New York International Latino Film Festival expands to provide a full weekend of family films and fun.

Included in this year’s NYILFF Family Weekend are screenings of Flight of Fancy, Max Rules, Thomas & Friends™ Calling All Engines! and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie™ in both English and Spanish, along with episodes of Scholastic’s Maya & Miguel, Nickelodeon’s new animated Nicktoon Catscratch, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and a sneak-peak of the upcoming The X’s animated spy series, premiering on Nickelodeon in 2006. In addition, Nick Jr.’s number-one rated Dora the Explorer will be shown. Time Out New York Kids will also host a special private screening of Shrek 2.

Photo experts from Eastman Kodak Company will take digital images of kids and families with their favorite costumed characters, then print them using a Kodak PictureMaker digital printing kiosk. “Kodak is proud to help kids and families capture and share the fun and excitement of the film festival with digital photos,” said Grace Tillinghast, Kodak’s manager of community affairs.

Other weekend events include gift giveaways, live reptiles from the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, dance lessons with The New York Theater Ballet and pictures with costumed characters from Maya & Miguel, Cyberchase and even Ronald McDonald! Reality Check, a youth-led movement working to de-normalize and de-glamorize tobacco use, will provide information on how smoking in movies encourages teens to start smoking.

NYILFF Family Weekend will again take place at Tribeca Cinemas on 54 Varick Street. Tickets, which are $5.00 for children and $7.00 for adults, include free popcorn and beverages, courtesy of Pepsi-Cola North America. Tickets are sold only at the Tribeca Cinemas box office on the day of the screening.

The 2005 NYILFF Family Weekend is presented by Eastman Kodak Company and made possible with the additional support of Amtrak, Brooklyn Children's Museum, CreativeOndemanD Advertising, McDonald's©, The New York Theater Ballet, Nickelodeon Networks, Pepsi-Cola North America, Reality Check, Scholastic Inc., Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Thirteen/WNET, Time Out New York Kids, Tribeca Cinemas and 103.5 WKTU-FM.

The New York International Latino Film Festival is the first festival in New York City to showcase the works of national Latino filmmakers alongside international Latin American films, while offering expansive images of the Latino experience. The festival presents works in the categories of Feature Film (in Spanish and English) and Vanguard Cinema, which includes experimental works, documentaries, student works and short films. The 6-day festival also includes panel discussions, educational forums and special events.

For NYILFF and NYILFF Family Weekend schedule of films and activities,
please visit: www.NYLatinoFilm.com

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