NYFF Overview: Drama, Absurdity, and Indigenous Stories Take Center Stage
NYFF Overview: Drama, Absurdity, and Indigenous Stories Take Center Stage
The New York Film Festival has long celebrated cutting-edge filmmaking from Latin America. The first film ever presented at NYFF back 1963 was Luis Buñuel’s biting social critique “The Exterminating Angel.” Although it was made by a Spanish expat living in Mexico, the film has since become a canonical [...]
A Look Back on New York’s Bushwig Drag Festival
A Look Back on New York’s Bushwig Drag Festival
There was a bittersweet undertone to this year’s Bushwig festival back in early September. The yearly celebration of the local drag community was started in Brooklyn more than a decade ago by queens Horrorchata and Babes La Beija. The organizers were inspired by another, now-defunct drag festival called Wigstock. Eventually, [...]
For This Mexican Chef, Plating Is No Different From Painting
For This Mexican Chef, Plating Is No Different From Painting
Ride the elevator to the 11th floor of Brooklyn’s trendy new hotel Penny and you’ll find a high-end restaurant serving more than just Instagrammable city views and inventive martinis. In a cozy plant-filled dining room, beaming with natural light and whimsical sculptures, elNico showcases the multicultural heritage of its team [...]
The Riotous Art of Jean-Pierre Villafañe
The Riotous Art of Jean-Pierre Villafañe
Jean-Pierre Villafañe's work might make you blush, smile or look twice. The New York City artist is rapidly gaining prominence. At this year’s Armory Show, he was awarded The Present Prize for outstanding booth with Embajada Gallery. At the upscale New York City bar Cecchi’s, his figures dance jovially [...]
At the Edge of Perception: Ingrid Rojas Contreras on Reclaiming ‘Curanderismo’
At the Edge of Perception: Ingrid Rojas Contreras on Reclaiming ‘Curanderismo’
Ingrid Rojas Contreras is soft-spoken, yet her words carve a space to remember. Her debut novel, set in Colombia against the backdrop of political instability and Pablo Escobar’s violent reign, “Fruit of the Drunken Tree,” was a semi-autobiographical novel. It vividly summons the turmoil of Colombia in the nineties [...]
Sip, Savor, Celebrate: A Coquito Recipe for Every Spirit
Sip, Savor, Celebrate: A Coquito Recipe for Every Spirit
Noche Buena is all about celebration and great vibes, wrapped in the rich tapestry of aromas and tastes that characterize Latin Christmas traditions. It’s a special time of the year when you can gather with your loved ones, reminisce, and look forward to what’s to come. Part of what makes [...]
Comedian Aida Rodriguez’s New Memoir Doesn’t Pull Any Punches
Comedian Aida Rodriguez’s New Memoir Doesn’t Pull Any Punches
Nothing breeds comedy better than adversity. Making it to the top often means digging yourself out of the hole. The deeper the hole, the longer the climb, and the stronger you are when you finally make it out. Very few comedians have had to follow the light quite like Aida [...]