Dennis Latos

Dennis Latos (born March 11, 1992) is a Greek-American film director, producer and editor who works as a team with his partner Scott Aharoni. They both directed, produced, and edited the award-winning short film, Bardo.[3] Their film Bardo signed a three-year distribution deal with ShortsTV as well as an additional distribution deal with Amazon Video.[4]

Dennis Latos
Latos at the Director's Guild of America Theater in New York City, 2017
Born
Dennis Latos

(1992-03-11) March 11, 1992
Flushing, New York, USA
NationalityGreek-American
Alma materNew York University[1]
Hofstra University 2010-2012[2]
OccupationFilm director, screenwriter, producer, editor
Years active2007 - present
EmployerLatos Entertainment
Duo Entertainment (co-founder)
Known for Bardo, The Untimely Gift
Websitedennislatos.com duoent.com

Early life

Dennis Latos was born in Flushing, New York.[5] His mother Julie was a florist and his father Peter was a Greek-American lawyer running the Latos & Latos law firm in Astoria, Queens.[6][7]

Latos attended St. Mary's High School.[8] During his senior year, Latos was accepted to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Summer Program in Dublin, Ireland.[5]

After graduating high school, Latos attended Emerson College.[9] That November, his father Peter, had been diagnosed with highly aggressive stage 4 prostate cancer at just 44 years old.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12] Latos then created his own production company, Latos Entertainment.

On June 29, 2013, Latos's father died from prostate cancer at age 48.[13] Shortly thereafter, Latos and his brother Stavros, 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.[14] [15]

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.[16] 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.[17]

In the summer of 2015, Latos met with long time middle school friend Scott Aharoni who was also a filmmaker. They decided to start their own production company, Duo Entertainment. Through Duo, they would direct, edit, and produce all of their content together.[18]

Short films

Under Duo Entertainment, Aharoni and Latos produced, directed, and edited their first short film together titled Bardo, which stars 2x BAFTA nominated actress Lelia Goldoni. Bardo won various awards in film festivals including the first annual Golden Lion Award which was given to the filmmaker of the year at Hofstra University. Bardo also won Best in Show, Best Director, Best Editor, and Best Producer.[19]

On June 24, 2016, Bardo premiered at The Dolby Theater in New York City.[20] The film was accepted to 20 film festivals worldwide including Madrid International Film Festival, Cyprus International Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, and Soho International Film Festival to name a few. The film won 8 awards and received 5 nominations including Independent Spirit Award at the Sedona International Film Festival in Sedona, AZ, Grand Jury Prize at the Watertown Film Festival in Watertown, NY, and Audience Choice Award as the Downtown Urban Arts Film Festival in NYC. Bardo has been screened in Greece, Cyprus, London, Madrid, Australia, and the United States.[19] Bardo additionally signed a 3 year distribution deal with Shorts TV and shortly thereafter signed another distribution deal with Amazon Video.

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 Director's Guild of America Theatre in New York City with an audience of over 500 people. The film was accepted to Rhode Island International Film Festival and Bermuda International Film Festival, both of which are Academy Awards qualifying film festivals. The film was a finalist in both festivals.

Filmography

As director

Film
Year Title Director Producer Editor Writer Notes
2016 Bardo (film) Yes Yes Yes No Short film
2017 The Untimely Gift Yes Yes Yes No Short film
2019 Abby, Go! Yes Yes Yes No Short film

Accolades

Film festival awards
Year Award Film Festival Nominated work Result
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 [21]
2017 Independent Spirit Award (shared with Scott Aharoni) Sedona International Film Festival Bardo Won[22]
2017 Grand Jury Prize (shared with Scott Aharoni) Snowtown Film Festival Bardo Won[23]
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[19]
2017 Best Director (shared with Scott Aharoni) 20th Annual Hofstra Film Festival Bardo Won[19]
2017 Best Editor (shared with Scott Aharoni) 20th Annual Hofstra Film Festival Bardo Won[19]
2017 Best Producer (shared with Scott Aharoni) 20th Annual Hofstra Film Festival Bardo Won[19]
2017 Golden Lion (shared with Scott Aharoni) 20th Annual Hofstra Film Festival Bardo Won[24]
2017 Best Director (shared with Scott Aharoni) Madrid International Film Festival Bardo Nominated[25]
2017 Best Editor (shared with Scott Aharoni) Madrid International Film Festival Bardo Nominated[25]
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[26]

References
  1. Antos, Jason D. "Flushing Born Youth Excels At Filmmaking". The Queens Gazette. 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. Hofstra.edu. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  3. "Bardo Takes Film Festival Awards". Queens Gazette. Queens Gazette. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  4. "About ShortsTV the home of short films". Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  5. "Flushing Born Youth Excels At Filmmaking". Qgazette.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  6. Golomb, Robert. "Peter Latos Lives on Through Prostate Cancer Prevention Foundation". The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  7. "Peter Latos Lives on Through Prostate Cancer Prevention Foundation". The Epoch Times. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  8. "Magnificat Spring 2010". Issuu.com. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  9. Yiannias, Vicky James. "Talented Teens Take Over". Neo Magazine. Neo Magazine. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  10. "Peter Latos Prostate Cancer Foundation (PLPCF) – Peter Latos". plpcf.org. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  11. "Provost's List Spring 2011 - Hofstra - New York". Hofstra.edu. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  12. Barsamian, Nicollette. "Local-Express". The Queens Gazette. The Queens Gazette. Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  13. Diamataris, Antonis H. Diamataris. "Community in Shock: Peter Latos Passes". The National Herald. The National Herald. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  14. "Peter Latos Prostate Cancer Foundation (PLPCF)". plpcf.org. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  15. "Peter Latos Prostate Cancer Foundation (PLPCF) – The Foundation". plpcf.org. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  16. "HABA Honors Michael Tadross of Warner Bros. as 2015's Executive of the Year - USA.GreekReporter.com". Usa.greekreporter.com. 16 May 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  17. "Run All Night". IMDb. IMDb.com. Retrieved 20 June 2017. Name mentioned as PA in credits
  18. Nikic, Joe. "'The Duo' seeks future in Hollywood". The Island Now. The Island Now. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  19. "Bardo Takes Film Festival Awards". Qgazette.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  20. ArbitalJacoby, Sheri. "Young GN Filmmaker Walks The Red Carpet". The Great Neck Record. The Great Neck Record.
  21. http://bernews.com/2018/02/biff-announces-short-films-featured-festival/
  22. "Sedona Film Fest Audience Awards Good Fortune". The Sedona Eye. The Sedona Eye. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  23. Thornton, Craig. ""Bardo" wins Grand Prize at Snowtown Film Festival". WWNYTV. Wwnytv.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  24. Barsamian, Tony. "Bardo Takes Film Festival Awards". The Queens Gazette. The Queens Gazette. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  25. "Madrid International Film Festival, ES (2017)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  26. "Golden Door International Film Festival of Jersey City". Facebook.com. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
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