New York, NY – The Hispanic Organization of Latino Actors (HOLA) announced this year’s HOLA Awards nominees, including among others: Cesar J. Rosado, Florencia Cuenca, Frances Lozada, Gilberto Gabriel, Isel Rodríguez, Jaime Lozano, Jorge B. Merced, Manuel A. Morán, Maria Fontanals, Mariana Carreño King, Mariano de Paco Serrano, Mauricio Martínez, María-Cristina Fusté, Melissa Crespo, Rafa Sánchez, Rodrigo Escalante, Verónica Falcón, and Zulema Clares. To see full list of nominees click here.
HOLA is also proud to introduce the new figures who will be recognized with special awards, including: the HOLA León Ichaso Award named after a posthumous tribute to the laureate Cuban-American film director León Ichaso (Azúcar Amarga, El Cantante, El Super, Crossover Dreams, Piñero). The new award, will be presented to the renown musician and composer Paquito D’Rivera; the HOLA Excellence in TV Award will go to Juan Manuel Benítez; and the HOLA Emerging Artist Award to Angel Sigala. The evening will also count with special recognitions to Rosal Colón (Between Riverside and Crazy), the Washington D.C. company GALA Hispanic Theater, and a special award to Manolo García Oliva, who served as president of the HOLA Board of Directors for twenty years.
Other previously announced honors include: legendary director, choreographer and 10-time Tony and Drama Desk Award nominee Graciela Daniele, director and choreographer Sergio Trujillo, who is the first Latino to receive a Tony Award for the Best Choreography, the Broadway actor, Linedy Genao (Bad Cinderella), the theater and television star, David Zayas (Cost of Living); media personality TíoLouie (Prime Latino Media); Antonio Díaz known as El Mago Pop and the opera singer Nancy Fabiola Herrera.
“HOLA celebrates the Hispanic scene of New York with a grand party where the most prominent figures of the industry come together. This gala is an event that recognizes the titanic work of Latino creators and protagonists of the performing arts in the Big Apple. Everyone is invited to be part of this special evening dedicated to celebrating our theater,” said Fernando Cárdenas, member of the HOLA Board of Directors.
The 22nd annual ceremony will take place on Monday, October 16 at the legendary venue The Players NYC located at 16 Gramercy Park South. The charity gala honors Latino and Hispanic talents who have demonstrated excellence in the world of film, television and theater. The musical direction of the ceremony will be led by Jhoely Garay, accompanied by Alec Castro and featuring the exceptional voices of some of the evening’s winners.
The HOLA Awards are considered among the most prestigious awards dedicated to honoring Latino artists in the United States. Past award winners include: Alfred Molina, Alfonso Cuarón, Andy Garcia, Antonio Banderas, Benicio Del Toro, Chita Rivera, Danny Burstein, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Héctor Elizondo, John Leguizamo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lupita Ferrer, Mercedes Ruehl, Moisés Kaufman, Nilo Cruz, Pedro Pascal, Rita Moreno, Rosie Pérez, Rubén Blades, Sara Montiel, and others.
For tickets and more information https://www.holaofficial.org/events/hola-awards-2023/.
About HOLA
HOLA is a 501c(3) arts service and advocacy organization founded in 1975 by a core group of Latino actors working in New York to address the inequities created by the casting system that underemployed Hispanic actors and relegated Latino characters to negative stereotypes. HOLA is dedicated to expanding the presence of Latin/Hispanic artists in entertainment and media through their development, cultivation, education, empowerment, and recognition. For over 45 years, HOLA has been a crucial resource to the New York Latin artistic community, providing educational programs, networking opportunities, and hosting a Hispanic talent database available to casting directors and agents in addition to distributing casting notices to members.