Habla Loud is one of the premiere films of the New York Latin American Film Festival, running from September 12th through September 18th. Habla is an HBO series, now on its sixteenth installment with Habla Loud. The hour-long film premiered at the Regal Union Square. The after party was hosted by The Dean NYC, a restaurant in midtown specializing in events. Habla Loud is a celebration of Latino culture and its wide ranging impact. After the screening Bianca Marroquin, Nicolas Entel, Yulin Cruz, Olga Merediz, and filmmaker Alberto Ferrera spoke on a panel. All of the guests shared a different aspect of the Latino-American experience. The panel focused on how different industries have changed their standards of inclusivity towards latinos.
The film is made up of interviews with fourteen guests: Curly Velasquez, Olga Merediz, Nicolas Entel; activist and co-founder of the Young Lords Party, Miguel “Mickey” Melendez; actors Wilson Cruz, Isabella Gomez, Bianca Marroquin, and Leonardo Nam; Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natalie Diaz; musicians Leila Cobo, Carla Morrison, and René Perez-Joglar; U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres and former Mayor of San Juan and Puerto Rico, Yulín Cruz, who gave Habla Loud its name. An ode to her grandmother’s advice on how to deal with bullies.
Most of the creatives and entertainers spoke to Latino stereotypes in the mainstream and how they’ve changed. The stories drew from experiences across different industries. The politicians spoke to how their lived experiences as Latinos pushed them into politics. Yulin spoke about her experience in Puerto Rico during the hurricane and her struggle to get aid under the Trump Administration.
The first interview of Habla Loud was with Nicolas Entel. He spoke about the experience of losing his national identity upon arrival to the states and becoming Latino. He stated that he believed that Latino culture was “mainstream” American culture. The New York Latin American Film Festival is a demonstration of this ongoing phenomenon.
