THE 5th ANNUAL OFFICIAL LATINO FILM AND ARTS FESTIVAL PARTNERS WITH HBO LATINO TO BRING THE BEST OF U.S. LATINX PRODUCED SHORT FILMS TO THE HBO NETWORK

NEW YORK CITY SEMI-FINALS From JULY 7 - 9, 2019

LOS ANGELES SEMI-FINALS From AUGUST 24 - 25, 2019

CITY OF PALM DESERT FINALS AND AWARD CEREMONY From OCTOBER 31- NOVEMBER 3, 2019

July 25, 2019

PALM DESERT, CA - The Official Latino Film and Arts Festival (OLFAF) is back to showcase over 100 short films written, directed and/or produced by U.S. Latinx filmmakers from diverse communities across the United States. The festival's mission is to showcase, nurture and support emerging creative U.S. Latinx filmmakers, as well as support culturally inclusive films and filmmakers that represent true American diversity. To help achieve this mission, the 2019 OLFAF is partnering with HBO Latino. HBO Latino will select three films from this year's 2019 OLFAF alumni and offer each of the selected filmmakers an opportunity to have their film licensed for exhibition on the HBO distribution platforms.

As a network, we are thrilled to partner with a festival that has a mission to elevate unique, bold and emerging talent, said Lucinda Martinez, EVP Brand Marketing at HBO. Now more than ever, we want to continue supporting programs that highlight films and filmmakers that represent the diverse American experience. Festival founder Danny Hastings added, This is a dream come true for me and especially for the community. As a Latino filmmaker, I created the festival five years ago because I recognized that the U.S. Latinx filmmaker's voice was lost in the conversation. I'm very happy and proud that HBO Latino recognizes the importance of elevating the U.S. Latinx filmmaking community, a community that has been underrepresented for far too long.

The Official Latino Film and Arts Festival is a different kind of film festival. In addition to having a four-day festival that culminates with an award ceremony, the festival also holds local, preliminary semi-finals film screenings in New York City and in Los Angeles, making it a bi-coastal screening platform. The semi-final screenings are a great way for local filmmakers to network and provide mentorship within their own communities. The qualifying films from the NYC and LA screenings will travel to Palm Desert, CA where the films will screen at the College of the Desert, Palm Desert Campus with the rest of the nation's official selections.

For more information, please visit www.officiallatino.com

Media Contact:

Janice Torres | The Brand Phoenix

Danny Hastings | Official Latino Film Festival

Press@officiallatino.com

Mellony Torres | HBO

mellony.torres@hbo.com

ABOUT HBO LATINO

HBO Latino is a dedicated Spanish-language premium channel that delivers compelling and culturally-relevant programming to the U.S. Latino audience. Exclusive to the channel are award-winning Original Series from Latin America, Spanish language films from the U.S., Latin America, Spain and the Caribbean, Latin music concerts and artist specials, original comedy shows and more. Additionally, HBO Latino offers the latest Hollywood movies and HBO original programming from the networks main channel in Spanish. HBO Latino is included for free with an HBO subscription. HBO Latino content can also be accessed on HBO NOW , HBO GO , HBO On Demand , and partners' streaming platforms.

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