Official Selections: 1st - 6th Latinx Film Festivals
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Scroll Down to learn more about each film
5 Minutes
USA Premiere
Three generations of women struggle to come to terms with their dying matriarch.
Director: Christina Jobe
Producer: Christina Jobe & Nicole Torres
Writer: Christina Jobe
Cast: Nicole Torres, Sheila Carrasco, Anna Salinas, Sonia Monroy, Claire Montegomery, Lawrence Hughes, Jess Bishop
Cinematographer: Patrick Jones
Editor: Nailah Robinson, Doug Yablun
Instagram: @thenicoletorres, @dalmatiancow
Aguante
Aguante is a documentary about the Puerto Rican battle against gender-based violence. It is a story about the impact that machismo culture and a complex history of colonialism in Puerto Rico has had on generations of women.
Director: Dominick Torres
Writer: Dominick Torres & Gabriella Torres
Cinematographer: Dominick Torres
Editor: Dominick Torres
NewburyPort Film Festival YES AWARD Emerging Filmmaker
Instagram: @doms_filmlife
Facebook: Dominick Torres
A Real Job
Short
A Real Job follows the story of 13-year old Mia who wants to walk home with the cool girls at school but with ICE raiding her neighborhood, her mother Cecilia will not let her out of sight. A Real Job is a story based on my own personal experiences as I grew up undocumented in the United States. It is a story about wanting to fit in when you're growing up and dealing with the anxiety that surrounds life in the shadows.
Director: Nicole Romero
Producer: Nicole Romero, Michelle Edmond
Writer: Nicole Romero
Cast: Valentina Valencia, Natali Huertas, Richard Torres, Camilo Inga, Sabrina O' Connor, Gabriel Dayan, Christopher Rodriguez, Jessica Wolff
Cinematographer: Christian Kong
Editor: Nicole Romero
- Silver Award for Original Screenplay - Hollywood Gold Awards
- Best Short Drama - New York Short Film Festival
Instagram: @ARealJobFilm
Azúcar (Sugar)
Animated Short
West Coast Premiere
Ana and her son, Marcelo, have traveled 1500 miles from Honduras to the U.S. border. Tonight is the night they will attempt to cross the Rio Grande.
During the crossing we will learn why Ana and Marcelo have come so far, and endured so much, to get here. We will also see them face their greatest challenge of the journey. Will their hope and resilience survive the night?
Writer & Director: Joshua Gunn
Art Director: Jen Sanchez
Executive Producer: George Bard
To date, Azúcar has been selected for the Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival, The Human Rights Film Festival of Brazil, and the Socially Relevant Film Festival New York.
Website: azucarfilm.com
Instagram: @planetnutshell
Facebook: fb.com/planetnutshell
Birthday Boy
Feature Film
Jimmy invites his intimate circle of friends to a weekend at his beach house to celebrate his 45th birthday. The party is over when Jimmy confesses to them that he has been diagnosed with ALS and wants to end his life after blowing the candles.
Director: Arturo Montenegro
Producer: Andry José Barrientos
Writer: Arturo Montenegro
Cast: Albi de Abreu, Joavanny Álvarez, Gaby Gnazzo, Julia Dorto, Digber Enríquez, Sharo Cerquera, Gina Faarup, Diana Young
Cinematographer (if applicable): Aaron Bromley
Editor: Antonio Zapata / Arturo Montenegro
- San Diego Latino Film Festival. 2023. Official Selection.
- International Film Festival of India GOA. 2022. Official Selection.
- Dallas International Film Festival. 2022. Official Selection.
- FICMY Mérida y Yucatán Film Festival. 2022. Official Selection.
- Panamanian nternational Film Festival LA. 2022. Official Selection.
- Premios Platino. Spain. 13 pre-selections in different categories.
- Premios Forqué. Spain. Nominee for best Latin American film
- Panamanian film nominated for the Oscars
Website: www.qfilms.net
Instagram: @cumpleanero_pelicula
Convite
Short Documentary
Los Angeles Premiere
Convite portraits a traditional dance in rural Guatemala during the fair season and prior to a religious procession, revealing a living palimpsest of Mayan culture, Spanish colonialism, and modernity that allows a liminal space wherein the community breaks societal norms.
Director: Sofia Navarrete Zur
Producer: Sofia Navarrete Zur
Cinematographer: Sofia Navarrete Zur
Editor: Sofia Navarrete Zur, Shenan Ochoa
Cast: Jorge Barrios, Javier Mendoza
Nominated for Best Documentary Short at NFFTY
Dirt Don't Hurt by BEEBO
Music Video
After seeing the red flags more clearly, BEEBO builds up the courage to finally leave her boyfriend, regaining control of her life & valuing her self worth within her own beautiful skin.
Director: Orlando Torres
Producer: Orlando Torres, George Almanza
Writer: Orlando Torres, Sabreena Venegas, Ashley Valenzuela
Cast: Sabreena Venegas, Devin "Sauce" Davis, Kumiko Cashe'
Cinematographer (if applicable): Ashley Valenzuela
Editor: Orlando Torres
- Awarded Best Director for the Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival
- Awarded Best Music Video at the California Women's Film Festival (Winter)
- Awarded best Music Video at the SAFILM - San Antonio Film Festival.
Instagram: @otcinema @beeb0nation
Adam "Blunose" Lopez
Short
Adam Lopez is a Mexican American professional boxer born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He is the son of Mexican Boxer Hector Lopez. This is his story.
Director: James Valdez
Producer: James Valdez
Writer: Adam Lopez Documentary
Cast: (Adam Lopez, Hector Lopez)
Cinematographer: Nick Azzaro
Editor: James Valdez and Alan Schaff
Instagram: @blunoselopez
A Home For The Brave
USA Premiere
A Home For The Brave is a stop-motion drawing animation short that tells the story of a Mexican migrant family crossing the border into the United States.
Director: Hugo Crosthwaite
Producer: Hugo Crosthwaite, Theresa Magario
Writer: Hugo Crosthwaite
Cinematographer: Hugo Crosthwaite
Editor: Theresa Magario
Instagram: @Hugo Crosthwaite
Aparecides
Short
A young Thai singer performs old Hollywood classics in an exclusive lounge in Santiago, Chile. Confronted by a massive popular uprising in the streets, she is forced to make a choice: escape like the elites she performs for or stay and sing a new song.
Director: Yvan Iturriaga
Producer: Andrés Gallegos
Writer: Yvan Iturriaga
Cast: Pachara Poonsawat, Luis Dubó
Cinematographer: Andrés Gallegos
Editor: Martín Amezaga
Filmed a the social uprising in Chile and the global pandemic
Instagram: @iskracine
A World For Julius
Julius is a high class child in Lima, Peru, in the 50’s. He will lose the innocence little by little, when discovering and never understanding a world full of inequalities and injustices.
Director: Rossana Díaz Costa.
Producer: Rossana Díaz Costa, Fernando Díaz, Ferran Cera
Writer: Rossana Díaz Costa (for the screen), Alfredo Bryce Echenique (novel written by)
Cast: Mayella Lloclla, Fiorella de Ferrari, Nacho Fresneda, Augusto Linares, Pamela Saco, Rodrigo Barba, Fernando Bacilio, Antonieta Pari
Cinematographer: Gabriel Di Martino
Editor: Eric Williams
Instagram: @unmundoparajulius_pelicula
Facebook: fb.com/unmundoparajulius
Between Root and Wings
West Coast Premiere
Feature
Vera decides to leave home after finding out that her husband Eugenio, an ethics professor, becomes involved in a love affair with a student. After sixteen years, she goes in search of her self-love, the way to find herself again. While Eugenio, a man of middle age, allows himself to live a jovial love, his son Robinho, a teenager, has problems with the broke up of his parents.
Director: Wlado Herzog & Gabriel Muglia
Producer: Marcelo Lima, Wlado Herzog and Gabriel Muglia
Writer: Wlado Herzog, Gabriel Muglia and Rafaela Navarro
Cast: Maura Hayas, Ricardo Fialho, Luana Albeniz, Pedro Amaral, Rogério Mendes, João Cãndido, Yuri Neves Farias, Cibelle Piacentinni, Fernanda Viacava, Ana Rita Abdala, Clara Miranda, Danilo Cassola, Mayara Peres, Paulão de Carvalho, Mayara Andrade, Cassio Sabino, Carolina Sabino, Léo Porto and Maíra De Grandi
Cinematographer: Paulo Victor Mesquita
Editor: Fabio de Berthole
Instagram: @entreraizeasas
Border'd
West Coast Premiere
Web Series
A trio of Latine siblings are reunited in their suburban hometown after a family tragedy forces them to confront their ignored culture, past failures, and hidden secrets.
Director: Daniel Gebert
Producer: Andrew Nuño, Adrian Nuño, and Lauryn Lugo
Writer: Andrew Nuño, Adrian Nuño, and Lauryn Lugo
Cast: Andrew Nuño, Adrian Nuño, Lauryn Lugo, Michelle Jasso, Armando Reyes, John Magana, Mateusz Wielomek
Cinematographer: Gary Walker
Editor: Adrian Nuño
Instagram: @borderdwebseries/
Facebook: fb.com/borderdwebseries
Cyclone
West Coast Premiere
Star crossed lovers reunite only to have their past resurface, igniting the pain that tore them apart. Featuring a predominantly Latinx cast, this story, set entirely in Coney Island, Brooklyn New York touches on the issue of sexual consent within a relationship, communication or lack thereof and the ultimate question of forgiveness.
Director: Austin Tsung-Fu Chang
Producer: Francisco Solorzano
Writer: Francisco Solorzano
Cast: Natalia Baron, Francisco Solorzano
Cinematographer: Carrie Stalk
Editor: Ellie Gravitte, Kenny Neal Shults
Winner of Best Short Film & Best Editing at Indie Short Fest & Best Made In Coney Island at Coney Island Film Festival including finalist for many international film festivals.
Facebook: fb.com/barefoottheatreco
Instagram: @barefoot_theatre_company
Addicted To You
Short Film
An emotional journey following the tumultuous relationship between a married couple struggling to cope with the effects of addiction.
Director: Christian Leyva
Producer: Berner, David Mansanalez, Jeff Reyes, Alex Ferrufino
Writer: David Mansanalez
Cast: Sonia Balcazar, Anthony L. Fernandez, Jesse Borrego, Xochitl Guzman, Blanca Ordaz
Cinematographer: Jeff Reyes
Editor: Christian Leyva
- Best Actress Winner (MACFF 2023 & Cannes World Fest)
- Best Cinematography Winner (MACFF 2023)
- Best Direction (Cannes World Fest Nominee)
Instagram: @addictedtoyoufilm
American Diablo
West Coast Premiere
An undocumented, deaf Latina prays to keep the devil at bay; after a police checkpoint turned awry takes her on a downward spiral into the underworld hiding beneath Miami.
Director: Juan Carlos CastañedaProducer: Juan Carlos Castañeda, Juan Yepes
Writer: Juan Carlos Castañeda
Cast: Stephanie Nogueras, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Adebiyi Lanre, Daniel Sanchez, Luis Acosta, Shaun David Fraser, Joel Rod, Maximilian Alexander, Miguel Collado, Mathew Mielke, Michael Nunez, Alfonso Santillana
Cinematographer: Juan Carlos Castañeda
Editor: Juan Carlos Castañeda
Ariel - Back to Buenos Aires
West Coast Premiere
Feature Film
The story of a brother and sister who return to the country of their birth, Argentina, for the first time in their adult lives. Against the backdrop of glamorous tango clubs of Buenos Aires, they uncover dark family secrets and the reason for their parents' emigration.
Director: Alison Murray
Producer: Felicitas Raffo, Pamela Livia, Alison Murray
Writer: Alison Murray
Cast: Raphael Grosz-Harvey, Cristina Rosato, Eleonora Wexler, Cristina Banegas, Gerardo Romano
Cinematographer (if applicable): Rolo Pulpeiro
Editor: Lev Lewis
- Best Foreign Feature Arizona International Film Festival
- Jury Prize Mumbai International Film Festival
- Audience Choice Award Woods Hole Film Festival
- Best Canadian Filmmaker Toronto International Women's Film Festival
- Best International Feature Latino Film Market NYC
- Official Selections: Toronto Latin American Film Festival, Buenos Aires Festival & Mundial de Tango, Regina International Film Festival, Georgia Latin American Film Festival, Seattle Latin American Film Festival, Boston Latin Cinefest, Chicago Women's Film Festival
Website: www.arieltangomovie.com
Instagram: @arieltangomovie
Bienvenidos a Los Angeles
Short
Inspired by true events and shot on location at LAX airport, "Bienvenidos a Los Angeles" tells the timely story of Imani, a Nigerian single-mother living in Los Angeles, who offers to help a perfect stranger reunite with her son. In doing so, Imani learns this simple act of kindness threatens to jeopardize her own path to citizenship.
Director: Lisa Cole
Producer: Vivian Johnson, Cindy Lu, Ben O'Keefe, Jolene Mendes, Lisa Cole & Lolia Etomi
Writer: Lisa Cole
Cast: (Destiny Faith Nelson, Stacey Patino, Rashmi Rustagi, Yvonne Huff Lee, Jason Delane, Philip Wilburn, Ethan Mendez, Phoenix Stafford)
Cinematographer: Jackson Warner Lewis
Editor: Julia Franklin
Composer: Chiara Costanza
Casting Director: Caroline Liem
-Winner, Best Short film, Director, Cinematographer & Actor -Big Syn International London
-Winner, Best Female Producers, Toronto International Women Film Festival
-Winner, Best Short Film, 22nd Annual Moondance International Film Festival
-Nominated, Best Drama, 17th Annual Santa Monica Int’l Film Festival
=12th Annual McMinnville Film Festival - NOMINATED: Best Drama, Grand Jury & Founders Award for Outstanding Female Filmmaker
Website: Balafilm.com
Instagram: @bienvenidosfilm
Facebook: fb.com/Bienvenidosfilm
Caminantes: Human Stories that Cross Borders
Short
Los Angeles Premiere
"Caminantes" takes the viewer inside the journey of a group of Venezuelan migrants that have fled their homeland in search of a better life. Unable to afford a bus ticket, they journey by foot into Colombia and towards an uncertain future.
Director: Ricardo Rodriguez, Ana Maria Ariza
Producer: Jeff Kennel
Cinematographer (if applicable): Ricardo Rodriguez
Editor: Ricardo Rodriguez
DACAmented
Los Angeles Premiere
Three young female filmmakers follow Kiara Lopez-Cabanillas for an intimate look into the life of a young DACA recipient. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was created by President Obama in 2012 to give legal status to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, allowing its recipients to work and live in the USA without fear of deportation. Over the past couple of years, DACA has faced significant opposition from the Trump administration with the possibility of the program being terminated, leaving Kiara and over 700,000 DACA recipients in fear of their status being revoked. For Kiara, the end of DACA would mean deportation to a place she hasn’t called home in over 18 years. DACAmented highlights Kiara’s experience as she navigates the challenges that come with being an immigrant in the United States and calls attention to the significant role that those under DACA play in American society.
Director: Samantha Campbell, Emma Greally, Kate Parker
Producer: Samantha Campbell, Emma Greally, Kate Parker
Cast: Kiara Lopez-Cabanillas, Mark Naugle
Cinematographer: Samantha Campbell
Editor: Samantha Campbell, Emma Greally
Officially selected to LA Latinx Film Festival, Fayetteville Film Festival, Boston International Kids Film Festival. Runner up in Williamsburg International Film & Music Competition, student documentary category. Winner of Best Documentary Student Short at the London Independent Film Awards.
Instagram: @dacamented_film/