of bringing the festival to other parts of the city 
during and after the summer festival. The only local festival to 
feature a night exclusively dedicated to Dominicans, NYILFF this year 
will also treat my constituents in Washington Heights with a family day 
filled with games, activities and movies for children.
  I submit into the record two articles from the New York Daily News 
that provide a little more information about this year's showcase. It's 
just another example of the great body of artistic talent that has 
called and will continue to call Northern Manhattan home.

             [From the New York Daily News, July 25, 2007]

                        Pictures of Latino Life

                         (By Roberto Dominguez)

       It took a few years for aspiring director Bruno Irizarry to 
     get around to making a movie about the trouble many Latino 
     actors have finding quality, nonstereotypical roles.
       But Irizarry didn't hesitate when it came to submitting his 
     feature-length film, ``Shut Up and Do It!,'' to the one 
     festival he knew would appreciate it.
       The comedy is among the 80 or so features, shorts and 
     documentaries at the New York International Latino Film 
     Festival, now in its eighth year of showcasing new movies by 
     or about Hispanics.
       The festival was founded in 1999 by Calixto Chinchilla, at 
     the time a Warner Bros. marketing employee, who felt the need 
     to counteract the dearth of Latino themes and characters in 
     mainstream movies.
       ``Shut Up and Do It!'' is about a down-on-his-luck Latino 
     actor compelled to make his own movie--and cast himself in 
     it--because of a lack of good parts.
       ``To have my first film accepted into the festival has been 
     a totally amazing experience,'' says Irizarry, 40, who 
     directed the film together with Veronica Caicedo and also 
     cast himself in a leading role--as a struggling actor.
       ``Most of the stuff in the movie has really happened to me 
     as an actor trying to make it in New York,'' adds Irizarry.
       ``Like the characters, I was fed up and tired of casting 
     directors seeing me for roles like `Garbage Man No. 1.' But 
     being in this festival has allowed me to start off my 
     directing career with a bang, because it's so well-
     established.''
       That wasn't always the case. The first year's festival 
     screened just a handful of movies at a community center in 
     midtown that Chinchilla rented for a couple of nights.
       It has since expanded into the largest event of its kind, 
     with movies from both established and emerging filmmakers 
     from across the U.S., Latin America and Spain. They're 
     presented in several Manhattan locations, along with panel 
     discussions, free outdoor screenings of classic movies (like 
     ``West Side Story'') and themed evenings like Dominican 
     Night--with the backing of corporate sponsors eager to tap 
     into the buying power of the U.S. Latino market.
       As the number of submissions from around the world has 
     grown into the hundreds, so has the festival's reputation and 
     prestige.
       Director Alfredo De Villa, whose first feature, the low-
     budget drama ``Washington Heights,'' was a festival darling 
     five years ago, has seen his career grow as a result.
       All three of his films have been screened at the fest over 
     the years, and De Villa has gone on to work with several name 
     actors, including Dominic Chianese of ``The Sopranos'' and 
     Heather Graham, who star in De Villa's drama ``Adrift in 
     Manhattan.''
       ``It's definitely like coming home,'' says De Villa of the 
     festival. ``As long as they'll have me, I'll keep bringing 
     them movies.''
       In recent years, the festival has also become a springboard 
     for bigger-budget projects--``El Cantante,'' produced by 
     Jennifer Lopez and starring Marc Anthony as troubled salsa 
     singer Hector Lavoe, is premiering at this year's fest before 
     it hits theaters in August.
       But according to Chinchilla, the true measure of the 
     festival has been giving locals like Sonia Gonzalez the 
     chance to display their work.
       ``They've always been very supportive of Latinos, but now 
     it's become a really visible showcase for first-time 
     filmmakers,'' says Gonzalez, whose documentary on New York 
     stickball, ``Bragging Rights,'' premieres today.
       ``To have a feature [at the festival],'' she adds, ``makes 
     you feel like a celebrity.''
                                  ____


             [From the New York Daily News, July 11, 2007]

      City's Latino Film Fest Is Back: Better, Stronger, Feistier

                            (By Lewis Beale)

       Talent-driven. That's the word on the eighth annual New 
     York International Latino Film Festival, running for six days 
     from July 24 to July 29 at venues around the city.
       ``This year is all about growth,'' says festival Executive 
     Director Calixto Chinchilla. ``Filmmakers are doing stronger 
     stories. It's really about new talent; we have a lot of 
     first-time filmmakers, and the stories are amazing.''
       Chinchilla points, for example, to ``The Startup,'' in 
     which some friends from Queens decide to move to Manhattan 
     and eventually turn their Harlem brownstone into a youth 
     hostel.
       Describing the film as ``like `Swingers,' '' Chinchilla 
     notes how it shows that local Latino filmmakers ``are raising 
     the money, doing it by any means, and doing it well.''
       And it's not just New Yorkers who are an emerging film 
     force. This year, the festival (nylatinofilm.com) is 
     showcasing movies from Puerto Rico, which is experiencing a 
     cinematic rebirth.
       ``Puerto Rico has recently begun to offer tax incentives to 
     anyone who shoots on the island,'' Chinchilla says, ``so you 
     are getting stronger filmmakers who are getting the kind of 
     support they've never had before. Puerto Rico is really 
     committed to its cinema now.''
       But wait. There's more. Much, much more among the 80 films, 
     including full-length features, shorts and documentaries.
       Premieres include ``El Cantante,'' the highly anticipated 
     Jennifer Lopez-Marc Anthony bio of salsa singer Hector Lavoe; 
     ``El Muerto,'' a film Chinchilla describes as ``like `The 
     Crow,' '' a comic book adaptation done well, and ``Trade,'' a 
     film about international sex traffickers and featuring Kevin 
     Kline.
       ``Trade,'' says Chinchilla, is ``real, raw, sad and was 
     written by [Jose Rivera], the guy who wrote `The Motorcycle 
     Diaries.' It's not for everybody, but it's a powerful piece 
     and doesn't pull any punches.''
       Chinchilla, who also co-founded the festival, is 
     particularly proud of this year's edition because of the way 
     it has expanded to include more than just theatrical 
     presentations.
       ``This year is more event-driven,'' he says. ``There are 
     more activities. There are outdoor screenings. It's become 
     more than just a sit-down-in-a-theater thing. This was not in 
     the original plan, but we've grown with the community.''
       So those who want to watch the Sharks and the Jets go at it 
     again can see ``West Side Story'' at a free outdoor screening 
     at Riverbank State Park on Saturday the 28th.
       Panel discussions range from subjects dealing with women in 
     film to how to pitch a film project to top producers and 
     directors.
       A free family day sponsored by the Cartoon Network features 
     games and outdoor 'toon screenings. Dominican night will 
     highlight the premiere of ``Yuniol,'' a film from the island 
     nation about two young men from wildly different social 
     classes who interact in interesting ways.
       And there are numerous documentaries, shorts, a ``Rewind'' 
     section with screenings of ``Carlito's Way'' and ``Crossover 
     Dreams,'' plus feature films from Mexico, Chile, Cuba

[[Page E1697]]

     (``El Benny,'' about orchestra leader Beny More), Spain and 
     Brazil.
       Add it all up and it comes to this, Chinchilla says: ``This 
     is the most exciting roster we've ever had. It's diverse, 
     focused, a solid slate of films.''

                          ____________________