LUIS GUZMÁN, RUBÉN BLADES, DANNY PINO AND NATALIE MORALES
TO BE HONORED AT 2011 HOLA AWARDS

Delta Airlines Presenting Sponsor

2011 HOLA Awards to take place Monday, October 17, 2011
at The Battery Gardens in scenic Battery Park, NYC

SOLD OUT
212-253-1015

See and read a report on our blog

Bandleader and Grammy Award Winner, Oscar Hernández,
booked to entertain with Rubén Blades greatest hits.

Delta Airlines Presenting Sponsor

September 6, 2011 (New York, New York) — The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA), the nation’s longest running active arts advocacy organization for Latino actors, is pleased to announce that it will honor film and television star Luis Guzmán, singer-actor-humanitarian Rubén Blades, "Law and Order" lead actor Danny Pino, broadcast journalist Natalie Morales of “The Today Show” and the New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF) at its Twelfth Annual HOLA Awards Gala and Benefit, sponsored in part by NBCUniversal. The Awards Gala and Benefit will take place on Monday, October 17, 2011 at 6:30pm at The Battery Gardens on the waterfront in New York’s scenic Battery Park (opposite 17 State Street). Sponsorships slots are still available and range from $10,000 for a silver sponsorship to $50,000 for the Presenting Sponsor. A limited number of individual tickets are available at $150.

Luis Guzmán will be honored with the organization’s inaugural HOLA Excellence in Film Award. Guzmán currently stars in the HBO program “How To Make It in America,” and was most recently seen on the big screen in Arthur starring Russell Brand. His distinguished career spans decades across the small and big screen.

Rubén Blades will receive the Raúl Juliá HOLA Founders Award. Blades’ career across the disciplines of music, politics and acting make him one of the Latino community’s most compelling and iconic figures. In addition to the wide breadth of his artistic accomplishments, HOLA is singling out for recognition his many accomplishments and contributions resulting from his humanitarian efforts.

Danny Pino, the most recent addition to the cast of NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," will receive the José Ferrer HOLA Tespis Award. His past work across film and television has served to propel him into his new role on "Law and Order: SVU," one that places him squarely in the ranks of the much beloved current and past actors who have left indelible marks on this hit TV franchise, and the television landscape as a whole.

Natalie Morales of NBC’s “The Today Show” will receive the HOLA Excellence in Media Award. On May 9, 2011 NBCUniversal announced that she would permanently replace Ann Curry as news anchor for "Today." Her prominent new position is a true accomplishment and one that HOLA is proud to recognize and applaud.

HOLA will also honor the New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF) with a Special Recognition Award for their remarkable achievements in promoting the work of Latino filmmakers and actors throughout their distinguished history as the premier urban Latino film event in the country.

The HOLA Awards Committee has also chosen Heineken as the inaugural recipient of the HOLA Award for Distinction in Corporate Arts Philanthropy. This award honors those corporations whose philanthropic endeavors serve to further and promote Latino arts and artists. HOLA is happy to laud and highlight Heineken's efforts to create opportunities for Latino actors, in particular through its Voces Grant held in conjunction with the Tribeca Film Institute. "As an arts advocacy organization we are deeply cognizant of and appreciate the wonderful opportunities that the Heineken Voces Grant represents for Latino actors and we find it fitting to honor Heineken in recognition of that impact," said HOLA Executive Director Manny Alfaro.

In addition to the aforementioned awards HOLA will also continue its yearly tradition of honoring the best of Latino theater in New York with noncompetitive awards encompassing multiple winners in each category. HOLA is at the forefront in recognizing the high caliber work being offered across New York’s thriving Latino theatrical stages and, in that same spirit, is recognizing entertainment veteran Teresa Yenque with a Special Recognition Award for her over 40 years of excellence in the entertainment industry. A list of the 2010-2011 theater awardees is shown below.

The Twelfth Annual HOLA Awards will take place on Monday, October 17, 2011 at 6:30pm at The Battery Gardens in scenic Battery Park (opposite 17 State Street) located in New York. Individual tickets are $150 and can be purchased in advance by calling (212) 253-1015 or by going to www.hellohola.org. Table sponsorships are also available and can be purchased by calling María F. Nieto at 212-253-1015 or by e-mailing at MariaFNieto@HelloHola.org.

2011 HOLA Awards for Excellence in Theater

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR
Alfredo Huereca, Cayendo con Victoriano (World View Productions)

Francisco Reyes, Way To Heaven (Himmelweg) (Repertorio Español)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR
Vanessa Aspíllaga, underneathmybed (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater)

Susanna Guzmán, La luz de un cigarrillo (Teatro LATEA)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED MALE ACTOR
Ismael Cruz Córdova, La luz de un cigarrillo (Teatro LATEA)

Israel Ruiz, La Strada (Compañía La Strada/Teatro IATI)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED FEMALE ACTOR
Arisleyda Lombert, La luz de un cigarrillo (Teatro LATEA)

Eva Cristina Vásquez, Sabina y Lucrecia (Teatro Círculo)

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

Inma Heredia, My Audition For Almodóvar (IATI Theater)

Lauren Vélez, They Call Me La Lupe (Teatro LATEA/Dura Vida Productions)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE CAST
Iván Camilo, Sunilda Caraballo, Juan Carlos Díaz, Mateo Gómez, Modesto Lacén, Graciany Miranda,
Manny Pérez, Ruperto Vanderpool, La barbería (David Maldonado and Juan Toro/New World Stages)

Rosie Berrido, Zulema Clares, Dalia Davi, María Helan, Flor de Liz Pérez,
Teresa Pérez-Frangie, Fermín Suárez, En el tiempo de las mariposas (Repertorio Español)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNICAL PRODUCTION
Raúl Ábrego, for his scenic design of La barbería (David Maldonado and Juan Toro/New World Stages)

Yanko Bakulic, for his scenic design of La luz de un cigarrillo (Teatro LATEA)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN PLAYWRITING
Florencia Lozano, underneathmybed (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater)

Marco Antonio Rodríguez, La luz de un cigarrillo (Teatro LATEA)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION
Aminta De Lara, Aviones de papel (Paper Airplanes) (Teatro LATEA/Zer0Compañía)

René Buch and Jorge B. Merced, La Strada (Compañía La Strada/Teatro IATI)

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Teresa Yenque, for over 40 years of excellence in theater, film and television

GILBERTO ZALDÍVAR HOLA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
Aviones de papel (Paper Airplanes)(Teatro LATEA)

De Fuente Ovejuna a Ciudad Juárez (Thalía Spanish Theatre/The Cross Border Project)

The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) is an arts service and advocacy organization dedicated to expanding the presence of Hispanic artists in entertainment and media through the cultivation, education and recognition of emerging artists. HOLA strives for an accurate, informed and non-stereotyped portrayal of the full spectrum of Latino culture and heritage in all entertainment and media industries.

HOLA programs made possible, in part, through funds provided by The New York State Council On the Arts and The City of New York, Department of Cultural Affairs.