New York International Latino Film Festival 2009

Sponsored by Heineken.

Set in the colorful, seedy streets of the San Francisco district that bears its name, "La Mission" is a story of redemption imbued with the curative power of Aztec tradition.

Respected -- and feared -- as the baddest Latino on the block, Che (Benjamin Bratt), a former criminal and recovering alcoholic, resorts to violence and intimidation to get what he wants. A bus driver by day, Che lives for his beloved son, Jesse (Jeremy Ray Valdez), his lifelong friends and his passion for lowrider cars.

But Che's macho world is crushed when he discovers that Jesse is gay. Che then reacts in the only way he knows how, in violence. Enter Lena, Che's attractive neighbor and a force to be reckoned with. As a mutual attraction develops, Lena challenges Che to reconcile with his son.

From acclaimed director Peter Bratt, "La Mission" is a haunting story of one man's struggle to overcome homophobia and break the cycle of violence that has haunted his life -- and to heal and transform himself and his family in the process.