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Sunday, July 29OPERACION PATAKON (Operation Patakon)
From dark films to offbeat comedies, to horror to the downright deadly. Welcome to NYILFF on the Edge, the festival’ genre category. Thirteen films, thirteen filmmakers that we are sure will have you talking long after you’ve left the theater. 
SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 29 | 4:00 PM
The Imaginasian Theater
239 East 59th Street
Synopsis An edgy comedy ripped from today’s headlines, Operacion Patakon tells the story of the Spanish Secret Service and the Dominican police, which team up to prevent the smuggling of a secret weapon and break up a ring of international terrorists. But nothing is at seems. Additional Screening: Wednesday, July 25 THE STARTUP
SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 29 | 2:00 PM
Florence Gould Hall
55 East 59th Street
Synopsis Friends from Queens decide to move to the city together where they hope to experience the fast-paced glamorous world of Manhattan. Once settled into a run-down Harlem brownstone, they soon realize dreams don’t happen overnight. So, to stay afloat, they turn their place into an illegal youth hostel. The start-up business brings them money and beautiful foreign women traveling through, but things take a turn for the worse as chaos and high jinks quickly ensue. ADDITIONAL SCREENING: FRIDAY, JULY 27 MADE IN L.A.
SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 29 | 7:15 PM
JCC in Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave @ 76th St
Synopsis Los Angeles is now the country’s center for apparel manufacturing, but many of its factories bear a disturbing resemblance to New York City’s early 20th century sweatshops. Made in L.A. is the intimate story of three Latina immigrant garment workers, Maria, Maura and Lupe, who join the growing struggle for better working conditions, and, as a result, must endure a tumultuous three-year battle to bring a major clothing retailer to the negotiating table. As shocking as it is informative, Made in L.A. is a story of hope and transformation, bringing to light modern attitudes about the value of people and the work they do, globalization, women’s rights and the experience of immigrants today. ADDITIONAL SCREENING: THURSDAY, JULY 26 THOSE I LEFT BEHIND
SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 29 | 1:00 PM
JCC in Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave @ 76th St
Synopsis Separated by the sea and trapped by the politics of governments, Cuban families on either side of the Florida straits have endured nearly half a century of separation and loss. Filmed in both the United States and Cuba, this documentary explores the ties that bind four Cuban-American families in the United States to their relatives still living on the island and sheds light on the controversial new travel restrictions imposed by the US government. Too often, this film reminds us when the price of politics comes due; it is human beings who are forced to pay it. Additional Screening: Wednesday, July 25 BRAGGING RIGHTS
SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 29 | 1:00 PM
JCC in Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave @ 76th St
Synopsis To the uninitiated, stickball is merely inner city baseball, played with broomstick bats and manhole covers for bases. To its players and fans, however, stickball is so much more than that. A uniquely New York institution that has now spread to cities across America, stickball has been around for one hundred years and continues to bring together different communities, mend racial tensions and foster life-long friendships and neighborhood leadership. From its humble beginnings to this very day, stickball has been more than a game. It’s a way for new immigrants to become American. ADDITIONAL SCREENING: Wednesday, July 25 MISSISIPPI CHICKEN
SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 29 | 3:00 PM
Tinker Auditorium
(inside Florence Gould Hall)
55 East 59th Street
Synopsis Questions of race, workers’ rights and exploitation form the crux of this intriguing documentary about Latin American immigrants living in rural Mississippi, where poultry plants promise jobs but little else. Shot on Super 8mm film, which gives it a lustrous, saturated color, Mississippi Chicken reveals the textures, moods and struggles of the New South. ADDITIONAL SCREENING: WEDNESDAY, JULY 25 638 WAYS TO KILL CASTRO
SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 29 | 6:00 PM
Florence Gould Hall
55 East 59th Street
Synopsis Controversial and mischievous, 638 Ways to Kill Castro explores the history of the relationship between the U.S. government and Cuba through the countless American attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro. The plots range from the brilliant to the outlandish (poisoned boots, toxic cigars, exploding softballs) and are recounted by the people who were there: both the men who tried to kill Castro and those who successfully thwarted their efforts. Though an exciting story of espionage and international relations that exposes the truth behind America’s relentless obsession with eliminating Castro, 638 Ways… also serves as an exploration of American foreign policy right up through the 21st century and the War on Terror. But at its center is a story of a man who wouldn’t die. ADDITIONAL SCREENING: Wednesday, July 25 SHORTS PROGRAM: HARD KNOCK LIFE
SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 29 | 5:30 PM
Director’s Guild Theater
110 West 57th Street
Synopses ANTES Y DESPUES DE BESAR A MARIA (Before and After Kissing Maria) 8 MIN / COLOR / 35 MM NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Ramon Alos Antes y Despues de Besar a Maria narrates from the point of view of Raul, a 9-year-old boy from a small village in the Spanish countryside, who tells of his adventures to kiss Maria, his 12-year-old cousin, who has come for her annual visit. CAMION DE CARGA (Truck) 8 MIN / COLOR / 16 MM NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Juan Sebastian Jacome An ill Central-American mother risks her life in order to give her son a better future in the United States. EL BOLERO (The Shoeshine) 13 MIN / COLOR / DIGITAL NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Rob DelGaudio Amid the bustle of Mexico City, a lonely widower encounters a kind bolero (shoe-shiner) with unique powers to restore more than worn leather. El Bolero is a short, romantic film with a universal theme that reminds us of how the power of true love is much stronger than reality. EL SOL DEL MOVIMIENTO: EL PRINCIPIO (The Sun of Movement: The Beginning) 8 MIN / COLOR / 16 MM NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Andres Torres - Vives An old woman remembers a long forgotten story of a boy, his drawings in the earth, and the creation of man and woman. FATHER FIGURE 6 MIN / COLOR / DIGITAL NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Adam Schlachter A hardened young man is forced to deal with his forgotten past when, on a desolate beach, he encounters a stranger– an older, gospel-preaching man, who is also his long-estranged father. HERO THE GREAT 13 MIN / COLOR / DIGITAL WORLD PREMIERE Director: Juan Caceres Life can’t get any worse for Hero until he finds himself resurrecting a friendship, recovering love and saving his soul in the dawn of the summer blues. PRIMERA COMUNION (First Communion) 13 MIN / BLACK AND WHITE / 35 MM NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Daniel Eduvijes Carrera Not even God will save young Eleuterio from the ultimate rite of passage. TRACKS OF COLOR 13 MIN / COLOR / 16 MM US PREMIERE Director: Federico Castelluccio Set against a backdrop of the South Bronx, Tracks of Color is a coming of age tale about a group of celebrated artists known as the ‘Tats Crew’. As art becomes the focus of Luis Martinez, Jr.’s life, he challenges his father and rejects the life his parents have laid out for him. When Luis, Sr. forbids him to continue with his graffiti, he fights for it and, in the end, wins over his father, memorializing his father’s talent and strength in art. Additional Screening: Wednesday, July 25 SHORTS PROGRAM: DESPERATE MEASURES
SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 29 | 12:00 PM
The Imaginasian Theater
239 East 59th Street
Synopses 3:52 12 MIN / COLOR / 35 MM NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Shawna Baca Kate, a troubled young woman and alcoholic, must experience a spiritual journey to recover and face the inner demons haunting her. She must stand at the gates of her own personal hell and walk through them as she delves into her childhood memories, triggering her painful past. AMALIA 14 MIN / COLOR / DIGITAL WORLD PREMIERE Director: Luis D. Ortiz Amalia, a young Bolivian, decides to follow in her father’s footsteps and travel to the United States. She doesn’t qualify for a visa, however, so she aims to obtain one on the black market. ESPERANDO (Waiting) 7 MIN / BLACK AND WHITE / 16 MM NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Michael Flores An expectant mother illegally crosses the US-Mexico border, only to find that life on the other side isn't what she had hoped for. LABERINTO INFERNAL (Infernal Labyrinth) 7 MIN / COLOR / DIGITAL NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Sixto Melendez Inspired by numerous true stories of undocumented immigrants crossing the desert in search of a better life in the United States, Laberinto Infernal is a tragic tale which examines the duality of human nature, from the darkest human compulsion to the ultimate human sacrifice. LOLA 15 MIN / COLOR / DIGITAL WORLD PREMIERE Director: Betty Marisol Garcia Lola, a passionate young Latina, is trapped in a web of lust, drama and confusion. Far away from her sheltered life back home in South America, she longs for freedom to pursue her dreams and make it in New York City. Lola lends up running for her life in a bizarre scenario filled with strange characters and thrills. MARIPOSA (Butterfly) 14 MIN / COLOR / 16 MM Director: Elvira Carrizal In Mariposa, an overzealous high school photographer crosses the border from El Paso, Texas into Juarez, Mexico, after learning about another woman’s body being found in the desert. Armed with her camera, she ditches school and goes to document the tragic murders of hundreds of women. MUERTAS (Dead) 9 MIN / COLOR / 35 MM NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Ryan Piers Williams Located an arm’s length from El Paso, TX, Juarez, Mexico is a city known for its industrialization, drug trade and brutal crimes. Since 1993, over 500 women have disappeared in Juarez. Over 400 of them have been found murdered. Ethan, a young American journalist, travels down to Juarez to write a story about the women of Juarez who want to escape to America. When he finds Araceli, a young maquiladora (assembly plant) worker, he helps her illegally cross the border, going against all ethics to get his story. SOLEDAD IS GONE FOREVER 14 MIN / COLOR / 16 MM NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Mabel Valdiviezo Soledad Is Gone Forever is a psychological drama that explores the chilling consequences of political persecution through the eyes of Soledad Gonzalez, a young Chilean photographer living in San Francisco. TELL ME SOMETHING 7 MIN / COLOR / DIGITAL NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Charlie Cartaya A woman encounters second thoughts on her life choices. But is anyone really listening? ADDITIONAL SCREENING: WEDNESDAY, JULY 25 SHORTS PROGRAM: INSTANT KARMA
SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 29 | 5:15 PM
JCC in Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave @ 76th St
Synopses BOLETOS POR FAVOR (Tickets, Please) 14 MIN / COLOR / 35 MM US PREMIERE Director: Lucas M. Figueroa A story of a train, a pursuit, and only one way to escape. CHRONICLES OF A HITMAN 20 MIN / BLACK AND WHITE / DIGITAL NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Yuri Alves While professional hitman, Xavier, is on the run from mysterious assassins, his greatest challenge erupts from within his tortured soul. As Xavier desperately searches for sanity, his destiny unexpectedly becomes intertwined with the fate of an innocent woman. EL CANTO DEL GRILLO (The Song of the Cricket) 17 MIN / COLOR / 36 MM NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Dany Campos Joseba Perurena, a young terrorist, wants to start a new life together with his girlfriend. However, cutting ties with the past is never an easy thing to do, especially when the consequences have not fully been considered. JASON 5 MIN / COLOR / DIGITAL WORLD PREMIERE Writer: Vladimir Lik Director: Vladimir Lik A priest, having led a tumultuous life, envisions himself committing bizarre and violent acts. He begins to question his faith and becomes entangled in a heated debate with God, leading to thoughts of suicide. REPLAY 6 MIN / COLOR / DIGITAL NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Reynier Molenaar One morning a retired track runner awakens to find that his motel room is being burgled. After he discovers his stopwatch counting down, he gives chase and catches the thief, only to reveal the shocking truth of his identity. SHELTER 13 MIN / COLOR / 16 MM NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Michael Carreno Luke has just pulled off a daring robbery in broad daylight. Things don’t go according to plan and he is forced to hide in a nearby garage, where he is discovered by the12 year-old Sara. Moments away from making a clean escape, Luke learns of Sara’s tragic situation that leaves him stuck between a rock and a hard place. THE GRASS GROWS GREEN 19 MIN / COLOR / 16 MM NEW YORK PREMIERE Director: Jesus Beltran From behind the recruiting office desk a Marine's complicated relationship with life and death unfolds. The Grass Grows Green explores the internal struggle of a man bound by honor and duty to recruit the best and the brightest for an uncertain future away from the familiar violence of the 'hood. ADDITIONAL SCREENING: WEDNESDAY, JULY 25  |
