By Brett Sporich

York Entertainment, one of the industry's most prolific suppliers of black urban genre videos, is making its move into the lucrative Latino market domestically and internationally under its new York en Espanol label. York en Espanol has slated a March release of "Single Action," a south of the border contemporary actionerstarring Carlos Gallardo of "El Mariachi" and "Bandido" fame.

Most of the 70 titles York Entertainment released last year were acquired. But this year, York and its York en Espanol plan to develop more product in-house, president and CEO Tanya York said. York en Espanol is casting for its first in-house Latino project, "Into the Mix," an action-driven story with a "Romeo and Juliet" romantic twist. York said she plans to use an all-Latino cast for the project, which carries a production budget of less than $1 million. "We really want to build a brand that delivers to a market that we believe is greatly underserved," York said. "That means both acquiring product and producing our own."

Even though much of York's black urban product typically has been acquired for less then $500,000, her retail business savvy and reputation for developing stunning box art has earned her hard-won shelf space across the retail and rental spectrum, from the industry's sell-through giant Wal-Mart to Blockbuster Video. York recently acquired international rights to the award-winning indie feature "My Father's Love," written and directed by Los Angeles native Frank Aragon, who won the outstanding independent filmmaker award at this year's Golden Eagle Awards. "My Father's Love" is expected to have a limited theatrical run later this year in Southern California. Aragon, raised by a single mother in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, said much of his film reflects his quest for identity and longing for his absentee father as a youngster. York also is planning to attend the American Film Market for her first time, bringing 28 films that range from drama to action.