HBO and the New York International Latino Film Festival Announce Winner of Latino Filmmaker Competition

HBO and the New York International Latino Film Festival Announce Winner of Latino Filmmaker Competition

Winning project to premiere at festival's 2005 celebrations, July 26 to July 31

NEW YORK, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- HBO and the New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF) announced the recipient of the 2nd Annual Latino Filmmaker Competition. The winner, writer/director Aurora Guerrero, received a $15,000 grant from HBO to produce and direct a short film based on her original script "Viernes Girl" ("Friday Girl"), the story of how sibling rivalry takes a turn when a brother and sister discover they have more in common than they think. Guerrero completed the 6-minute film in time for it to premiere during the NYILFF's 2005 festivities, July 26 to July 31.

"When I found out I had won the NYILFF/HBO short script competition I was both honored and super excited. I immediately saw this as an opportunity for myself and my creative team to continue to grow as artists," Guerrero states. "I must admit, making a film from beginning to end in just over a month has definitely better prepared us for when we are ready to shoot our first feature film. I'm grateful to the NYILFF and HBO for supporting filmmaking that dares to be truthful and original."

A San Francisco native, Aurora was raised by Mexican immigrant parents and received her BA in Psychology and Chicano Studies from UC Berkeley, later obtaining an MFA in film directing at Cal Arts. Since then, Aurora has directed short films that have traveled the film festival circuit, most notably her recent short, "Pura Lengua," which was accepted into the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Based on the strength of her first feature length script, "Mosquita Y Mari," Aurora was awarded the 2005 Sundance Ford Fellowship and selected to participate in the Hedgebrook Writers-in-Residency program. Her accomplishments as an emerging writer/director also gained her admission into the IFP/LA Project: Involve program. Aurora assisted director Patricia Cardoso on her debut feature, HBO Films' "Real Women Have Curves," which won the Audience Award at Sundance in 2002. She co-founded the Los Angeles-based Womyn Image Makers (WIM) and is a filmmaking member of Chica Luna Productions, Inc.

"In our 6th year, we are excited to feature our 2nd HBO/NYILFF Short Film Competition," said Calixto Chinchilla, Executive Director, NYILFF. "We continue to look for ways to provide opportunities that further foster and support emerging directors and writers such as Aurora Guerrero."

The New York International Latino Film Festival is the first festival in New York City to showcase the works of national Latino filmmakers alongside international Latin American films, while offering expansive images of the Latino experience. The festival presents works in the categories of Feature Film (in Spanish and English) and Vanguard Cinema, which includes experimental works, documentaries, student works and short films. The 6-day festival also includes panel discussions, educational forums and special events. A full roster of festival films, special activities and tickets can be obtained on the festival's website, http://www.nylatinofilm.com/, or by calling the festival hotline at 212-726-2358.

The festival is presented by HBO.

Source: HBO

CONTACT: Jodie Hauptmann of HBO, +1-212-512-5431, jodie.hauptmann@hbo.com

Web site: http://www.hbo.com/ http://www.nylatinofilm.com/

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