SYNOPSIS: Three vignettes, "The Domino Players", "The Secret Miracle" and "Point of View," are linked by telephone conversations being secretly listened to by Marcos, the main character. Navigating the fine line between comedy and tragedy, "107 Street" not only richly illustrates the particulars of ethnic life in one pulsating New York City neighborhood, it explores that world's universality.

SYNOPSIS: It’s the end of spring in Boston, Massachusetts and 16 year old America Hart Campos (Kristen Gonzalez) is looking forward to the end of school. With summer approaching, America has two issues, or so she thinks, she hates school and her aunt Carolina’s (Gy Mirano) alcoholic husband, Joey (Gilberto Arribas).  She passes the day shoplifting, hanging out with her friends and trying to avoid Joey. But after a life-changing event, America, whose Spanish is limited, is sent to Buenos Aires, Argentina to live with her reclusive and anti-american grandmother, Lucia America Campos (Ana Maria Colombo).

SYNOPSIS: Documentary film explores five worker-controlled factories in Venezuela through interviews with workers exploring their opinions, challenges and personal perspectives on the Venezuelan government's new policies which turned ordinary workers into self-managed worker collectives.  

SYNOPSIS:  Roberto (43) and Carmen (14) have been on the run for two days, escaping from their lives. An improvised trip, almost with no money nor shelter. The police chases them. The last day of the trip will be decisive. Inspired by a real life events.

Al final del espectro
Year: 2006
Country: Colombia
Director: Juan Felipe Orozco

SYNOPSIS: After suffering from an extremely traumatic event, Vega becomes agoraphobic and is forced to live like a hermit in an apartment that was once an abandoned gym.  She begins to see strange visions and witness the power of the supernatural.  A series of strange events coupled by her neighbor's obsession and the apartment's past, bring the story to a chilling climax.

SYNOPSIS: After 15 years in federal prison, Mariano Farias recruits the help of Juan Miranda to prove he is innocent of the murder of his pregnant wife.  Miranda is an alcoholic and the retired district attorney that originally prosecuted him.   Meanwhile, Angel Lugo, the corrupt police captain who is responsible for Faria's imprisonment, is trying to stay involved in his case.

SYNOPSIS: Before and After Kissing Maria narrates from the point of view of Raul, a 9 yr. old child from a small village in the Spanish countryside, his adventures to kiss Maria, his 12 year old cousin, who comes every summer to the village to spend her holidays.

Special Jury Prize - Temecula Valley International Film Festival 2006

SYNOPSIS: In 2002 Argentina experience an economic crisis that shifted the country from being one of the richest nations in Latin America to one of the poorest.  This film documents the grassroots democratic movement that grew from the crisis as well as the events that lead up to it.  In it we see the protests, worker-controlled factories, and barter fairs that gave hope to the people who were devastated from losing their jobs and having no access to their savings.

SYNOPSIS: Every day thousands of people leave their impoverished Central American homelands to cross into the USA. Crossing the Northern border of Guatemala into Mexico, they embark like outlaws on one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world. Carrying a small digital camera, the director traveled into this border-region of southern Mexico, where for many migrants the ‘American Dream’ becomes a Mexican nightmare. There, hope and doom are close together. This moving road-movie narrates the recurring chance meetings with Noé, a migrant from El Salvador. His agony tragically depicts a whole mankind on the move.

SYNOPSIS: A festive tropical Christmas in Puerto Rico is what Jennifer and Papotico are most looking forward to. Both youths are filled with musical talent, with dreams and hopes for the future. They practice diligently for the upcoming Christmas concert. Jennifer will perform her first violin solo, and has been awarded a very special music gift. Their innocence, zeal for life and special friendship are overshadowed by the social and economic issues of Puerto Rico. With a cast full of powerful performances, Bala Perdida, Based on a true story, will leave a chilling feeling in your bones with its tragic conclusion.  

SYNOPSIS: A narrative film about a 14 year old boy’s changing perspective and maturation process during the six months before he must move to the United States from his hometown of Petrópolis, Brazil.  A coming of age story shot entirely in Brazil, Before Take Off was screened at over 20 film festivals around the world and won six awards including Best Emerging Filmmaker for Writer & Director Thiago Da Costa at the San Antonio CineFestival. 

SYNOPSIS: On a secluded island off Rio, the carefree 45-year-old Rogério struggles to bring his recently engaged best friend back to the good life.

Guadalajara Film Festival 2007, Best Ibero-American Short
2007 Sundance Film Festival, official selection
Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival 2006, Best Narrative Short
Santa Maria da Feira Luso-Brazilian Film Festival 2006, Best Short,
Special Acquisition Award RTP TV

SYNOPSIS:  This documentary tells the fascinating and untold story of the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment, the only all-Hispanic unit in U.S. Army history. Nicknamed the Borinqueneers, the unit was praised for their performance in World War I, World War II and the Korean War.  However, they would face their greatest challenge in the fall of 1952, when a series of dramatic events resulted in more than 100 soldiers to be arrested.

Cannikins Wake
Year: 2008 ( Still in Production )
Country: USA
Director: Miguel Silveira *

SYNOPSIS: At the height of the Cold War, the island of Amchitka, Alaska became the target of nuclear weapons testing, leaving a scar upon the land and its native peoples. 

SYNOPSIS:  When Guillermo Locke, an American anthropology student travels to Brazil for the first time to study its "culture of violence" for his thesis, his journey is intertwined with the lives of " Mestre, " a respected leader and capoeira teacher and his twelve year old daughter.  With Carnival as their backdrop, their lives are changed forever.

SYNOPSIS:The shocking and compelling true story of two women; one savagely raped and tortured and the other the detective that makes this case her mission. Together united by destiny and tragedy they find strength in each other to reach their purpose of catching the criminals who committed such a brutal and violent crime. Their story presents the extremes to which a violent lover is capable of reaching when rejects and vulnerability of women involved in situations such as this one. It is based on the true story of the brutal attack and subsequent death of a young nurse in the hands of her former lover, the criminals who committed the assault, the investigation, and the trial of the accused.

SYNOPSIS: Following the format of his critically acclaimed "Dios los cria", Jacobo Morales presents in this sequel film three stories exploring human concepts from corruption to human solidarity.

SYNOPSIS: A documentary film about an Austrian Nazi now in his eighties living in Madrid, Spain.

SYNOPSIS: An old teacher befriends an aspiring cyclist while working through each of their personal issues to turn the young man into a cycling champion, with or without the necessary equipment or sponsors.

El Ultimo Bandoneon
Year: 2005
Country: Venezuela
Director: Alejandro Saderman

SYNOPSIS: Marian is invited to join a new tango band after auditioning for Rodolfo Mederos, one of the heirs of Astor Piazzolla.  However, before she can play with the group, she must replace her worn out bandoneon, the key instrument in tango, with a new one. Through her quest, we are given a portal into the history of tango, life in Buenos Aires, and the recently discarded gender prejudices that have existed within the tango culture.

SYNOPSIS: In Escape from Suburbia, director Gregory Greene uses expert scientific opinion, personal stories, and  touchign interviews to show how declining oil production around the world has already begun to affect life in North America

SYNOPSIS:  Through a collection of stirring photographs, dramatic footage, and incredible interviews, this documentary tells the story of Greenpeace's 35 year development from the beginning of the environmental movement in the 1970's to the groups fight to save the forests of Argentina.

SYNOPSIS: Three short stories inspired by the most conjugated verbs in Cuba today: enjoy, eat and leave.

Best Short Film - Havana Film Festival 2006, Cuba

SYNOPSIS: In Colombia, amongst grandparents, parents and grandchildren, we make-believe that if we eat the seeds of an orange, a small orange tree will grow inside our body. During our childhood, we truly believe this will happen one day…

Special Mention - 22nd Guadalajara International Film Festival 2007
Best Short Film - 47th Cartagena Cinema and Television Festival 2007
Best Short Film - Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival, 2007

SYNOPSIS:  Las Cruces was a peaceful farmer's village in Guatemela that was burned down during the country's civil war.  In this film, two of the survivors tell the truth about how their people were brutally murdered by elite government troops

Las vacas tambien lloran
Year: 2006
Country: Venezuela
Director: Ariel Silva *

SYNOPSIS: Juvenal is an illegal immigrnt suddenly caught in a misundestanding brought on by a his inability to speak English.

SYNOPSIS:  Linda Sara was the first Puerto Rican movie to be nominated for an Oscar.  It is about a family who is about to lose everything they have ever owned.  They decide to sell all the valuables within their house when a mysterious man arrives and buys everything.

SYNOPSIS: The movie tells the story of a recently retired widower who meets a mysterious young lady in his life, disrupting his daily routines

SYNOPSIS:  An apple falls into the earth and discovers life. When the apple sees itself as an individual, it starts to notice others. Good and bad. Cause and consequence, etc, etc, and other natural facts that the flesh has inherited. All of these experiences transform the apple. Somehow, it feels as it lost its center.

SYNOPSIS:Made in L.A. follows the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from trendy clothing retailer Forever 21. In intimate observational style, Made in L.A. reveals the impact of the struggle on each woman’s life as they are gradually transformed by the experience. Compelling, humorous, deeply human, Made in L.A. is a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find your voice.

Official Selection New York International Latino Film Festival
Official Selection Los Angeles Film Festival*

Muñeca
Year: 2007
Country: USA
Director: Roderick D. Giles & Mario Lopez

SYNOPSIS:  Pepe's best friend and inspiration, a fox terrier, has just died.  Now his friends are trying to force their ideas of the perfect woman onto him.  This is a story about finding love in the most unforeseen places.

*Cast & Crew in attendance*

SYNOPSIS:The winter season is almost here. In the snow chain packing section of a factory, the orders are piling up. Javier, the supervisor, asks upper management for additional personnel. Jairo is sent from another section while Karmentxu and Angela are hired through a temporary work agency, for two weeks. From 6am to 2pm, the four of them pack snow chains in silence, each of them at their own workstation. The meteorology announces a cold spell thus prolonging their stay at the factory. Almost without noticing, Angela starts breaking the work rules and little by little, the rules start changing. The work becomes a game and that cold and gray building the place to play. Nobody can imagine what is going on behind that iron gate. It is a secret shared just for the four of them. A world that survives thanks to the continuous snow. What is going to happen when the snow ceases to fall?

SYNOPSIS: Pedro Padilla explores deficiencies in the justice system and asks what happens when a man is placed in jail for a crime he did not committ and is finally released after more than a decade.

SYNOPSIS: A documentary look into the lives of Cuba's enanos, little people, their lives and stories of struggle in Cuban society.

SYNOPSIS:  Poison Dust tells the story of people who have been affected by the Iraq war:   three young soldiers with mysterious ailments, a veteran's daughter with birth defects, and thousands of veterans who are suffering or who are likely to suffer from uranium poisoning

SYNOPSIS: A young outsider is confronted with the harsh rituals of a rustic Mexican pueblo where cruelty underlies street-life and Catholicism alike.

SYNOPSIS: Pancho, a restaurant cook, finds himself taking cared of a litle girl turning his life upside down.

SYNOPSIS: Winner of a Silver Medal at the Park City Film Music Festival, Salsa Lessons is a romantic romp filled with music and sentimentality.

SYNOPSIS: Michael's frustration with the negative portrayal of Latinos in film and TV,  he decides to make his own movie.  Soon he learns about the trials and tribulations of making an independent movie.  His comedic and emotional journey helps him learn that he may want to do more than just make a movie

SYNOPSIS:Based on a true story, a group of 147 overworked and underpaid Colombian soldiers find the treasure they didn't seek; $46 million. The film is a surreal black comedy and follows 4 of the 147 soldiers who were part of the anti-guerrilla "Destroyer" battalion, and tells of their story leading up to and after finding the money. The soldiers decide to divide the money between themselves instead of giving the money to the Colombian government.   The discovery the soldiers made changed their lives. They no longer live in poverty and now are capable of achieving their dreams. Now they hope to return to civilization and make their dreams come true.

Suite Habana
Year: 2003
Country: Cuba
Director: Fernando Pérez

SYNOPSIS:Dawn breaks in La Habana, and as the day advances we follow the simple lives of ten ordinary Cubans, with only sounds and images accompanied by music. Considered a documentary masterpiece of Cuban filmmaking for its use of cinematic shots in a documentary and its intriguing use of everyday sounds sans dialogue.

Suite Habana depicts a day in a life of thirteen real people, from a ten-year-old child with Down Syndrome  to a 79-year-old lady who sells peanuts in the street.  The film uses only sounds and images to produce an emotive effect

SYNOPSIS: A teenager with a strange tatoo decides to embark on a personal journey to discover his identity and search for his birth mother,  the secret behind his live however lies upon the tatoo inked on his arm.

The War on
Democracy
Year: 2007
Country: UK/Australia/Bolivia
Director: Christopher Martin & John Pilger

SYNOPSIS: The War on Democracy is directed by Christopher Martin and award winning journalist John Pilger.  The film focuses on the political state of Latin America and examines how the United States intervenes in the foreign domestic policies as well as the American war on terrorism.

SYNOPSIS: At the Fringues Fashion Shop what counts is the arrival of the new fashion collection and the satisfaction of the clients. In the middle of the sales madness, a window mannequin observes the coming and going of the clients.  She wants to be like them. Soon, she realizes that the difference between her and the others “It’s what you wear”.

Best Short Film - Icaro Film Festival, Guatemala 2006

SYNOPSIS: Arturo, a down on his luck business owner falsifies documents to pass as a college student to find housing.  His struggle leads him to the home of old man whose manipulative ways drive Arturo crazy.

SYNOPSIS: In Colombia, an average of two people die every hour.  This statistic became a reality for Montreal-based filmmaker German Gutierrez. As he searches for the gunmen who tried to kill his brother his investigation reveals the violent side of life in Colombia