July 9 – July 14
Lovers of Dominican cinema are about to get their fix on. The 7th Annual Dominican Festival In New York is back people. This year’s festival is bigger than ever, featuring almost 90 films in various venues throughout Manhattan but mostly Uptown. The festival kicks off on July 24 at the venerable United Palace with El Fantasma de Mi Novia (The Ghost of My Girlfriend). The Dominican film industry has been growing by leaps and bounds and has been releasing outstanding films at a rapid clip. The Dominican Film Festival in New York has become the official pipeline for that prodigious output. Simply stated, if you enjoy Dominican films then it doesn’t get better than the Dominican Film Festival In New York. Check out more at www.dominicanfilmfestival.com.
Speaking of film festivals, the 15th Annual New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) goes down from August 22nd through the 26th. The festival has become the premier urban Latino film event in the country. For the NYLFF Opening Night festivities, none other than living salsa legend Rubén Blades opens the festival with the New York premiere of Yo no me llamo Rubén Blades (Rubén Blades Is Not My Name). Directed by the critically acclaimed Abner Benaim, Yo no me llamo Rubén Blades is a deeply personal and moving documentary about an icon and his struggle to come to terms with his legacy.
To rezone or not to rezone; that is the question? That query is riling Uptown with many community members and elected officials coming out against the proposed Inwood Rezoning. Our good friend Robert W. Snyder and the author of Crossing Broadway: Washington Heights and the Promise of New York City penned an outstanding op-ed that provided a history lesson on affordable housing in New York City and the need to reimagine what is possible.
On the latest episode of the Latinos Out Loud podcast the crew chop it up about Rachel’s racy maternity pics, the Thai soccer team cave drama and the Fourth of July. The special guest this week is Calixto Chinchilla who is the founder of the aforementioned New York Latino Film Festival. Uptown’s own Mino Lora of the People’s Theatre Project also makes an appearance on the hilarious podcast.
Keep checking us out at www.uptowncollective.com.
Led Black
Editor-in-Chief
The Uptown Collective
The UC’s mission is to become “the” definitive, transformative and community-based force impacting the arts, culture, business and New York City’s overall perception of Upper Manhattan. Its objective is to reset, reboot and positively redefine Uptown’s artistic, political, cultural and business spheres via the online space as well the collective’s initiatives and functions.
