This week is the 9th Annual New York International Latino Film Festival, and so far all I can say is…well, I can’t really say anything. The quality of the programming is so high, and the walks between venues so long, that I’ve lost my grasp on the English language. I’ve yet to see a bad movie, and even my recent viewing of the ridiculously awesome THE DARK KNIGHT hasn’t dulled my excitement at seeing such a diverse, talented group of filmmakers in action. I’d like to take a moment and feature some of my faves up to this point:

A DAY’S WORK - A sixteen minute film by director Rajeev Dassani with enough outstanding performances and nail-biting moments to fill a feature, this short delivers a striking view of the imbalances created by US immigration policy. And when I discovered that the film was shot without rehearsals and entirely improvised, my appreciation for the work skyrocketed. I’d like to say SEE THIS FILM, but there aren’t many opportunities for a work like this to find a wide audience. (apart from IndiePix, of course…) Just another reason to get out to the festival!

THE LINE - A migrant father and son run out of water while attempting to cross the border and are forced to reach out for help. But they pick the wrong ranch house, and the results are heart-wrenching. Anyone can relate to this story, regardless of race or background. This HD short by director Kent Bassett had me in tears.

PVC-1 — Whoa… Okay, so take a story about a wife and mother forced to become a suicide bomber when a gang of masked rebels attach an explosive device around her neck; add in stark, high definition cinematography; and top it off with the fact that the entire film is ONE TAKE, NO CUTS — and you’ve got the lowest budget edge-of-your-seat thriller I’ve ever seen. The last And the twists…lord help us all. Based on a true story, and a huge splash at the ‘07 Cannes Film Festival, this one will be sure to make the theaters some time soon. Keep an eye out, because it is not to be missed. [And see Jordan's comments from the Seattle Int'l Film Fest back in May which you can find here.]

MANCORA - This is a quintessential summer movie. No superheroes. No Will Smith. No painful Hollywood hype-til-you-can’t-take-it-anymore. But enough beauty, sensuality, debauchery, and exotic locations to leave you dreaming of a romantic life of adventure. The film follows Santiago, a 21-year-old from Lima drifting through life after his father’s devastating suicide, who decides to take a trip to Mancora, a dreamy beach community of young beauties, crazy parties, perfect surfing, and stupid stupid amounts of alcohol. But this carefree trip get complicated when Santiago’s stepsister (and childhood crush) decides to crash his vacation, bringing her husband along. Beautiful people behaving badly, in the middle of an unforced coming-of-age story, with phenomenal cinematography and a tap-happy soundtrack. Well done to the director, Ricardo De Montreuil. Take a date to this one, folks. Trust me.