Dennis Latos

Dennis Latos (born March 11, 1992) is an American film director, producer and editor. Dennis directed, produced, and edited the short film, Leylak, which held its world premiere at the 20th Annual Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021 and was awarded a Special Jury Prize for the film.[3]

Dennis Latos
Latos at the Directors Guild of America Theater in New York City, 2017
Born (1992-03-11) March 11, 1992
Flushing, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materNew York University[1]
Hofstra University[2]
Occupation(s)Film director, producer, editor
Years active2007 - present
EmployerLatos Entertainment
Known forBardo, Leylak
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life

Dennis Latos was born in Flushing, New York[4] to Greek-American parents. His mother, Julie (née Tsouros), was a florist. His father, Panagiotis (known as Peter) Latos, was a lawyer who ran Latos & Latos law firm in Astoria, Queens.[5]

Dennis Latos attended St. Mary's High School.[6] During his senior year, Latos was accepted to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Summer Program in Dublin, Ireland.[4]

After graduating high school, Latos attended Emerson College.[7] That November, his father Peter, aged 44, had been diagnosed with an extremely aggressive and virulent stage 4 prostate cancer.[8] After the news, Latos decided to withdraw from Emerson and move back to New York. He transferred into Hofstra University, where he continued his film studies, and made the Provost's List each semester he was there.[9]

Latos then started working as an assistant music video editor and production assistant on music videos for artists such as Fabolous, Red Cafe, Jadakiss, Young Jeezy and Machine Gun Kelly.[10] Latos then created his own production company, Latos Entertainment.

On June 29, 2013, Latos's father died from prostate cancer at age 48.[11] Shortly thereafter, Dennis and his younger brother Stavros (born 1994), formed The Peter Latos Prostate Cancer Foundation (PLPCF) in memory of their father. The foundation's mission is to save lives through early detection and to provide prostate cancer screenings and PSA blood tests for those in need. The foundation also aims to increase awareness through education and provides information about prostate cancer to the public.[12] [13]

Career

In late 2014, Latos landed an internship with Warner Bros. Hollywood producer Michael Tadross at Kaufman Astoria Studios. Tadross is responsible for producing such iconic films such as Coming to America, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Rollerball, The Thomas Crown Affair, I am Legend, Hitch, Sherlock Holmes, Gangster Squad, Winter's Tale, and Ocean's 8.[14] Latos worked in the production office and on set as a production assistant for Tadross's film, Run All Night starring Liam Neeson and Ed Harris.[15]

Short films

On June 24, 2016, Bardo premiered at The Dolby Theatre in New York City.[16]

Latos and Aharoni then met with Los Angeles based and student Emmy nominated screenwriter Arthur Panoyan to direct their next short film, The Untimely Gift. On October 13, 2017, the film was screened at the Directors Guild of America Theatre in New York City with an audience of over 500 people.

In August 2020, Latos and Aharoni filmed their next short film, Leylak, during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also plays a role in the film. It held its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2021.[17]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Director Producer Editor Writer Notes
2016 Bardo Yes Yes Yes No Short film
2017 The Untimely Gift Yes Yes Yes No Short film
2021 Leylak Yes Yes Yes No Short film

Accolades

Film festival awards
Year Award Film Festival Nominated work Result
2021 Special Jury Mention - Best Narrative Short Film (shared with Scott Aharoni) Tribeca Film Festival Leylak Won[18]
2018 Best Short Film (shared with Scott Aharoni) Rhode Island International Film Festival The Untimely Gift Nominated
2018 Best Short Film (shared with Scott Aharoni) Bermuda International Film Festival The Untimely Gift Nominated [19]
2017 Independent Spirit Award (shared with Scott Aharoni) Sedona International Film Festival Bardo Won[20]
2017 Grand Jury Prize (shared with Scott Aharoni) Snowtown Film Festival Bardo Won[21]
2017 Audience Choice Award (shared with Scott Aharoni) Downtown Urban Arts International Film Festival Bardo Won
2017 Best In Show (shared with Scott Aharoni) 20th Annual Hofstra Film Festival Bardo Won[22]
2017 Best Director (shared with Scott Aharoni) 20th Annual Hofstra Film Festival Bardo Won[22]
2017 Best Editor (shared with Scott Aharoni) 20th Annual Hofstra Film Festival Bardo Won[22]
2017 Best Producer (shared with Scott Aharoni) 20th Annual Hofstra Film Festival Bardo Won[22]
2017 Golden Lion (shared with Scott Aharoni) 20th Annual Hofstra Film Festival Bardo Won[23]
2017 Best Director (shared with Scott Aharoni) Madrid International Film Festival Bardo Nominated[24]
2017 Best Editor (shared with Scott Aharoni) Madrid International Film Festival Bardo Nominated[24]
2017 Best Short Film (shared with Scott Aharoni) LA Cinefest Bardo Nominated
2017 Best Short (shared with Scott Aharoni) Golden Door International Film Festival Bardo Nominated[25]

References
  1. Antos, Jason D. "Flushing Born Youth Excels At Filmmaking". The Queens Gazette. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  2. Berliner, Herman A. "Provost's List & Dean's List". Hofstra.edu. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  3. "Indiewire Tribeca Festival Unveils 2021 Jury Award Winners". 17 June 2021.
  4. "Flushing Born Youth Excels At Filmmaking". Qgazette.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  5. "Latos Prostate Cancer Foundation Celebrates 5th Anniversary". Queens Gazette. May 9, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  6. "Magnificat Spring 2010". Issuu.com. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  7. Yiannias, Vicky James (November 11, 2010). "Talented Teens Take Over". Neo Magazine. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  8. "Peter Latos Prostate Cancer Foundation (PLPCF) – Peter Latos". plpcf.org. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  9. "Provost's List Spring 2011 - Hofstra - New York". Hofstra.edu. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  10. Barsamian, Nicollette. "Local-Express". The Queens Gazette. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  11. Diamataris, Antonis H. Diamataris. "Community in Shock: Peter Latos Passes". The National Herald. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  12. "Peter Latos Prostate Cancer Foundation (PLPCF)". plpcf.org. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  13. "Peter Latos Prostate Cancer Foundation (PLPCF)". plpcf.org. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  14. "HABA Honors Michael Tadross of Warner Bros. as 2015's Executive of the Year - USA.GreekReporter.com". Usa.greekreporter.com. May 16, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  15. "Run All Night". IMDb. IMDb.com. Retrieved June 20, 2017. Name mentioned as PA in credits
  16. ArbitalJacoby, Sheri (July 9, 2016). "Young GN Filmmaker Walks The Red Carpet". The Great Neck Record.
  17. "Tribeca 2021 Reveals Shorts Lineup: Majority World Premieres and a Live Performance by Blondie". IndieWire. July 9, 2021.
  18. "Short film 'Leylak' wins award at Tribeca Film Festival". NY1. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  19. "BIFF Announce Short Films Selected for Festival". February 4, 2018.
  20. "Sedona Film Fest Audience Awards Good Fortune". The Sedona Eye. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  21. Thornton, Craig. ""Bardo" wins Grand Prize at Snowtown Film Festival". WWNYTV. Wwnytv.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  22. "Bardo Takes Film Festival Awards". Qgazette.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  23. Barsamian, Tony (March 8, 2017). "Bardo Takes Film Festival Awards". The Queens Gazette. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  24. "Madrid International Film Festival, ES (2017)". IMDb.com. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  25. "Golden Door International Film Festival of Jersey City". Facebook.com. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
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