LATINO FEST HIGHLIGHTS
Spending every day in an air-conditioned movie theater sounds pretty good right about now, doesn’t it?
The New York International Latino Film Festival is kicking off its eighth annal addition, so if you’re a cinephile looking for a little respite from the heat, check out some of these compelling flicks.
‘Trade’
The Latino Film Fest kicks off with this raw film about a 13-year-old girl from Mexico City who is kidnapped by sex traffickers. Stars Kate Del Castillo and Kevin Kline.
July 24, 7 p.m. Directors Guild Theater, 110 West 57th St, between Sixth and Seventh avenues. $25.
‘Adrift in Manhattan’
Alfredo de Villa wrote and directed this story about three characters (Heather Graham, Dominic Chianese and Victor Rasuk) struggling with loneliness in a crowded city.
July 25, 8:15 p.m. Florence Gould Hall, 55 E. 59th St., between Park and Madison avenues. (646) 723-1428 or nylatinofilm.com. $11.
‘Yuniol’
Dominican director Alfonso Rodriguez captures the dualities of the rich and poor in this coming-of-age tale about two young men from opposite sides of the tracks. Stars some of our favorite Dominicans: Shalim Ortiz, Frank Perozo, Carityn Goico, Milly Quezada and Cuquin Victoria.
July 26, 7 p.m. Directors Guild Theater, 110 West 57th St, between Sixth and Seventh avenues. (646) 723-1428 or nylatinofilm.com. $25.
‘El Muerto’
Javier Hernandez’s cult Latino comic book hits the big screen with Wilmer Valderrama as Diego de La Muerte, a young man who is killed and resurrected by the Aztec God of Death.
July 26, 8:15 p.m. Florence Gould Hall, 55 E. 59th St., between Park and Madison avenues. (646) 723-1428 or nylatinofilm.com. $11.
‘Bella’
The hunky Eduardo Verástegui plays Jose, a former soccer star working as a cook in his brother’s restaurant, where he meets Nina (Tammy Blanchard), a waitress who changes his life forever.
July 2 at 8:15 p.m. Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th St., between Park and Madison avenues. (646) 723-1428, nylatinofilm.com. $11.
‘El Cantante’
Marc Anthony is legendary singer Hector Lavoe in the summer’s most anticipated biopic, starring Jennifer Lopez as El Cantante’s Bronx-bred wife Puchi. “El Cantante” closes the festival.
Opens August 1. Various venues. (212) 777-FILM.
CHECK OUT:
‘My Grandfather, My Father and Me’
Colombian directors Dago García and Juan Carlos Vásquez explore teenage love, married love and mature love in this 2005 flick about three men struggling with affairs of the heart.
July 30, 8 p.m. Queens Theatre in the Park, Flushing Meadows Park, Corona, Queens. (718) 760-0064 or Queenstheatre.org. Free with reservations.
‘Piratas en el Callao’
Eduardo Schultdt’s 3D-animated adventure sails off when nine-year-old Alberto travels back in time to a 17th century fortress in the Peruvian port of Callao.
August 4, 1 p.m. Queens Theatre in the Park, Flushing Meadows Park, Corona, Queens. (718) 760-0064 or Queenstheatre.org. Free with reservations.
‘Zuzu Angel’
Set in 1970s Rio de Janeiro, Sergio Rezende’s latest film tells the true story of a famous fashion designer and her political awakening after military forces kill her activist son. Brazilian collective AfroReggae, who fuse rap, samba, funk, capoeira and other sounds, get things started.
August 5 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central Park Summerstage, Rumsey Playfield, mid-park at 72nd Street and Central Park West. Free. (212) 360-2777 or Free.
‘O Céu de Suely’
Director-writer Karim Ainouz’s tender film, shot in beautiful Northeastern Brazil, centers on a young woman who raffles off her body (“a night in paradise”) after being abandoned by the father of her newborn son.
August 15 through August 28. Film Forum, 209 West Houston St., between Sixth Avenue and Varick Street. (212) 727-8112. $11.
‘Manda Bala’
This harrowing documentary, which translates to “Send a Bullet,” focuses Brazil’s dark side: corrupt politicians, kidnappings and plastic surgery.
August 17. Angelika Film Center, 18 West Houston St, at Mercer Street. (212) 995-2000. $11.
‘West Side Story’
A gang fight is about to break out at Brooklyn Bridge Park, when the Sharks and the Jets battle it out in this all-time classic.
August 23, sunset. Water St. and New Dock Street, Brooklyn. (718) 222-9742. Free.
‘The Hottest State’
Ethan Hawke directed this romance about William (Mark Webber) a young actor, who falls in love with a beautiful singer played by Colombian actress Catalino Sandino Moreno.
August 24. Various venues. (212) 777-FILM. $11.
‘Ladron Que
Roba a Ladron’
This Mexican heist film follows a pair of bumbling thieves who reunite to rob the biggest thief they know.
Opens August 31. Various venues. (212) 777-FILM. $11.