Wednesday, August 29, 2012 (Bronx, NY) - Hostos Community College is pleased to announce that adjunct professor and actor/writer Kisha Tikina Burgos’ film, “Under My Nails,” won Best U.S. Feature Film at the prestigious New York International Latino Film Festival.

The award ceremony took place at the closing event on Sunday, August 19, 2012 at Chelsea Clearview Cinema in the heart of New York City. The selection committee included Sheila Walcott, Director of Development for HBO Films, Tamir Muhammad, Director of Programming for the Tribeca Film Institute and the award-winning filmmaker, Mario Díaz (“Bazooka”and “Viva Cepeda”).

“Under My Nails” was written by Burgos and directed by her husband Arí Maniel Cruz.  The film was produced by Burgos, Arí Maniel Cruz, Esteban Lima and Andrei Nemcik for La Teta Productions.

“It was a long ride with the movie, but it is nice to be recognized. It was also great to hear such a positive reaction from audiences of different backgrounds who said they enjoyed the film,” indicated Burgos.

The erotic thriller, shot mostly in New York and Puerto Rico, tells the story of Solimar, played by Burgos, a nail technician living in New York who becomes obsessed with her new neighbors, a Dominican man named Roberto and his Haitian-Dominican wife, Perpetue.

The voyeur Solimar listens to a particularly violent fight and Perpetue disappears. Solimar then becomes involved with Roberto as the mystery unfolds. The sudden discovery of a dead woman’s body in the Bronx River awakens Solimar’s suspicions and she has to decide whether to confront Roberto or live with the most terrible doubt.

Burgos has an MFA in dramatic writing, with a concentration in screenwriting, from TISCH School of the Arts at New York University. She earned a BFA in Theater from the University of Puerto Rico.

Burgos is part of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Hostos. She has taught public speaking and acting for over two years. But for now she is taking a break from teaching while she concentrates on the film’s release abroad.

Last fall Burgos played the legendary Puerto Rican educator and activist Antonia Pantoja in the Hostos Repertory Theater Company theatrical production “Chain Reaction” written by Adjunct Professor Tere Martínez.

In 2000, Burgos founded The Theater Company Baobabs in Puerto Rico. She produced her own plays: “Anoche soñé que me comías” (2001), “De mala muerte” (2003), and “Nívea del Encanto” (2005) among other theatrical works and educational programs sponsored by the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP). Her productions have been sponsored by the Community Media Project (PROCOM), the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Puerto Rico (TV Chanel 6), the Toyota Foundation and the Community Foundation of Puerto Rico.

“Under My Nails” will be released in Puerto Rico on October 25, 2012.

www.undermynails.com

Facebook-UNDER MY NAILS

To contact La Teta Productions please write to: latetaproductions@gmail.com

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