‘In The Heights’ Premieres In Washington Heights For Tribeca Film Festival Opening

Anthony Ramos stepped out in a full animal-print ensemble for the premiere of In the Heights, a movie based on the musical of the same name by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The movie musical, which takes place in Miranda’s own neighborhood of Washington Heights, tells the story of a tight-knit community and their dreams for the future. Ramos played the starring role of Usnavi de la Vega, the charismatic bodega owner. On the yellow carpet, he posed with his costar Leslie Grace, who acted alongside Ramos in the part of Nina Rosario, the ex-Stanford student, and pride of her neighborhood.

The film premiered at the start of the Tribeca Festival, appropriately held at the United Palace, a 91-year-old theater in Washington Heights. Miranda, who still lives in the neighborhood and was within walking distance of his home, wore the same outfit he did to the Broadway premiere of In the Heights. Both the musical and film have meant a lot to the residents of Washington Heights. Ramos, who was raised in Brooklyn, said, “I didn’t grow up even going to Broadway, and most New York people don’t grow up going to Broadway. To tell a New York story about a community that’s so familiar and so special to people from New York is particularly special for me.”

Miranda echoed Ramos’s sentiment. “All I ever wanted was this neighborhood to be proud of themselves and the way they are portrayed,” he said.