Dascha Polanco, Francisco Gattorno and Adriana Vargas Also To Be Honored at the 2015 HOLA Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: A.B. Lugo (212) 253-1015 ablugo@hellohola.org

Dascha Polanco, Francisco Gattorno and
Adriana Vargas added to honorees 
of the 2015 HOLA Awards

 jetBlue Airways announced as official airline 

sponsor for the 2015 HOLA Awards; other sponsors
include Flyte Tyme Worldwide Transportation and
the Millenium Hilton Hotel

Will join Academy Award winners BENICIO DEL TORO (Traffic, Guardians of the Galaxy) and ALEXANDER DINELARIS (screenwriter, Birdman); 

SELENIS LEYVA (“Orange is the New Black”), ANDREA NAVEDO (“Jane The Virgin”), MARISA RAMÍREZ (“Blue Bloods”), and others 

 The 2015 HOLA Awards will take place on Monday, October 12, 2015 

at the Battery Gardens in NYC

August 28, 2015 (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 "Orange is the New Black" star Dascha Polanco, actor Francisco Gattorno, and television journalist Adriana Vargas at the 2015 HOLA Awards. They join previously announced honorees such as Academy Award-winning actor Benicio Del Toro, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris, “Orange is the New Black” star Selenis Leyva, “Jane The Virgin” star Andrea Navedo, “Blue Bloods” star Marisa Ramírez, and others at the Sixteenth Annual HOLA Awards Gala and Benefit. 

The HOLA Awards will take place on Monday, October 12, 2015 at 6pm at The Battery Gardens, located on the waterfront overlooking New York Harbor in Battery Park (opposite 17 State Street in lower Manhattan). Sponsorship opportunities are still available. A limited number of individual tickets are available at $150 (if purchased before August 31, 2015) and $175 (if purchased from September 1, 2015 onward).

HOLA is also pleased to announce that jetBlue Airways will serve as the official airline for the 2015 HOLA Awards. Ground transportation and hotel accommodations will be provided by Flyte Tyme Worldwide Transportation and the Millenium Hilton Hotel, respectively. 

Benicio Del Toro will receive the 2015 Raúl Juliá HOLA Founders Award. Del Toro won the Academy Award for his role in Traffic. Other film credits include Che, The Usual Suspects, Guardians of the Galaxy and Escobar: Paradise Lost. Upcoming films include The Little Prince, Sicario, Weightless, and A Perfect Day.

Selenis Leyva will receive the 2015 José Ferrer HOLA Tespis Award. Leyva, a former HOLA Award theater winner, is a veteran of stage and screen. She is best known for playing Gloria Mendoza on the award-winning hit Netflix series “Orange is the New Black”, for which she won a SAG Award.  

Andrea Navedo will receive the inaugural 2015 HOLA Elizabeth Peña Breakthrough Artist Award. The award is named after HOLA founding member Elizabeth Peña, who passed away in October 2014. Navedo, an HOLA member, is a veteran of television and film. She is currently playing Xiomara Villanueva in The CW’s critically acclaimed, award-winning hit series “Jane The Virgin”.

Marisa Ramírez will receive the 2015 HOLA Excellence in Television Award. A veteran of television, Ramírez previously played the recurring role of Officer Riley Dunn in the ABC series "Body of Proof". She can currently be seen playing Detective María Báez in the hit CBS series “Blue Bloods”.  

Adriana Vargas will receive the 2015 HOLA Excellence in Media Award. She is the news anchor "Noticiero Univision 41" for WXTV New York at 6pm and 11pm, alongside Jorge Viera. One of the most renowned newscasters in Colombian television, she joined WXTV in 2011. Before Univision, she worked for Productora RTVC, Caracol TV and RCN Television.

HOLA is collaborating with R.Evolución Latina on the Dare To Go Beyond Award, an honor for one who is an inspiration to the Latino community and who gives back to it. This year’s inaugural honoree is director, playwright, producer, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman). In addition to winning the Oscar for Birdman, Dinelaris wrote the book for the Gloria and Emilio Estefan musical On Your Feet!, opening in Broadway this fall. He is also the Co-Executive Director of the Oberon Theatre Ensemble.

Francisco Gattorno will receive the HOLA Excellence in the Telenovela Genre Award. His telenovela credits include "La dueña", "Cañaveral de pasiones", "Laberintos de pasión", "La viuda de Blanco", "Amores verdaderos" and "Lo que la vida me robó". He can currently be seen in Univision's "Muchacha italiana viene a casarse". New York Latino theater audiences know him from the plays Ana en el trópico, Doña Flor y sus dos esposos, Las quiero a las dos, and Escrito y sellado, all produced at Repertorio Español.

Dascha Polanco will receive the HOLA Innovadora Award. She can be seen as Dayanara "Daya" Díaz in the critically-acclaimed, award-winning series "Orange is the New Black". Other credits include the films Gimme Shelter and The Cobbler. She will soon be seen in the new David O. Russell film Joy.

Special citations will be given to filmmakers Ana María Estrada (for the feature film La novia del libertador), and Julio Ortega and Nitsy Grau (for their feature film Medardo). 

In addition to the above awards HOLA will also continue its annual 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 growing and thriving Latino theatrical stages. A list of the 2014-2015 theater awardees is listed below.

Plus, for the first time in history, HOLA will present the HOLA Performer's Choice Awards. The HOLA Performer's Choice Awards will honor Outstanding Production (of a cast larger than one person) and Outstanding Solo Production. To vote for the HOLA Performer's Choice Awards, visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/NJTK9PF (or click on the Performer's Choice link on the HOLA website (www.hellohola.org). Voting closes at 6pm on Friday, September 25, 2015. Winners will be announced on the night of the awards gala.

Individual tickets are $150 (or $175 if purchased on September 1, 2015 or later). Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling (212) 253-1015 or by going to www.hellohola.org. Sponsorships are also available and can be purchased by calling A.B. Lugo at (212) 253-1015 or via e-mail at ablugo@hellohola.org.

The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) is an arts service/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 the entertainment and media industries.                                                    

2015 HOLA Awards Honors

RAÚL JULIÁ HOLA FOUNDERS AWARD

Benicio del Toro

HOLA JOSÉ FERRER TESPIS AWARD

Selenis Leyva

HOLA ELIZABETH PEÑA BREAKTHROUGH AWARD

Andrea Navedo

HOLA EXCELLENCE IN TELEVISION AWARD

Marisa Ramírez

HOLA & R.EVOLUCIÓN LATINA DARE TO GO BEYOND AWARD

Alexander Dinelaris

HOLA INNOVADORA AWARD

Dascha Polanco

HOLA EXCELLENCE IN THE TELENOVELA GENRE AWARD

Francisco Gattorno

HOLA EXCELLENCE IN MEDIA AWARD

Adriana Vargas

SPECIAL CITATIONS

Ana María Estrada, for the production of the feature film La novia del libertador

Nitsy Grau and Julio Ortega, for their feature film Medardo

2015 HOLA Awards for Excellence in Theater 

(producer[s] shown in parentheses)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR
Francisco Fuertes, Abuse/Abuso (Thalía Hispanic Theatre)

Alejandro Gil, Las pericas (Havanafama Theatrical Company/Festival de Teatro Hispano Del Comisionado)
Germán Jaramillo, Hierba mala nunca muere (Repertorio Español)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR
Zulema Clares, Aire frío (Repertorio Español)

Alicita Lora, El malentendido (ArtSpoken Performing Arts Center/Festival de Teatro Hispano Del Comisionado)

Adriana Sananes, Sueño (Teatro SEA/The Clemente/Teatro LATEA)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED MALE ACTOR
Edward Azcorra, El barco ébrio (Teatro Vanguardia)

Daniel Ojeda, La reina virgen (TEBA/Teatro del Aire)

Juan Villarreal, Días eternos (Teatro LATEA)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED FEMALE ACTOR
Liza Colón-Zayas, Between Riverside and Crazy (Atlantic Theater & Second Stage Theatre)

Idalmis García, Hierba mala nunca muere (Repertorio Español)

Laura Spalding, El barco ébrio (Teatro Vanguardia)

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

Mariela Brito, Triunfadela (El Ciervo Encantado/Festival de Teatro Hispano Del Comisionado)

Josean Ortiz, Bola de nieve (Amigos del Corralón/Festival de Teatro Hispano Del Comisionado)

Ricardo Santana Ortiz, El gran final (Teatro Círculo)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE CAST
Pablo Andrade, Annia Bu, Zulema Clares, Idalmis García, Erick González, Sandor Juan, Ana Margarita Martínez-Casado, Mario Mattei, Frank Robles, Aire frío (Repertorio Español)

Natalia Ivana Escobar, Jorge Luis Figueroa, Franco González, Aileene Pérez, San Salvador después del eclipse (United Productions/Festival de Teatro Hispano Del Comisionado)

Sully Bonnelly, Modesto Jiménez, Mathia Vargas, Yoleros (Teátrica)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNICAL PRODUCTION/DESIGN
José López (puppet and scenic design), Sueño (Teatro SEA/The Clemente/Teatro LATEA) 
Alex Moore (lighting design), Comida de P*ta [F#&king Lousy Food] (MultiStages)

George Riverón and Antonio Reyes (costume design), La reina virgen (TEBA/Teatro del Aire)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN PLAYWRITING
Julie de Grandy, Genios: Lorca y Dalí (Teatro del Aire)

Pablo García Gámez, Las damas de Atenea (TEBA)

Antonio Muñoz de Mesa, Abuse/Abuso (Thalía Hispanic Theatre)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION
Beatriz Córdoba, Días eternos (Teatro LATEA)

Leyma López, Aire frío (Repertorio Español)

Yoshvani Medina, El malentendido (ArtSpoken Performing Arts Center/Festival de Teatro Hispano Del Comisionado)

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Dimas González, for his performance in El rey de Francia (Corezón Productions/Festival de Teatro Hispano Del Comisionado) 
Soledad López, for 35 years of performing in New York City

OneHeart Productions, for its production of El canto de Carlota
Héctor Luis Rivera, for 40 years of acting, directing and producing

Sebastian Stimman, for the breadth of his performances during the 2014-2015 theater season

OUTSTANDING VISITING PRODUCTION
El malentendido (ArtSpoken Performing Arts Center/Festival de Teatro Hispano Del Comisionado)

Las pericas (Havanafama Theatrical Company/Festival de Teatro Hispano Del Comisionado)

Julia de Burgos: criatura del agua (Angelbello Productions)

GILBERTO ZALDÍVAR AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING MUSICAL PRODUCTION
Betsy! (Pregones Theater-Puerto Rican Traveling Theater)

El apagón (Pregones Theater-Puerto Rican Traveling Theater)

Sueño (Teatro SEA/The Clemente/Teatro LATEA)

GILBERTO ZALDÍVAR AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING DRAMATIC PRODUCTION
Abuse/Abuso (Thalía Hispanic Theatre)

Aire frío (Repertorio Español)

El barco ébrio (Teatro Vanguardia)

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