8th Street Latinas 36[2015]

Our Ingredients: Corn(en)

Food is a unifying force across our communities. In this short film, we share the stories of three Latinos - each from a different country but now living in the same American city - who come together to share flavors of their homeland, all of which include one central ingredient.

Tango Shalom(en)

When a Tango dancer asks a Rabbi to enter a dance competition, there’s one big problem—due to his Orthodox beliefs, he’s not allowed to touch her! But the prize money would save his school from bankruptcy, so they develop a plan to enter the competition without sacrificing his faith, and the bonds of family and community are tested one dazzling dance step at a time in this lighthearted fable.

Maximum Thrust(en)

A down and out all girl race team, Maximum Thrust, hires a sexy newbie street racer, Bekka (Beverly Lynne), in hopes of saving a failing business and salvaging street creds and respect. The action is fast and furious on and off the track when Bekka is seduced by a rival racer, Junior Sloan. When it is discovered Junior intends on destroying Maximum Thrust, even if it means killing the driver, Bekka reunites with the team. With friends and lovers helping, the women of Maximum Thrust build an awesome street racing machine and lay it all on the line when they challenge Junior to a race at "Street Wars." It is a high octane battle where Bekka blows by Junior and stops him on the track. Using intimate information, Bekka and the team have Junior arrested and the team reigns as the Street Wars champions.

Metamorphosis(fr)

Seeking refuge on an island in Upstate New York, a married couple's final attempt to salvage their failing relationship takes a turn for the worse when the husband begins to regress emotionally, mentally, and physically.

The White Masai(de)

A girl, Carola, whose vacation in Kenya takes an interesting turn when she becomes infatuated with a Masai. Carola decides to leave her boyfriend to stay with her lover. There, she has to adapt to the Masai's way of life and get used to their food which includes milk mixed with blood. She also has to face her husband's attitude towards women and what he expects from a wife. Nonetheless, Carola is welcomed warmly into the tribe she has chosen to join.

Butterfly(es)

The film centres on Moncho and his coming-of-age experience in Galicia in 1936. Moncho develops a close relationship with his teacher Don Gregorio who introduces the boy to different things in the world. While the story centres on Moncho's ordinary coming-of-age experiences, tensions related to the looming Spanish Civil War periodically interrupt Moncho's personal growth and daily life.

East Side Sushi(en)

Years of working in the food industry have made Juana, a working-class Latina, a chef of speed and skill. Searching for financial stability, she stumbles into a high-energy, male-dominated Japanese cuisine kitchen. The new atmosphere re-ignites her passions for food and life and makes her hungry to get mixed up in the flavors of this new world.

Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business(pt)

A biography of the Portuguese-born Brazilian singer Carmen Miranda, whose most distinctive feature was her tutti-frutti hat. From her arrival in the US as the "Brazilian Bombshell" to her Broadway career and Hollywood stardom in the 1940s.

Growing Fangs(en)

Val Garcia, a Mexican-American teen who is half human/half vampire, has had to keep her identity a secret from both worlds. But when her human best friend shows up at her monster-infested school, she has to confront her truth, her identity, and herself.

the fix(en)

A less than ideal arrangement turns unexpectedly healing when a working, single mother is forced to call her absent father for a last minute babysitting request.

Emanuelle in the Country(it)

When Selenia arrives in the small Italian village heads start turning and eyes start popping. All males in the town are falling all over themselves trying to get a look -- or a feel -- of the new doctor.

Victoria(es)

Victoria falls in love with a girl with whom they cross paths. Judith finds something unique in her and they decide to create a relationship, although Victoria fears the conflict that will arise at home and its consequences.

A Wedding to Diego(es)

A spin on the classic marriage film from Miracle Valenzuela Everett about a Latine non-binary sober writer, and their trans-masculine fiancé, who happens to be a hot mess. During their separate bachelorx parties, the two have a dysfunctional phone call that leaves them wondering if they will make it down the aisle.

Colao(es)

A coffee grower, still single at 40, decides to finally start his search for love by going to the capital city on the Dominican Republic.

Diary of a Sex Addict(en)

A restaurant owner leads a double life.

Entreturnos(pt)

Beto is a bus conductor married to Gilda, who longs to have a child. When Beto gets closer to Leia, owner of his favorite bar, he meets Valcir, a newcomer who completes the love triangle that results in pregnancy. Amid the difficulties in dealing with this situation, the characters run through the city and find out more about themselves as they learn to confront their personal conflicts.

The Paradise Suite(nl)

The lives of six people, who seem to have nothing more in common than their faraway homelands, become inextricably linked in Amsterdam, the city they have chosen as their new home.

Art of Love(es)

A mysterious, erotic and haunting love story between a writer/professor at Puerto Rico's leading University and an aspiring artist from the immigrant Chinese community.

MANERA(pt)

Honky(en)

Sheila, an affluent black teenager, begins dating working class white teen Wayne, and asks him for help to sell a kilo of marijuana.