The New York Latino Film Festival Marks 25 Years September 13-21, Opening With Joel Alfonso Vargas’ ‘Mad Bills To Pay’ and Celebrating Michelle Rodriguez With an Encore of ‘Girlfight’ and The NYLFF Impact Award

NEW YORK, NY — August 28, 2025 — (NOTICIAS NEWSWIRE) — The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) celebrates its 25th anniversary September 13-21, 2025, with a weeklong showcase of film, music, and culture. The nation’s premier Latino film festival will screen 120 films from 15 countries at Regal Union Square (850 Broadway, NYC), along with a special presentation at United Palace (4140 Broadway, NYC).

As part of its milestone festivities, NYLFF will present an encore screening of Girlfight (USA, 110 min., 2000), followed by a post-screening Q&A and full cast reunion. Karyn Kusama’s Sundance-winning debut—starring Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious) as a fierce Brooklyn teenager who defies expectations to pursue boxing—honors the festival’s roots and mission to champion bold Latino storytelling. Rodriguez, who made her screen debut in Girlfight and won the Independent Spirit and Gotham Awards for Best Debut Performance, will also receive NYLFF’s Impact Award in recognition of her influential legacy and representation of Latinos in film.

This year’s festival officially opens with the Sundance Award-Winning film Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, Dile Que No Soy Malo) (USA, 101 min., 2025), a gritty Bronx tale of young love, hustle, and community directed by Joel Vargas and starring Juan Collado and Destiny Checo. Presented by Amazon MGM Studios, the weeklong celebration culminates with a free block party in Quisqueya Plaza (Broadway and Dyckman Street), featuring a live performance by 2x Latin Grammy nominee J Noa (Nohelys Jiménez), a 19 year-old Dominican rapper, singer, and songwriter from San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. For more information on NYLFF 2025, visit www.nylatinofilmfestival.com.

“Marking 25 years of NYLFF is profoundly personal for me. This milestone celebrates the people, stories, and culture that have shaped who we are. Since the beginning, we’ve fought to create a space where Latino voices are seen, heard, and valued. It’s a testament to our community’s resilience, creativity, and power. This year’s lineup is our most ambitious yet—a love letter to the audiences, artists, and supporters who’ve stood with us every step of the way. I am deeply grateful to our corporate and studio partners whose belief in our mission has fueled our growth and impact,” said Calixto Chinchilla, Founder, New York Latino Film Festival.

In celebration of this anniversary year, the iconic United Palace in Washington Heights will host a special screening of A Tiro Limpio (Dominican Republic, 100 min., 2025), the pulse-pounding action drama directed by Jean Gabriel Guerra and starring Frank Perozo, Manny Pérez, and Celinés Toribio, who also serves as executive producer. Set against the gritty streets of the Dominican Republic, the film follows a tense collision of loyalty, vengeance, and survival, brought to life through explosive action and layered storytelling. Adding to the festival’s musical heartbeat, La Salsa Vive (2024, 102 min., USA) charts the electrifying journey of Afro-Antillean salsa from its New York roots to its revival in Cali, Colombia. A project supported by Warner Bros. Discovery’s OneFifty and NYLFF Cinematics, the film weaves together archival treasures, legendary voices—including Rubén Blades, Henry Fiol, Johnny "Dandy" Rodríguez, Samuel Formell, Ángel Lebrón, and Willie Rosario—and high-energy performances to honor the genre’s enduring legacy.

"WBD is proud to return to NYLFF as the presenting sponsor, especially in this milestone 25th anniversary year, and honored to have been the founding sponsor since day one. We’re thrilled to continue celebrating the richness of Latino filmmaking with its audiences and community," said Dennis Williams, SVP and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Warner Bros. Discovery.

"We are proud to support the New York Latino Film Festival, which provides a rich and diverse slate of programming representing several countries, as part of the city's celebration of Latino Heritage Month,” said Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Pat Swinney Kaufman. "A huge congratulations to Calixto Chinchilla and his entire team on the festival's continued expansion and 25th anniversary milestone! We look forward to not only this year's festival, but another 25 years to come."

Festival Highlights

This year, NYLFF will once again present an exciting line-up of feature films in various forms, including feature, documentary, and shorts from the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Highlights include Aguadilla (2025, 107 min., Puerto Rico/USA), a tale of desire, deception, and survival, as a wheelchair-bound ex-surfer (Lou Diamond Phillips) becomes entangled in a dangerous triangle with a Dominican migrant couple on the shores of Puerto Rico.

Winner of Berlinale’s inaugural Perspectives and Best First Feature awards, The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) (El Diablo Fuma...) (2025, 97 min., Mexico) is Ernesto Martínez Bucio’s debut about five siblings in 1990s Mexico City confronting grief, superstition, and darkness after their parents vanish. Part of this year’s dynamic shorts lineup, A West Side Story Story, executive produced by Luis Guzman (Wednesday) follows a Puerto Rican theatre director whose ambitious “authentic” staging of the iconic musical begins to crumble. Music lovers can also enjoy Papota (2025, 17 min., Argentina/Uruguay), Martín Piroyansky’s wild, wacky ride following trap/hip-hop duo CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso as they bask in their Tiny Desk fame while falling under the sway of a sinister Svengali.

The FUTURO Digital Conference returns, presented by Audible and Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages produced by Project Feel, with a day-long forum spotlighting top content creators and distributors, mobile app companies, and mobile technology leaders targeting the market. Featured speakers include Tim Rivera (Subway Mania), content creator Jasmine Ruiz, Amaurys Grullon (Bronx Native), and more. To complement the Festival, FUTURO presents NATIVES (Episode 1), a web series directed by Brittany Franklin that follows a group of unapologetic, queer, native New Yorkers navigating life, friendship, and love in the projects of NYC. Additional screenings include Born 2 Lose (Dir. Carlos Cardona), a mid-2000s coming-of-age dramedy about a 16-year-old Latino punk rocker searching for belonging beyond the Hamptons, and Fake It ’Till You Make It (Dir. Eugenia Renteria), a sharp Spanglish workplace comedy where an accidental HR hire swaps company policy for matchmaking, gossip, and gleeful chaos.

Sponsors

NYLFF is presented by Warner Bros. Discovery, with HBO as a Founding Partner. Official Partners include Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo, Regal, AARP, with additional industry support from the Motion Picture Association. Participating sponsors include Amazon MGM Studios, Audible, Café La Llave. Partner sponsors include Metro Health Plus, Key Bank, Shutterstock, Ford Motor Company, Spanglish Films, Caribbean Films, Third World Newsreel, and Talento Unlimited. The Futuro Digital Conference is presented by Audible and Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages. Programming for NYLFF Uptown is provided by the support of Council Member Carmen De La Rosa of District 10, and The United Palace.

This event is also made possible with the support of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. For sponsorship and brand partnership opportunities with the country’s leading Latino and multicultural film organization, please contact Talento Unlimited via email at team@talentounlimited.com.

About The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF)

Since its inception in 1999 by Calixto Chinchilla, the New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) has solidified its standing as the nation’s premier Latino cinematic event. With a core mission to cultivate audiences for Latino cinema, strengthen the film community, and foster collaborations within the entertainment industry, NYLFF has become a beacon for Latino creatives across multiple mediums.

Its diverse programming includes the flagship film festival, the Futuro Digital Conference, a national touring series reaching multiple markets across the country, and the award-winning marketing arm, AGENCY NYLFF, celebrated for its innovative and culturally resonant campaigns. NYLFF also proudly partners with One-Fifty, Warner Bros. Discovery’s artist studio, to champion original voices and nurture groundbreaking storytelling under the NYLFF Cinematics banner.

For more information, visit www.NYLatinoFilmFestival.com and follow NYLFF on Facebook (@NYLatinoFilm), Instagram (@NYLatinoFilmFestival), and Twitter (@NYLFF).

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