New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The 8th Dominican Film Festival in New York City (DFFNYC) announces its official program with 70 films being featured as the biggest and only celebration of the Dominican film industry outside of the Dominican Republic. It offers a program boasting a wide range of genres - from comedy to thriller and drama to romance - along with an homage to the classics. DFFNYC starts on Tuesday July 23, 6:30pm, with a red-carpet event and opening night ceremony that includes the N.Y. premiere of the multi-awards winner film "Lo que siento por ti" (What I Feel For You) by Raul
Camilo at the United Palace Theater (4140 Broadway, bet. 175th - 176th Streets).
Director Raul Camilo, producer Luis Arambilet, and actors Felix Germán and Josue Guerrero will be present for a Q&A after the screening. All foreign language films are subtitled in English.
"Lo que siento por ti" weaves three stories about the challenges of disabled children and their parents in this feature film debut. Ana, mother of two autistic sons, struggles daily with the misconceptions her neighbors and relatives have about autism.
Jorge and Diana are finally going to be parents after trying for so long; they will now have to give their disabled son the same love they feel for each other. Luis, a young man with Down's Syndrome, earns a spot on the Special Olympics of Latin
America in Puerto Rico, which he receives training from his selfless father.
"The Dominican community comprises the largest
Latino group in New York City, and the Dominican Film Festival has been instrumental in highlighting the City's vibrant cultural exchange with the Dominican Republic," said Anne del Castillo, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. "We congratulate them on their eighth year and applaud their ongoing efforts to promote both established content creators and a new generation of Dominican filmmakers."
Running July 23-28, 2019, under the slogan "Ama Tu Cine", DFFNYC will screen in 5 venues across Manhattan with the CINEPOLIS CHELSEA (260 W 23rd St and 8th Ave. NY, NY 10011) as its main venue. More than 100 actors and filmmakers will be in town to participate in Q&As and panel discussions, which are free and open to the public.
"The festival seeks to give film lovers the most emblematic showcase of the stories that are made in the Dominican Republic today, while we gather the most representative film experts and personalities from our island and its diaspora under a single roof. Dominican cinema is enjoying a prolific moment worthy of recognition and this year's program is as diverse as our people. We are bringing the best of the Dominican Republic to all our attendees," says Armando Guareño, DFFNYC's Founder and Executive Director.
The Centerpiece of this year's festival, the drama filled "El Closet" (The Closet), is directed by
Miguel Vasquez. It tells the story of Jose, a priest who travels to Mexico that unexpectedly gets trapped in the closet of a matrimonial room. He then tries to find the means to get out and save his life, but it is not easy to leave the place without the risk of dying. Therefore, he asks for help from all sectors of society. It has been raved as the most controversial film of the Dominican cinema.
One of the highlights of this year's festival is a special retrospective of "Porfirio Rubirosa, The Legend of a Playboy." This trilogy shows the misadventures of the famous jet-setting Dominican playboy who has been speculated to spy for dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. He was widely praised for his extravagant lifestyle and legendary sexual prowess with women. Manny has argued in Hollywood that Rubirosa was director Ian Fleming's main inspiration for the
James Bond films.
One of the treasures of the festival is the international premiere of the documentary "Solano". The film explores the life of Rafael Solano, a singer-songwriter and composer of "
Por Amor"—a song that has been recorded by more than one hundred different voices by artists such as
Gloria Estefan, Lucho Gatica,
Marco Antonio Muñiz, Vikki Carr, Jon Secada, and Plácido Domingo, among others; and re-recorded in dozens of languages and has obtained success in more than 60 countries.
The spotlight of the festival, "La musiquita por dentro," by director Ernesto Alemany tells the story of Ariel, a reserved and timid young man who falls in love with Mar, a companion at his internship at a large company. After a beautiful friendship that eventually grows into a sentimental relationship,
Vanessa appears, causing conflict that seems irreconcilable.
DFFNYC offers a rich and diverse program that includes the DFFNYC Official Competition, a powerful compilation of narrative films and documentaries dedicated to display the talents of established directors alongside the new movement of groundbreaking filmmakers from the island. The special programs include "The Dominicans in Fashion" that shows how fashion and film are two artistic disciplines with a complex relationship. Also the "Family Day-Out", on July 24-26, at Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center, which the program will present films for all ages. And it is a free event. Also included in the slate of screenings are programs dedicated to short films such as "Dominicans in the Diaspora", which exhibits talented Dominican filmmakers who choose to tell their stories away from home for various reasons, and "Short Films - Big Stories", a cinematic celebration and powerful demonstration of new and emerging filmmakers from the Dominican Republic and the diaspora competing for Best Short film.
The festival closes on Sunday July 28, 7:00pm, with the NY premiere of "La Isla Rota" (Broken Island), directed by Felix Germán. The film tells the story of Guy, a Haitian boy escaping from poverty who has to witness the murder of his parents at the Dominican border. Taken in by a Haitian couple who adopts him, Guy grows up working in the country's sugar cane fields. He wants to seek revenge on Abes, the man who murdered his parents, but the October 1937 military massacre of more than 30,000 Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent ordered by the dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo forces Guy and newfound love Meuda to escape to Haiti in search of a new life.
One of the most important goals of DFFNYC is to offer remarkable discussions and panels with filmmakers and talents, as well as a rare chance for one-on-one conversations with directors, actors, and producers. This year's line-up of masterclasses, panels and workshops include:
● Crossing Fronteras", "Dominican Male Actors in Hollywood"
Panelists: Juan Fernandez, Manny Perez, Elvis Nolasco, Algenis Soto Perez, Jayden Michael
July 24, 5:00pm at Viacom (Lodge 1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036)
● New Voices - New Faces: The Actors
Journey in the Dominican Republic
Panelists:
Hector Anibal, Josue Guerrero, Eva Arias, Anthony Alvarez, Dulcita Lieggi
July 26, 5:00pm at The NY Times Building (242 W 41st St, New York, NY 10036)
● Dominican Women and Film: Claiming Their Spotlight
Panelists: Wendy Regalado,
Patricia Solano, Olga Valdez, Dulcita Lieggi
July 26, 6:00pm at The NY Times Building (242 W 41st St, New York, NY 10036)
● Market Analysis on Film Tourism, The Dominican Republic Case by Yvette Marichal (General
Director of the Dominican Republic Film Commission - DGCINE)
July 26, 7:00pm at The NY Times Building (242 W 41st St, New York, NY 10036)
● The Art Of Fashion In The Dominican Cinema
Panelists: Albania Rosario, Angie Reyn,
Sofia Montes
July 27, 6:00pm at Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center (530 W 166th St, New York, NY 10032)
● The Art of Acting
A master class led by actor Juan Fernandez
July 28, 10:00am at Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center (530 W 166th St, New York, NY 10032)
● How to Make a Film and Not Die Trying
by Michael Toribio
July 28, 1:00pm at Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center (530 W 166th St, New York, NY 10032)
1984: El otro abril (1984: The Other April)
Reyvin Jáquez Grullón | 2019 | 88 min
DFFNYC 2019 screening venues are:
CINEPOLIS CHELSEA
260 W 23rd St and 8th Ave. NY, NY 10011
Subways: 1, E, C to 23rd Street
UNITED PALACE
For Opening Night Film
Tickets available at the United Palace starting at 3:00pm, July 23rd
4140 Broadway (at 175th Street)
New York, N.Y. 10033
Subways: 1 and A to 168th Street / Bus: M7, M100, to 168th Street and Broadway
SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN
FREE EVENT
Misión Estrella (Star Mission)
Subways: 1 and A to 168th Street / Bus: M7, M100, to 168th Street and Broadway
COMISIONADO DOMINICANO DE CULTURA
541 W 145th St #2, New York, NY 10031
Subways: 1 and A to 145th Street
ALIANZA DOMINICANA CULTURAL CENTER
(FREE ADMISSION)
530 W 166th St, New York, NY 10032
Subways: 1 and A to 168 Street
GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS: $15
OPENING & CLOSING NIGHT: $30
OPENING & CLOSING NIGHT with afterparty: $125
Follow Us: @dffnycofficial #DFFNYC2019 #AMATUCINE #DFFNYC #ELCINENOSUNE
For further information, visit our site: https://www.dominicanfilmfestival.com
The complete list of films, schedule and high-resolution photos are available on the DFFNYC website: https://www.dominicanfilmfestival.com. For interviews with Armando Guareño and filmmakers contact Diana Vargas at 917-658-7735 /
[email protected].
ABOUT DFFNYC
The 8th annual Dominican Film Festival in New York (DFFNYC) runs July 23-28, 2019 under the slogan: "Ama tu cine." The program includes a variety of cinematic genres and formats- and all films are from the Dominican Republic and/or co-produced with countries such as Spain, France and the U.S. The festival offers a platform for members of the Dominican film industry wherein both new and established filmmakers can promote their work to the public, establishing DFFNYC as a premier cultural event for New York City.
Organized by Cine Art Entertainment Productions, its roster of sponsors includes Hon. Council member Ydanis Rodriguez, The NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Dominican Tourism Board- Ministry of Tourism and the support of, Spectrum, Delta Air Lines, The Hispanic Federation, Dirección General de Cine (DGCINE), The New York Times, Barcelo, Edge Hotel, El Diario La Prensa, Viacom, La Casita de Producciones, Presbyterian Hospital.
Additional sponsors include Festival de Cine Dominicano, Alta Travel, ARPR, Caribbean Cinemas, Duende Films, AMC Independent, Plus Vodka, Columbia University Medical Care. DFFNYC 2019 media sponsors are: Telemicro,, El Especialito, Manhattan Times. Other sponsors are: Agape Luxury Cars, Alta Travels, Papi Wine, Arrow Wines, Tenth Ave NY Tapas Bar Restaurant, Cañave, Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center Catholic Charities, Viacom, And Comisionado Dominicano de Cultura.
