The Dominican Film Festival in New York (DFFNYC) 2026 concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing the best productions of Dominican cinema, from the Dominican Republic and the diaspora, alongside the sold-out international premiere of the feature film ‘Melodrama’, directed by Andrés Farías Cintrón.
For a week, the festival celebrated the creativity, diversity, and talent of filmmakers and actors who continue to leave a profound mark on the film industry, reaffirming DFFNYC’s role as the most important platform for national cinema outside the Dominican Republic.
The festival featured a jury composed of renowned personalities 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 González (president), Raquel A. Ureña, and Miguel Oniel.
DFFNYC 2026 Winners
In the Official Feature Film Competition, ‘Melodrama’ won the award for Best Film, while Andrés Farías Cintrón was recognized as Best Director for the same film.
In the acting categories, Gerardo Mercedes took home the award for Best Actor for his role in ‘La herencia de los Ramírez’, and Mercedes Morales was distinguished as Best Actress for ‘Melodrama’.
Héctor Then was awarded Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ‘La herencia de los Ramírez’, and Pachy Méndez won the award for Best Supporting Actress for ‘Entiérrenlo Parao’.
Recognitions for documentaries and short films
In the Official Documentary Competition, ‘Kacimiro’, by director Boynayel Mota, won the award for Best Documentary, while ‘Mujeres Extraordinarias’, by Yildalina Tatem, received an Honorable Mention.
In the Short Film category, ‘A Tempo’, directed by Camila Del Carmen, won the award for 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, from INTEC university.
Dominican cinema in the diaspora
The DFFNYC also celebrated the talent of Dominicans living abroad. In the Dominicans in the Diaspora category, One Guy, Too Many Dates won the award for Best Feature Film, while Yisendry Trinidad was recognized for Best Direction. The production also received the 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. Additionally, ‘Mejor Sola’ won the award for Best Short Film within the diaspora category.
Likewise, the festival made a special recognition of 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.
Disclosure: This is a press release provided by Press Media Center via email at [email protected]. Its content is the sole responsibility of the source.
