THE AMERICAS FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK RETURNS FOR ITS 13TH EDITION
SEPTEMBER 30–OCTOBER 9, 2026

TAFFNY 2026 Brings Stories of Historical Memory, Migration, Identity, Childhood and Music from Across the Americas to New York City

Paquito D’Rivera: From Arroz y Frijol to Carnegie Hall Opens Taffny on September 30. The jazz musician will attend Opening Night at Instituto Cervantes New York; acclaimed Inuit filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk to present Wrong Husband on Closing Night, October 9 at National Museum of the American Indian

Paquito D’Rivera: From Arroz y Frijol to Carnegie Hall by Juan Mandelbaum
September 30 | 6:00 PM | Instituto Cervantes New York (211 E 49th Street)
By invitation

The Americas Film Festival New York (TAFFNY) returns September 30 through October 9, 2026, for its 13th annual edition, bringing together filmmakers, artists, scholars, students, and audiences for ten days of cinema and conversation exploring the experiences that connect—and sometimes divide—the societies of the Americas. All TAFFNY screenings and events are free and open to the public, and all foreign-language films are presented with English subtitles. The complete festival schedule and additional selections will be available at TAFFNY.com.

This year’s program looks at the Americas through stories of historical memory, migration and new beginnings, childhood and coming of age, identity, music, and the complicated ways individuals and societies reckon with the past in order to understand the present.

“The Americas, more than ever, must be a space for respect, dialogue, and the search for good stories that bring us closer to one another,” says Juan Carlos Mercado, dean of CWE City College Downtown (CUNY) and TAFFNY’s co-funder, and adds: “Cinema gives us an extraordinary opportunity to discuss them, to listen, and, especially, to understand perspectives that may be very different from our own.”

TAFFNY brings together filmmakers, artists, and audiences through stories that reflect the diversity and complexity of the Americas. Its 2026 edition invites New Yorkers to discover bold new voices and compelling perspectives through feature films, documentaries, short films, filmmaker conversations, and educational programs presented at cultural and academic venues across New York City.

Festival venues include:

• Instituto Cervantes New York
• NYU Cantor Film Center
• Center for Worker Education (CWE) – The City College of New York
• Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN)
• Martin E. Segal Theatre Center – CUNY Graduate Center
• Consulate General of Colombia in New York
• National Museum of the American Indian

ABOUT THE AMERICAS FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK

The Americas Film Festival New York was conceived by the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education (CWE) of The City College of New York (CUNY) and film programmer Diana Vargas as a space for cinematic appreciation centered on multiculturalism, diversity, and the evolving societies of the Americas, while expanding visibility and opportunities for emerging filmmakers.

The festival is an initiative of the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education of The City College of New York (CUNY), with the generous support of CCNY President Vincent Boudreau and Vice President Dee Dee Mozeleski, CUNY-CCNY Quest: A Lifelong Learning Community, and in collaboration with cultural and academic institutions including Instituto Cervantes New York, the National Museum of the American Indian, NYU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), the Bildner Center at the CUNY Graduate Center, Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN), the Latin America Film Center, and the Consulate General of Colombia in New York.

TAFFNY 2026 AT A GLANCE
Dates: September 30–October 9, 2026
Edition: 13th Annual Festival
Admission: FREE and open to the public
Languages: Foreign-language films presented with English subtitles
Program: Feature films, documentaries, 35 short films in competition, new media, filmmaker Q&As, educational programs, and special events