U.S. Feature Film, 1 hour 40 minutes, Texas Premiere, Nominee: Best U.S. Feature Film

Synopsis:

20 Pounds to Happiness follows a full figured Latina who joins a Real Women Have Curves Support Group to cope with her critical mother, and must decide whether to get gastric bypass surgery or risk losing the man of her dreams who wants her to keep her curves and move in together.

Yelyna De León

Bio:

Yelyna De León is an actress, filmmaker from the southside of Chicago. She has worked on TV shows such as Will and Grace, Snowfall, Shameless, feature films A Better Life, East Side Story and Murder in the Woods, starring Danny Trejo.Yelyna received her B.A. from UCLA in film, TV, digital cinema and Chicano studies and an MFA from USC in film and TV production. She is currently preparing @HollywoodChola, a one person show about her experiences as a Latina in Hollywood, written by Josefina Lopez, releasing an album with the same title this fall, and opening up a film school with Josefina in Boyle Heights.