Red Carpet Rundown

Okay, in just 2 days, I've met all sorts of great (and great looking!) celebs.

Opening Night, 07/28
Benjamin Bratt is gorgeous and fabulously wonderful. He is charming, eloquent, thoughtful, sincere and just lovely. I was incredibly impressed.

Taliso Soto Bratt - also unbelievably sweet and genuine... and spectacular looking. I've decided Benjamin and Talisa give Brangelina a run for their money.

Whoopie Goldberg - Hilarious! PLUS - she chatted about us on today's The View. Can you believe it???? Total insanity.

Jill Hennessey - Again, a total doll. And, she's very beautiful. She and my mom bonded at the after-party. So cute, right?

Erika Alexander - super beautiful, super funny and super down-to-earth. Big fan.

Wednesday, 07/29
Calle 13 - I didn't really get to chat with them for very long, but they seem super nice and, well, you know, they're rock stars. Kinda cool! Plus, I just saw them perform @ Summerstage a few weeks ago so that's very groovy.

Vin Diesel - I also didn't get to chat with him for very long, but he was very gracious and generous. His girlfriend is a stunner and I felt like a dwarf next to her. These are the times you realize why some people are models and others aren't. ;)

John Leguizamo - As always, he is such a doll. I H-E-A-R-T John Leguizamo. He's just the best. Plus, he gave a great acceptance speech for the Tres Generaciones Tequila COA Award.

More updates to come...!

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

REGISTRATON IS OPEN!!

Photos from our awesome staff and volunteers on Saturday for our day of pre-production!




















Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

Media Blitz!

Holy cow...so much great media activity going on for the NY In'tl Latino Film Festival, NEXT WEEK! Check us out:

Today's NY Times Arts Section - The Listings
This weeks' Village Voice "Voice Choice"
Daily News: BIG piece this Sunday
Yesterday, Juan Caceres (programming director) was on Univision's morning show
Calixto was on the radio today chatting with none other than The Reverend Al Sharpton (check out Al's film, Trek to the Holy Land) and he also chatted with WBAI and HITN
We've had ads all week in Time Out NY, AM NY, Daily News and El Diario
Radio ads are running on WKTU and Amor
TV ads are running on WNBC and Telemundo

TOMORROW, Calixto and I will be on WNBC's Visiones (b/w 9:15-9:30AM) - we shot it yesterday with Lynda Baquero, who's a total doll

AND, this Monday, 07/27, Calixto and I are going to be LIVE on WNBC NY Nightly News with Chuck Scarborough sometime between 7-8:00PM (I'm crazy nervous but excited! Wish me luck - I've never done a live interview before...)

Have you seen us? More importantly, have you bought tickets? So many films, parties and celebs you don't want to miss. See ya on the red carpet on Tuesday!

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

Oh boy...getting close!

We are really down to the nitty-gritty details at this point. I had a great theater walk-through with the great clients at DIRECTV Mas. They're presenting our Closing Night film, The Line, and it's gonna be great. Plus, we locked in live music performances for the after-party at Prime and Ray Liotta is coming. I repeat - hot.

Tonight, our stylist, Oscar Montes de Oca (love him!), and I selected all of my NYILFF red carpet outfits for next week. We're all set and I'm so relieved. It's just one less thing to worry about.

Tomorrow AM, Calixto and I have an interview with Lynda Baquero from NBC's Visiones. Actually, I'm wearing an outfit Oscar and I picked out tonight!

Other news... Oh, we put the catalog to bed and I'm almost done with all event invites. Signage and step-and-repeats will be ready on Friday and, on Saturday, we're all going to the hotel to go through signage, and put together the registration bags and badges. Busy, busy...

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

Cinedulce DVD Pre-Sales!

We just completed Cinedulce's very first shorts compilation and it's now available for pre-sales. Shorts on the DVD include:

The Tree, dir. Paul Starkman
Viernes Girl, dir. Aurora Guerrero
Chronicles of a Hitman, dir. Yuri Alves
By Standing, dir. Karen Lin
Lola, dir. Betty Garcia


We're so excited! Check it out!

Liz.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

Is It Hot In Here or Is It Just The NYILFF?? (I know, doy...)

Of course, in this sweltering heat, I had several out-of-the-office meetings, which led me to the schvitzy subway one time too many. But, of course, I survived and managed to bust out a bunch of work. I had a great (2nd) walk-through at both of our theaters and a good meeting with our new hotel partner, The Roosevelt, which is s-w-a-n-k-y. Plus, the folks there are awesome. They're all so darn nice! If you're coming from out of state, you should definitely stay at The Roosevelt b/c 1. it's beautiful; and, 2. they are providing our guests special deals. Check it out:

To reserve rooms for the upcoming New York International Latino Film Festival, please contact Freedom Hospitality at: 1-888-447-5605 ext. 701 or via e-mail: Info@fh-corp.com and ask for the NYILFF rates. There are hotels ranging from ($179.00 for single or double rooms) around the festival venues. Special NYILFF rates are based on availability. Please book early.

All guests are subject to the hotel's check-in/check-out policy. All individual reservations must be cancelled 72 hours prior to arrival to avoid paying one night's lodging. The hotel will not be taking any direct reservation calls.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR THE 2009 NYILFF!! Confirmed celebs include John Leguizamo, Ray Liotta, Benjamin Bratt, Christina Milian, Calle 13, Ana de la Reguera, Jim Jones, Armand Assante, and that's just the beginning!

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

Gettin' It Done

We sold out our first film: "King of Paper Chasin'". How awesome is that?? So exciting! There's so much demand for those tickets that we're adding a second screening. Yep, you heard me - 2nd screening of "King of Paper Chasin'". Talk to me.

Did you see Aneudy in today's NYILFF ad in AM New York? The guy was flooded with calls. His star is rising so fast, we may have to let him walk the red carpet! ;-)

So, have I mentioned how busy I am during this final countdown to the festival? Riiight.

A snapshot of today: I...

...approved line signage and sent the 4 designs to the printer; reviewed step and repeats - made some changes and asked Michele to send them to the appropriate sponsors for review and approval; had a press conference call; had a Cafe Bustelo conference call; finished and submitted catalog credits; finished and submitted catalog thank you's; paid some pressing bills; discussed venue details for various after-parties; had customized Internet banners made for our friends at Remezcla and nocheLatina.com; planned tomorrow's NYLatinoFilm.com homepage redesign; reviewed with the relevant coordinator the processes for registration and volunteer meetings; chatted with Dennis about various HBO-related details; locked in the T-shirt design and approved the vendor; and, of course, answered about 75 emails and 25 phonecalls.

Now, that's called gettin' it done!

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

Nitty Gritty

If you only knew how many details go into producing this film festival, I swear you wouldn't believe it. Though the years, I have become quite the multi-tasker... even I'm impressed! ;-) Don't fear - I'll just give you select highlights.

First off, we had a very good meeting this AM with the team at Columbia University Alumni Auditorium, our theater venue for Dominican Night. That event is coming together beautifully.

Then, I scooted back downtown to our office in NoHo and busted out one conference call and email after another. We may have locked in a venue for a key after-party (thank you Buzz!) and tomorrow night I have a meeting with a club that may take care of 2 other after-parties (thanks for the intro, Pati!). Aw yeah!

I also received all of the NYILFF catalog sponsor approvals I was seeking and started working on signage (step-and-repeats, line signage, banners, etc.). Tomorrow we'll finalize the vendor for T-shirts and get those babies in production.

Oh, and it seems we may have ourselves an apparel partner (thank you, Oscar!). I may, indeed, have something to wear on our the NYILFF red carpets. I was getting NERVOUS. Phew!

Have you checked out this year's NYILFF films?? Whatcha waitin' for?? www.NYLatinoFilm.com

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

1st Taste Tuesdays: 07.14.09

Check it out... this weeks' Cinedulce content!

TELEDULCE
Ylse - Webisode 5
Ylse struggles with the consequences of speaking her mind.

Diva Speak TV, Season #2 Ep #20
WE STILL THE FUNNIEST SHOW NOT ON TV BIAATCH! SupaWoman-Natasha Richardson Big Up: Folks who are recession proof. Let Down: Trick Daddy has Lupus. Feature: SXSW rewind

Life Of A Struggling Actor Ep #20
Chill Day

URDULCE
"Automatic Writing"
Song by Elucid, Music video directed by Ali Santana

COMEDY
"Broken English"

NYILFF TICKETS NOW ON SALE!! CLICK HERE!

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

GET 'EM WHILE THEY'RE HOT...

Tickets for the 2009 NY Int'l Latino Film Festival are NOW ON SALE!!

I decided to upload one of the videos I was talking about in yesterday's blog. How cool are Danny and Casper?? Check it out. On Tuesday, we're going to post this and others on Cinedulce so check 'em out!


Today was crazy productive! I delivered almost every NYILFF print ad (Time Out NY, Daily News, AM NY, El Especial/El Especialito, The Hollywood Reporter), the NBC/Telemundo :15 NYILFF PSA, the NYILFF press kits to the fulfillment house (thank you Cafe Bustelo!!) and Dominican Night tickets to Heineken (long story). Plus, I had great calls with Cafe Bustelo and Tres Generaciones Tequila, wrote the NYILFF newsletter (which you hopefully received) and took care of some pressing invoices. And, of course, in between all of that was the usual barrage of emails, calls, discussions, decisions, etc. I mean, seriously, folks...

It's time for dinner and a cocktail. Have a great weekend.

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

Share UR Videos with the NYILFF!!

We discovered this UNBELIEVABLE trend: our Facebook friends are uploading homemade videos about the NY Int'l Latino Film Festival. Seriously! They're literally giving us props and encouraging folks to buy tickets. It's ridiculously awesome.

Casper Martinez. Danny Trejo. Jose Roldan Jr. You guys are amazing!! Please send us your videos so we can post them on all of our social networking profiles... and on Cinedulce!! We love your videos and want everyone to see them. In fact, anyone who shares a story with an original video, please send it to us so we can post it all over the place. Email Info@NYLatinoFilm.com.

NYILFF TICKETS GO ON SALE TOMORROW, FRIDAY, 07/10 @ NOON!!! WWW.NYLATINOFILM.COM

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

So, Um, Yeah...

Okay, so it's sort of a waste of breath (er, typing) to say I'm super busy these days because I think it's fairly obvious how incredibly nuts I'll be every day until the festival ends (and, even then, it's still pretty darn busy). So, um, yeah, there's a lot going on.

Some of today's to-do's: I... met with Vanessa, the NYILFF volunteer coordinator to organize a volunteer handbook; had a PR conference call to discuss NYILFF strategy and get a status report; finalized the revised Cinedulce description for the press kits; organized a bunch of conference calls with higher level NYILFF sponsors to discuss PR and production for their specific events; finalized all of the NYILFF panels; approved various pieces of artwork (as always); answered a ton of emails and calls; and, had an interview with Daily News. Phew!

And, now, I'm off to write my letter for the NYILFF catalog. Always a challenge...

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

1st Taste Tuesdays: 07.07.09

THE NYILFF SITE IS LIVE!!
CHECK OUT 2009 FESTIVAL FILMS, SHOWTIMES & OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS @ www.NYLATINOFILM.com. TICKETS GO ON SALE THIS FRIDAY, JULY 10!!

HBO Presents NYILFF
30 Sec Ad for 2009 NYILFF

Behind the Scenes 2009 NYILFF Campaign




Teledulce
Ylse - Webisode 4
Ylse has a tough go of it with the changes to her show format and her actions come with consequences she did not consider. Starring Ruth Livier, Marlene Forte and Alejandro de Hoyos with Guest Stars Jon Huertas, Raymond Cruz, Gabriel Romero, Martin Morales, Ivonne Coll, Jonathan Nichols, Yvonne De La Rosa; Directed by Joe Camareno

Ring Life James Kirkland Ep. 3 "Like Soldiers To War"
Follow James Kirland's journey to become a champion. For more on Ring Life, log on to HBO.com

Diva Speak TV, Season 2, Ep. 19
SupaWoman-Barbie BU-Russell Simmons "Art For Life" LD-Bebe Winans' Domestic Violance Saddest Moment in Black History: Whitney Houston

Life Of A Struggling Actor Ep #19
Enrique Gacia & Riley Ross Interview. Enrique Gacia's short film: "Portrait of Envy"

URdulce

REEL JOBS PSA Campaign
Series Synopsis: The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting has unveiled a public service announcement featuring New Yorkers who work in the production industry in an effort to thank local residents for hosting film and television production in their neighborhood. The campaign features local crew members who talk about their work experience in New York City.

REEL JOBS PSA Campaign: CINDY Make-Up Artist / Brooklyn resident

REEL JOBS PSA Campaign: DEBORAH Editor/ Manhattan resident

REEL JOBS PSA Campaign: HUGO Location Assistant/ Queens resident

REEL JOBS PSA Campaign: IRIS Light Technician/ Brooklyn resident

REEL JOBS PSA Campaign: PAT Location Manager/ Brooklyn resident

REEL JOBS PSA Campaign: REBECCA Camera Assistant/ Brooklyn resident

REEL JOBS PSA Campaign: STEPHEN Shop Craftsman/Brooklyn resident

REEL JOBS PSA Campaign: JONO First Assistant Director/ Brooklyn resident

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

Holy Madness, Batman!

Yes, I took off Friday to spend time with my family for the holiday. Yes, I didn't write a blog. Yes, I apologize, but you gotta keep your priorities straight. Of course, I still managed to squeeze in about 2 hours of work. But, other than that, it was all about the fam.

Now I'm back and crazier than ever! I'm trying to put together fifty (50) press kits amidst all of this other chaos. I tell ya, it's hard to focus on writing when the phone keeps ringing and email keeps pouring in. What's a girl to do?? Just keep plugging along, I guess. So, I just finished editing my bio, which was pretty outdated, and now I need to revise a Cinedulce overview because you know we're not sending out NYILFF press kits without info on Cinedulce! Now, that would be just silliness.

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com

Collateral Schmatteral

It's all about NYILFF collateral today (and yesterday): direct mail brochure, schedule of events, a couple of postcards and lots of print ads. Edit, edit, review, edit. Why is it that no matter how many times multiple people proof these things, there still seems to be some tiny error that sneaks in there? What is that about?? With literally 4 pair of eyes reviewing each doc. this year, I'm hoping to sidestep the post-printing "oh drats!" moment. Yes, I'm letting my perfectionist-freak flag fly high.

Besides that, we're working hard on the web site and catalog, and we're starting to lock in clubs for our many after-parties. Come on, you know we throw great parties! Dominican Night and Awards are already set; we're now working on Opening and Closing, and then onto other special events. Moving along...

Liz.
p.l.h.h.
Cinedulce.com
NYLatinoFilm.com