The New York Latino Film Festival has announced the winners of its 15th edition, which has held September 14-20 combining online streaming with drive-in screenings. The award of the Best U.S. Feature was presented to Amaraica by Tim Sparks, the Dominican film Malpaso by Héctor M. Valdez was the winner of the Best International Feature Award, and Janet Jarman’s Birth Wars was the winner of the Best Documentary Award.
An emotionally charged drama ripped from the headlines, Amaraica follows undocumented immigrant Roberto who puts his plans for legal residency on hold when he becomes a new father at the onset of the US governments ‘Zero Tolerance’ child separation policy. He seeks to obtain his papers through a fraudulent marriage but is thwarted from his goal when his ex-girlfriend Juana shows up claiming he is the father of her child. Choosing to do the right thing, he abandons his only legal path towards the American dream to embrace fatherhood. He soon discovers that all the love in the world cannot protect his daughter Amara from the newly energized immigration enforcement.
Malpaso follows a couple of brothers who struggle to find their way in the world, complicated by prejudice against one boy’s albinism. Candido and Braulio are fraternal twins growing up in the border town of Malpaso, Jimani, right across the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Growing up orphaned, Braulio helps his grandfather sell coal in the market while Candido stays in their secluded home due to his albinism. Their life takes a turn for the worse after the unexpected demise of their grandfather. Now Braulio will need to look after his brother and both will attempt to make ends meet in the border town market. All the while, Candido dreams of the eventual return of their estranged father.
Told through deeply personal stories in the trenches of the healthcare sector, Birth Wars chronicles a power struggle between doctors and midwives in Mexico over differing visions of childbirth. While doctors rule over a medical system that aims to be safe and efficient, women often feel disrespected, and their health and well-being suffers. The documentary follows midwives and doctors in Guerrero and Chiapas, two of Mexico’s most marginalized and violent states, as they fight against huge odds to transform this system towards one centered on respect for a woman’s health, needs and choices. This is a journey into two worlds driven by prejudices and antagonism, and a testament to the fact that building bridges between these worlds could help save lives.
Other winners announced by the New York Latino Film Festival include Emil Gallardo’s 1, 2, 3, All Eyes On Me for Best Short, Felix Martiz’s Gone for Best Futuro Web Series, and Timur Bootzin’s Reflection received an Honorable Mention.
