New York City, USA, August 2026. The Dominican Film Festival in New York (DFFNYC) 2026 concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing the best productions in Dominican cinema, from the Dominican Republic and the diaspora, and with a full-house international premiere of the feature film “Melodrama,” directed by Andrés Farías Cintrón.
Over the course of a week, the festival celebrated the creativity, diversity and talent of filmmakers and actors who continue to leave a deep mark on the film industry, reaffirming DFFNYC’s role as the most important platform for Dominican cinema outside the Dominican Republic.
The festival featured a jury made up of recognized figures from Dominican and international cinema, responsible for selecting the winners in each category:
-Official Feature Film Competition: Félix Manuel Lora (president); Desireé Reyes and Jeury Frías.
-Official Documentary Competition: José Enrique Rodríguez (president), Erika Santelices and Orlando Barría.
-Dominican Short Films and University Short Films: Hugo Pagán (president), Camila Santana and Omar Reyes.
-Dominicans in the Diaspora: Willy Gonzalez (president), Raquel A. Ureña and Miguel Oniel.
DFFNYC 2026 Winners
In the Official Feature Film Competition, “Melodrama” won Best Film, while Andrés Farías Cintrón was recognized as Best Director for the same film.
In the acting categories, Gerardo Mercedes won Best Actor for his role in “La herencia de los Ramírez,” and Mercedes Morales was named Best Actress for “Melodrama.”
Héctor Then was awarded Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “La herencia de los Ramírez,” and Pachy Méndez won Best Supporting Actress for “Entiérrenlo Parao.”
Recognitions for documentaries and short films
In the Official Documentary Competition, “Kacimiro,” by director Boynayel Mota, won Best Documentary, while “Mujeres Extraordinarias,” by Yildalina Tatem, received an Honorary Mention.
In the Short Film category, “A Tempo,” directed by Camila Del Carmen, won Best Short Film, while “El Amuleto,” by Danny Camacho, received a Special Jury Mention.
In the University category, “El loco que pinta,” directed by Mariam Rosario and Paul Limardo, was recognized as Best University Short Film, representing INTEC.
Dominican cinema in the diaspora
DFFNYC also celebrated the talent of Dominicans based abroad. In the Dominicans in the Diaspora category, One Guy, Too Many Dates won Best Feature Film, while Yisendry Trinidad was recognized for Best Direction. The production also received awards for Best Actor for Robert Palmer Watkins, Best Actress for Jenny Tran, Best Supporting Actor for Johnny Rey Díaz and Best Supporting Actress for Julissa Calderón. In addition, “Mejor Sola” won Best Short Film in the diaspora category.
The festival also gave special recognition to the documentary La Fundación: Baseball’s Island.
The Dominican Film Festival in New York (DFFNYC) is organized by Latin Film Festival Alliance (LAFFA) and produced by Cine Art Entertainment Production. The event featured the collaboration of Telemicro Internacional, NYC Media & Entertainment, Carmen de la Rosa, Cinéate, Credit City, Hispanic Federation, Linopress, Mamita’s, United Palace, Catholic Charities Community Services, Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center, Festival de Cine Dominicano (FestCineRD), Copacabana, Barceló, Canal América, El Diario, TV Quisqueya, Zabala al Día, Cine Dominicano, Pat’ e Palo, Manny De Los Santos, WD Films and Press Media Center.