The 2010 San Francisco Latino Film Festival Announces Inaugural 'Comcast & Cinelatino Audience Choice Awards' for Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Cine+Mas SF, Comcast and Cinelatino proudly announce the introduction of the "Comcast & Cinelatino Audience Choice Awards" at the 2010 San Francisco Latino Film Festival, marking the first time the Festival has featured an awards category.  The winning directors will receive a $1,000 cash prize from Cinelatino and Comcast.

The winning filmmakers for 2010 are: Florence Jaugey for LA YUMA and Ricardo Martinez for THE WALL.

The San Francisco Latino Film Festival (SFLFF) presented a showcase of 33 award-winning and critically-acclaimed documentaries and feature films from Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, Cuba, Spain, Argentina, Colombia, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Peru, and the USA.  The program was presented in theatres, museums and cultural centers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area spanning five cities over 10 days beginning on September 16 at the Roxie Theater.

The audience had the opportunity to rate each film on a five–point scale.  The winning directors will be presented with the "Comcast & Cinelatino Audience Choice Award" for Best Documentary and Best Feature following the conclusion of the Festival.  

"It's an honor for us to present the Audience Choice Awards with Comcast at the 2010 San Francisco Latino Film Festival," said James M. McNamara, Chairman of Cinelatino. "Cinelatino, which can be seen on Comcast's MultiLatino package, offers the widest selection of current Spanish-language blockbuster hits and critically-acclaimed titles from Mexico, Latin America, Spain and the U.S., and we are proud to support this festival and help recognize the talented filmmakers that contributed to this notable selection of films."  

"It's exciting to have the audience participate and provide feedback about the programming.  The Comcast & Cinelatino Audience Choice Awards recognizes filmmakers producing solid work that resonates with an audience that seeks out film from Latin America or by US Latinos.  LA YUMA by Florence Jaugey from Nicaragua and THE WALL by Ricardo Martinez from the USA certainly represent stand-out films in this year's festival.  We appreciate Comcast and Cinelatino's support in establishing this element to the festival experience," said Lucho Ramirez, Festival Director of Cine+Mas SF.

For more information on the films and the Festival, visit www.SFLatinoFilmFestival.org.  

About Cinelatino:

Cinelatino is the leading Spanish-language premium film channel in the United States, with approximately 4 million cable and satellite subscribers on major cable, satellite and telephony providers throughout North America.  Cinelatino offers the most current Spanish-language blockbusters and critically-acclaimed titles from Mexico, Latin America, Spain and the U.S.  Cinelatino is jointly-owned by Grupo MVS, InterMedia Partners and Panamax Films.

About Cine+Mas SF:

Cine+Mas SF contributes to the Bay Area's active and diverse arts scene through the San Francisco Latino Film Festival, year round programming and special events centered on the celebration of Latino arts including the visual, performance, and literary arts. Sponsors, collaborators, and supporters include Comcast, CineLatino, Continental, Levi's, The Tech Museum, Estrella TV, CBS 5/ The CW 44 Cable 12, the Consulate of Mexico in San Jose and San Francisco, Circulo Cultural, Mission Cultural Center, College of Marin, the San Jose Public Library, and the San Francisco Public Library.

SFLFF mission:

The mission for the SFLFF, a volunteer run and produced program is to showcase and promote, the visual, performance and film as art from the work of emerging and established filmmakers from the US, Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. The SFLFF runs September 16-26, 2010 in San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley, Redwood City and Marin. Venues include The Roxie Theatre, The Mission Cultural Center, University of San Francisco (San Francisco),La Pena Cultural Center (Berkeley), The Tech Museum (San Jose), Veterans Memorial Senior Center (Redwood City), and College of Marin (Marin). For additional program information please visit www.sflatinofilmfestival.org or call 415-826-7057. For tickets visit www.brownpapertickets.com or call 1-800-838-3006.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services.  With 23.2 million video customers, 16.4 million high-speed Internet customers, and 8.1 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's California Region, based in Livermore, California, serves more than 2.4 million customers in Northern and Central California.  Comcast employs more than 7,000 local residents across the region.

SOURCE Cinelatino