NY INTERNATIONAL LATINO FILM FESTIVAL CLOSES!

After a week of working with the Latino Film Festival, I am so full of new thoughts, ideas, and hope. I met so many amazing people and I am truly inspired by all that I have witnessed. Got to see some dope films. One in particular, Benjamin Bratt's "La Mission" was really powerful and shed light on some important issues that take place in our communities everyday. I actually got to sit in his seat during the film and politicked with some big names in the industry. John Leguizamo came through for his film "Where God Left His Shoes" and even Whoopi Goldberg dropped in to watch a movie. "Don't Let Me Drown" was a tight film that played on Dominican Night in Washington Heights. "Kiss of Chaos" was another interesting one featuring a very respectable cast of talent.

"Machetero" left me with mixed feelings. I was looking so forward to seeing the film but by the end of it, I feel that it used the word Machetero in a way that propensiated an unwanted stereotype. Unwanted for me anyway. The idea of revolution is a heavy topic. Serious revolution that is. Machetero refers to the idealogy of fighting for Puerto Rico's independence. However, I think they extended its use in a way that can be misconstrued by children who are not as aware of the historical figures often quoted in the film. Everything has context. I just think they took things too far by waving guns at the camera and having a Puerto Rican strapped to a bomb with the name of Jihad on the screen. I disagree with their approach but respect their attempt to speak up for themselves. I met the director and he seemed to be a cool cat. I'm honestly still trying to marinate my thoughts.

Other than that, most of the other films that I wanted to see, I only got to watch in 15-20 minute intervals. I was often too busy running to make moves for the next film coming in. Working with the festival turned out to be really fun. Lots of laughs and good moments. Mainly because the NYILFF staff was composed of people who were honestly incredibe and beyond hospitable. Overall, I'm grateful. Looking forward to next year's festival. Much Love & Light.