8 September 4-10, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ¡Luces! ¡Cámara! ¡Acción! NVision Latino Film & Music Festival moves to Miami. BY MÓNICA MENDOZA W hen Danny Hastings talks about his life, his voice oscillates between the rhythm of hip-hop beats and the calm of tropical rain. Born in the United States but raised in Panama, Hastings embodies the complexities of the immigrant experience in America. When he arrived in New York at 16, he did not speak English, and he bused tables and washed dishes before he found his path behind a camera. Hastings went on to become one of the most sought-after photographers of New York’s Golden Age of hip-hop. His lens cap- tured now-iconic covers for Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Cypress Hill, Gang Starr, Big Pun, and many others. “At one point, I was probably one of the most in-demand photographers in New York,” says Hastings. “But I was La- tino, and a lot of doors were closed in front of me. People of color were not getting the opportunities. If it wasn’t for hip-hop em- bracing me, I don’t know what my path would’ve been.” After shooting more than 100 album cov- ers, Hastings felt the need to pivot. He stud- ied film, only to find a new set of barriers. “I wasn’t American enough for Hollywood, and I wasn’t Latino enough for the Latino mar- ket,” he says. “My content was in Spanglish, from the Bronx, from Queens. Nobody knew where to place me.” It was precisely that rejection that sparked Hastings’ idea for the Official Latino Film Festival, which would later evolve into the NVision Latino Film & Music Festival. He didn’t know anything about running a film festival when he founded it in 2015. “I liter- ally went on FilmFreeway, opened it up, and we got a hundred submissions,” he remem- bers. “I took a thousand dollars out of my pocket.” In its first decade, the festival nurtured emerging Latino filmmakers ignored by the mainstream. Now, in 2025, NVision is enter- ing a new chapter. After establishing roots in New York and California, the festival is de- buting in Miami on September 5 and 6 at Sil- verspot Cinema. “Miami is a port city, a tropical sancocho where you have everyone — Cubans, Domini- cans, Mexicans, Co- lombians,” Hastings explains. “We’ve had a home in New York, we’ve had a home in California, and now, for the first time, we have a home in Miami. That makes us unique.” This year’s lineup signals a step up in prestige. Alongside shorts from emerging filmmakers, NVision will screen award-winning features from Cannes, Tribeca, Toronto, and San Sebastián. The crown jewel is the U.S. premiere of La Ola (The Wave), the new film by Chilean di- rector Sebastián Lelio, who won an Academy Award for A Fantastic Woman (2017) and will attend a Q&A at the festival. “You’re going to see the growth of this incredible filmmaker,” Hastings says of the director’s latest film. Hastings says the festival’s latest iteration underscores its evolution. “For ten years, our mission was to nurture the emerging film- maker. This year is different. We’re bringing heavy hitters. When you get accepted to NVi- sion now, the industry knows you’re a serious filmmaker.” That said, the festival isn’t abandoning mentorship. Expert panels on topics like dis- tribution and film score composition will still be part of the deal. The festival’s transformation is powered in part by its partnership with Neon16, the Miami-based incubator founded by producer and entrepreneur Lex Borrero. Known for his work with Tainy, Bad Bunny, and Karol G, Borrero has expanded his influence beyond music into television, film, and multimedia projects. “I conceptualized Neon16 when I moved to Miami in 2019,” Borrero explains. “I saw an opportunity — there wasn’t enough repre- sentation of urban Latino culture here. The key to success has been identifying opportu- nities, being courageous enough to take the risk, and creative enough to do something that resonates.” He adds that he wants Latin filmmakers to take over the culture in much the same way other cultural exports have. “The growing in- terest in Latin music is a testament to its im- pact on the global stage,” he says. “Now we want to amplify Latino filmmakers in the same way.” The statistics highlight the urgency: less than 4 percent of Latinos make it to the big screen, and fewer than 2 percent work be- hind the camera. For Hastings, those num- bers are unacceptable. “It takes effort to ignore us,” he says bluntly. “The Latino population is so big, you have to work hard not to include us. That’s why I created this festival.” NVision Latino Film & Music Festival. Friday, September 5, and Saturday, September 6, at Sil- verspot Cinema, 300 SE Third St. #100, Mi- ami. Tickets cost $49.99 to $129.99 via nvisionfestival.com. ▼ Culture Culture In its first decade, NVision nurtured emerging Latino filmmakers ignored by the mainstream. Now, in 2025, it’s entering a new chapter. NVision Latino Film & Music Festival photo “FOR TEN YEARS, OUR MISSION WAS TO NURTURE THE EMERGING FILMMAKER. THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT.” Welcome to Boomtown Influencer Jess Judith seeks her next adventure in Miami. BY CAROLINE VAL I f you’ve made the trip between the 407 and the 305, you know that, although they’re less than four hours apart, there’s a world of dif- ference between Orlando and Miami. No one knows just how stark those differences are bet- ter than social media star Jess Judith, who re- cently packed her bags and made the permanent move from Central to South Florida. New Times met with Judith at Midtown’s HGAB Studios as she prepped with her glam team for a photoshoot commemorating this fresh new phase in her career. “I used to hate Miami, honestly, years ago,” Judith says openly. “But now I feel like I found the perfect group of friends, and it’s actually so fun. There’s so much stuff to do here.” Judith might have already graced your algo- rithm, especially if you follow Latin music. An avid fan of artists like Bad Bunny, Karol G, and Rauw Alejandro, she’s amassed content collabo- rations and appearances with many of the genre’s top players since her breakout moment in 2020. Her eager fans live vicariously through her as she interacts with their favorites at the Grammys and Latin Billboard Awards. In one vi- ral clip, she shows off her salsa skills for the cam- era. Her dance partner? None other than Benito himself. Judith, 23, was born in the Dominican Repub- lic and moved to the U.S. at 15. She posts in both English and Spanish, broadening her appeal to her more than 5 million followers to date. “It’s insane, I don’t think I even process what I’ve done or that any of this has happened,” Ju- dith says of her success. “I’m going with the flow, and things are happening. But it feels so cool, and I’m so grateful that I have this career.” Miami is a boomtown for creators like Judith. Since moving here, she’s befriended new besties Fernanda Gimenez, an Uruguayan creator known for her TikTok dance moves, and Santina Rizzi, the former assistant to Dr. Miami. Judith tells us she’s neighbors with Gimenez, and they often help each other with small errands. But moving from Orlando, where she spent most of her adolescence and young adult life, is not without its downsides. “I’m going to miss my family the most, espe- cially my brother,” she says. “That was the hardest part for me — not having him right next to me ev- ery single day. But in a way, I feel like I see him a lot more, too. Almost every hour, we’re on FaceTime.” She’s made the move, but Judith isn’t entirely sure what’s next for her. That’s precisely the point, she says. “I feel like there are so many opportunities in Miami and there’s so much to do, so many peo- ple to meet, and so much networking,” she says. “I don’t know where I’m going next in my career, but whatever happens, happens.” [email protected] Jess Judith moved to Miami after racking up 5 million followers on Instagram and TikTok. Photo by Jess Judith
