Set in the Bronx, Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo), the breakout debut from filmmaker Joel Alfonso Vargas follows Rico, a charismatic but directionless 19-year-old hustling through summer while selling homemade drinks and chasing fleeting pleasures.
Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny dile que no soy malo) (2025)
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Dominican Film ‘Sugar Island’ Wins Best Latin American Film at Cinema Tropical Awards
Sugar Island by Johanné Gómez Terrero The Dominican film Sugar Island by Johanné Gómez Terrero has won Best Latin American Film of the Year at the 16th Annual Cinema Tropical Awards in New York City.
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Sirât, Blknws: Terms & Conditions, Sentimental Value Win Top Awards at Montclair Film Festival
Sirât (Courtesy of NEON) The 2025 Montclair Film Festival has officially wrapped, and announced the winners of the audience and jury awards.
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Wake Up Dead Man to Open 48th Denver Film Festival Lineup
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. (Netflix) Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will open the 48th annual Denver Film Festival, taking place October 31 – November 9, 2025, with the lineup showcasing 136 feature-length films, documentaries and shorts.
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Joel Alfonso Vargas Sundance Winning ‘Mad Bills to Pay’ Acquired by Oscilloscope
Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired the award-winning indie drama film Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo), the feature debut of writer-director Joel Alfonso Vargas, following his acclaimed short ‘May It Go Beautifully For You, Rico.’
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Mistura, ‘Mad Bills to Pay’ and Nawi Win Top Prizes at 30th Stony Brook Film Festival
Photos by Impressions by Amber Stony Brook Film Festival, which saw its largest audience since the pandemic, concluded its 30th edition with the Peruvian drama Mistura by Ricardo de Montreuil winning the Jury Award for Best Feature. It follows a privileged French-Peruvian woman, who watches as her life quickly unravels after her husband’s betrayal ostracizes her from elite society.
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Sarah Friedland’s ‘Familiar Touch’ to Open , Alex Russell’s Lurker to Close 54th New Directors/New Films Lineup
Familiar Touch by Sarah Friedland The 54th edition of New Directors/New Films (ND/NF), taking place from April 2 through April 13 in New York City, unveiled a lineup of 24 features and nine short films.
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Sundance Film Festival Winners – Atropia , Seeds, ‘Cactus Pears’ and ‘Cutting Through Rocks’ Win Grand Jury Prizes
Atropia, Seeds (photo by Brittany Shyne), Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) (photo by Vikas Urs) (photo by Mohammad Reza Eyni) | Courtesy of Sundance Institute Atropia directed by Hailey Gates won the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Other Grand Jury prizes went to Seeds for U.S. Documentary Competition, Cactus Pears won for World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and Cutting Through Rocks won for World Cinema Documentary Competition. The NEXT Innovator Award was given to Zodiac Killer Project directed by Charlie Shackleton.
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75th Berlin Film Festival Unveils Lineup – Richard Linklater’s ‘Blue Moon’, A Complete Unknown, Mickey 17
Margaret Qualley, Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon (Sabrina Lantos / Sony Pictures Classics) Berlin International Film Festival unveiled the full lineup of film titles for the 75th edition taking place February 13 – 23, 2025
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2025 Sundance Film Festival Unveils Feature Films and Episodics Lineup, ‘Sally’ Wins Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize
SALLY(Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Michael Latham.) The 2025 Sundance Film Festival, taking place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, unveiled the lineup of 87 feature films and six episodic projects.