Latino Film Festival in New York

Distinct from the Hola México Film Festival I mentioned last month that also begins this week (23 to 29 July), New York City also hosts the New York International Latino Film Festival, presented by HBO and beginning tomorrow. It runs from 22 to 27 July. Click here for more information.

Also, ongoing in Mexico is the a film festival in the state of Guanajuato (XI Festival de Cine Expresión en Corto). It began in San Miguel de Allende running 18 to 22 July and continues from 23 to 27 in the Guanajuato Capital city. Deepa Mehta spoke today at a public conference in San Miguel. The Indo-Canadian director praised Mexican filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro (with whom she shared the 2007 Oscar nomination in the foreign film category) and Carlos Reygadas, but also spoke out against police inaction on crimes against women since 1994, especially in Ciudad Juarez. Read more.

Meanwhile, Gael García Bernal’s directorial debut Déficit has just screened at Ischia. Expressing his desire to get back behind the camera, the actor-director said, “I liked to learn the grammar of cinema with low budget film, and a small crew.” Read more.