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THURSDAY MARCH
SCHEDULE 7:00 Drive-in: Zoot Suit / Frontera Filmmakers - South Bay Drive-in 7:15 La odisea de los giles / Frontera Filmmakers - South Bay Drive-in 12:00 ¡Binge Esto! Shorts Program (Available until 3/21!)
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FRIDAY MARCH
4:00 Nuestra Salud Shorts (60 minutes)
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WEDNESDAY MARCH
4:00 Frontera Filmmakers Documentary Shorts Program (110 min.) 5:00 La frontera (Colombia, 90 min., 2019, Drama) 5:45 Lucinda Urrusti. Pintora. (Mexico, 90 min., 2020, Documentary) 6:30 Canción de invierno (Mexico, 80 min., Drama / Coming-of-age) 7:15 499 (Mexico / USA, 87 min., 2020, Documentary)
4:00 FREE Cooking Class: Enchiladas de Sonora (Cocinas de México Diplomado)
8:00 Los Fuertes (Chile, 98 min., 2019, Drama)
5:00 Miguelito - Canto a Borinquen (Aust. / Puerto Rico, 94 min., 2019, Documentary) 5:45 Mulheres de Havana (Brazil / Cuba, 75 min., 2019, Documentary)
4:00 Relatos Latinxs Shorts Program (120 min.)
6:00 The Importance of Telling Our Own Stories - Filmmakers Virtual Discussion
5:00 Truly Texas Mexican (USA, 90 min., 2021, Food Documentary)
6:30 El último balsero (USA / Cuba, 79 min., 2020, Drama) 7:15 El perro que no calla (Argentina, 73 min., 2020, Drama) 8:00 Los Fuertes (Chile, 98 min., 2019, Drama)
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THURSDAY MARCH
8:30 90 minutos (Honduras, 92 min., 2020, Drama)
5:45 Irmã (Brazil, 88 min., 2020, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Drama) 6:30 Blanco en blanco (Chile / Spain / France / Germany, 100 min., 2019, Drama) 7:15 Negra (Mexico, 72 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary) 8:00 Tijuana, I Love You (Mexico, 88 min., 2021, Anthology Drama)
12:00 Hecho en USA Shorts Program (available to access all day!) 12:00 ¡Viva Mujeres! Shorts Program (available to access all day!)
4:00 México, raro, y querido Shorts Program (125 min.)
12:00 FREE Cooking Class: Albondigas de camarón, de Sinaloa (Cocinas de México Diplomado)
4:00 FREE Cooking Class: Pozole seco, Colima (Cocinas de México Diplomado)
2:00 Missing in Brooks County (USA, 81 min., 2020, Immigration Documentary)
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SATURDAY MARCH
2:45 Truly Texas Mexican (USA, 90 min., 2021, English, Food Documentary) 3:30 La bronca (Peru / Colombia, 103 min., 2019, Drama) 4:00 Actors' Virtual Discussion
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FRIDAY MARCH
5:00 La restauración (Peru, 93 min., 2021, Dramedy) 5:45 Marea Verde (Arg. / Chile / Bolivia / Col. 75 min., 2020, Documentary) 6:30 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story (USA, 83 min., 2021, Documentary) 7:15 Through Ernesto’s Eyes (Brazil, 123 min., 2019, Porguese, Drama) 8:00 La condesa (Honduras / United States, 88 min., 2021, Horror)
4:15 Dreams of Chonta (Colombia / USA, 87 min., Music Documentary) 5:00 Valentina (Brazil, 95 min., 2020, Portuguese w/ Spanish subtitles, Drama)
12:00 FREE Cooking Class: Enchiladas de Sonora (Cocinas de México Diplomado)
5:45 Marea Verde (Arg. / Chile / Bolivia / Col., 75 min., 2020, Documentary) 6:00 Rita Moreno. Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It (USA, 90 min., 2021, English, Doc.)
1:00 Femme Frontera Filmmakers Showcase 2020 (80 min.)
6:30 Summertime (USA, 95 min., 2020, English, Spoken Word)
2:00 Youth Visions 2021 (82 min.)
7:15 Las Siamesas (Argentina, 80 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)
2:45 Yib (Mexico / Germany, 65 min., 2019, Documentary)
8:00 Tijuana, I Love You (Mexico, 88 min., 2021, Anthology Drama)
3:30 Off the Road (Mexico / USA, 78 min., Documentary)
8:30 La condesa (Honduras / United States, 88 min., 2021, Horror) 12:00 ¡SOMOS! Cine LGBTQ+ Shorts Program (available to access all day!) (129 min.) 12:00 Un mundo extraño Shorts Program
14 SUNDAY MARCH
20
SATURDAY MARCH
7:15 90 minutos (Honduras, 92 min., 2020, Drama)
4:15 Landfall (Puerto Rico, 91 min., 2020, Documentary)
8:00 El amor es más fácil (Argentina, 85 min., 2020, Romance)
5:00 Maija Awi. Concierto Campo Alaska (Mexico, 42 min., Concert Film) 5:45 La frontera (Colombia, 90 min., 2019, Spanish, Wayuunaiki w/ English subtitles, Drama)
1:00 FREE! Para la familia: Cuentos con las Reinas Barbie Q & Raquel Ita A Virtual Story Book Reading
6:30 Irmã (Brazil, 88 min., 2020, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Drama)
2:00 Miguelito (Aus. / Puerto Rico, 94 min., 2019, English, Music Documentary)
7:15 Nudo Mixteco (Mexico, 91 min., 2021, Spanish, Mixtec w/ English subtitles, Drama)
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MONDAY MARCH
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TUESDAY MARCH
5:00 Mulheres de Havana (Brazil / Cuba, 75 min., 2019, Documentary) 5:45 Yib (Mexico / Germany, 65 min., 2019, Documentary)
2:45 Las Siamesas (Argentina, 80 min., 2020, Drama)
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SUNDAY MARCH
3:30 Through Ernesto’s Eyes (Brazil, 123 min., 2019, Drama) 4:15 Nudo Mixteco (Mexico, 91 min., 2021, Spanish, Mixtec w/ English subtitles, Drama) 5:00 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story (USA, 83 min., 2021, Documentary) 5:45 Summertime (USA, 95 min., 2020, English, Spoken Word)
6:30 El amor es más fácil (Argentina, 85 min., 2020, Romance)
6:30 Missing in Brooks County (USA, 81 min., 2020, Immigration Documentary)
7:15 Off the Road (Mexico / USA, 78 min., Documentary)
7:15 El retiro (Argentina, 90 min., 2019, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Dramedy)
8:00 La bronca (Peru / Colombia, 103 min., 2019, English, Drama)
7:30 Virtual Awards Ceremony
4:00 Docu-Shorts Program (110 min.)
8:00 Negra (Mexico, 72 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)
5:00 El último balsero (USA / Cuba, 79 min., 2020, Drama) 5:45 Dreams of Chonta (Colombia / USA, 87 min., Music Documentary) 6:30 Cachada (El Salvador, 81 min., 2019, Documentary) 7:00 Migrant Voices Today Film Challenge 2021 7:15 Valentina (Brazil, 95 min., 2020, Portuguese w/ Spanish subtitles, Drama) 8:00 Blanco en blanco (Chile / Spain / France / Germany, 100 min., 2019, Drama)
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5:45 Landfall (Puerto Rico, 91 min., 2020, Documentary) 7:00 Drive-In: El retiro and Buena Vista Social Club - Westfield Mission Valley
4:00 Actresses' Virtual Discussion
4:00 Frontera Filmmakers Narrative Shorts Program (140 min.)
5:00 Canción de invierno (Mexico, 80 min., Drama / Coming-of-age) 6:30 El perro que no calla (Argentina, 73 min., 2020, Drama)
3:30 Lucinda Urrusti. Pintora. (Mexico, 90 min., 2020, Documentary)
8:00 La restauración (Peru, 93 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtites, Dramedy)
4:15 Cachada (El Salvador, 81 min., 2019, Documentary)
Watch online: https://sdlff2021.eventive.org/welcome
TABLE OF CONTENTS
02...... Schedule 03...... Table of Contents 03...... TICKETS 03...... Sponsors 06...... Narrative Features 11...... Migrant Voices Today 12...... Documentary Features 15...... Short Films 23...... Youth Visions
Virtual Film Festival Ticket Information: Visit: https://sdlff2021.eventive.org/welcome
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS Ticket Prices for Virtual Movies: General Admission – $12.00 Senior/Student/Military – $10.00 Member rate – $9.00 Drive-Ins: $40 per car $20 single riders South Bay Drive-In, March 11, 2021 (Doors open at 6PM, Shows Start at 7PM) 2170 Coronado Ave, San Diego, California 92154 Westfield Mission Valley Drive-In, March 20, 2021 (Open at 5PM, Shows Start at 7PM): 1640 Camino Del Rio N, San Diego, CA 92108
SPONSORS
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FESTIVAL STAFF MEDIA ARTS CENTER SAN DIEGO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FESTIVAL STAFF Ethan Van Thillo, Founder/Executive Director Moisés Esparza, Exhibitions Manager Juan Lopez, Exhibitions Coordinator Larissa Vega, Talent Relations Coordinator Araceli Medina, Event/Volunteer Coordinator Pilar Kuri, Events/Marketing Saul Silva, Sonido Latino Paola Hernández-Jiao, Festival Ambassador / Host Jositux Guaimas, Web Design
Brittany Crowe, Graphic Design Franko Rosas, Graphic Design Kristian Perez, Live Stream Assoc. Producer Luis Martinez, Host & Live Stream Assoc. Producer Miguel Rodriguez, Guest Festival Programmer Nicole Martinez, Customer Service Representative
MEDIA ARTS CENTER SAN DIEGO Ryan Kuratomi, Director of Video Production Cameron Quevedo, Education Director Amanda Barcena, Operations/Bookkeeper Shanna Trenholm, Development Marie Hesse, Development
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Maria Toscano, Director Licensed Real Estate Agent
Paul Espinosa, Vice President President/CEO of Espinosa Productions
Michael Caro, Director San Diego Regional Manager, Assistance for Veterans
Francisco Mata, Secretary San Ysidro School District, Coordinator of Public Relations and Community Services
Shelby Batchelor Courtney, Director Language Education Consultant
Vanessa Barron, Director Grossmont College
Alberto Cruz, Director President, JAMR Properties
John Kiladis, Director
Lisa Feldman, Director Case Investigator, County of San Diego
Gustavo M. Rios, Director Construction Attorney & Project Advisor
Graciela Platero, Director San Diego Museum of Art
Taina Berardi, Director Holistic Health Entrepreneur
FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION COMMITTEE Brian Brown Cuauhtémoc Ruelas Danny Soley Juan Lopez Jeff Arballo
Adolfo Ventura, Board President Director of Operations, MAAC
Maria Elena Delgado Miguel Rodriguez Moises Esparza Susana Demaestri Yakira Delgadillo
POSTER SELECTION COMMITTEE Gary Benzel (San Diego State University) Alex Contreras Leticia Franco (Balboa Art Conservation Center) John Ball (MiresBall)
Tom Bugzavich (Cuyamaca College) Paola Alvarez (Designer + Project Manager) Adolfo Ventura (MAAC) a poster selection committee
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NARRATIVE FEATURES 90 MINUTOS Dir. Aeden O'Connor Agurcia (Honduras, 92 min., 2020 Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)
3/12/2021 / 8:30 PM / Virtual Screening 3/20/2021 / 7:15 PM / Virtual Screening Four stories about violence, love, suspense and drama united by the world's greatest passion: soccer.
family. With male pride, Bob strives to show his son his best version of the North American dream marked by his own prejudices. The reunion between father and son will be forever forged by a violence from which they have been unable to escape.
EL AMOR ES MÁS FÁCIL Dir. Daniel Prensa (Argentina, 85 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Romance)
3/15/2021 / 6:30 PM / Virtual Screening 3/20/2021 / 8:00 PM / Virtual Screening Gala is an aspiring singer with dreams of securing a scholarship to study in NYC. Diego is a successful sales representative who has just been dumped by his long term girlfriend. Gale and Diego's paths cross and as feelings develop between them, they must make difficult decisions about their future. CANCIÓN DE INVIERNO Dir. Silvana Lázaro (Mexico, 80 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama / Coming-of-age)
3/17/2021 / 6:30 PM / Virtual Screening 3/20/2021 / 5:00 PM / Virtual Screening Danielle and her best friend Diego set off on a journey while both of them face the pain of a break up with their partners. Two broken hearts, two friends, a road trip, a new lover, but fundamentally, a deep need to find themselves, make CANCION DE INVIERNO a movie about coming-of-age and youthfulness. BLANCO EN BLANCO Dir. Théo Court (Chile / Spain / France / Germany, 100 min., 2019, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)
3/16/2021 / 8:00 PM / Virtual Screening 3/18/2021 / 6:30 PM / Virtual Screening In this sharp rebuke of colonialism, Pedro (Alfredo Castro) arrives in Tierra del Fuego, a hostile and violent territory, to immortalise the marriage of a powerful landowner. Fascinated by the beauty of the bride-to-be, he betrays the rules and is left to face the land on his own, falling complicit to the terrors inflicted upon the ingeneous populations in the region. LA BRONCA Dirs. Daniel Vega, Diego Vega (Peru / Colombia, 103 min., 2019, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)
3/13/2021 / 3:30 PM / Virtual Screening 3/15/2021 / 8:00 PM / Virtual Screening In the early 90s, Roberto, an 18-year-old boy lost in life, leaves a violent Peru and travels to Montreal to join his father, Bob Montoya, an immigrant who fled from his country years ago and who now lives with his new Canadian 6
LA CONDESA Dir. Mario Ramos (Honduras / United States, 88 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Horror)
3/13/2021 / 8:30 PM / Virtual Screening 3/19/2021 / 8:00 PM / Virtual Screening A relaxing weekend in their late grandmother's estate turns into a nightmare for brothers Felipe and Eduardo, and their respective girlfriends, when they discover a dark family secret. LA FRONTERA Dir. David David (Colombia, 90 min., 2019, Spanish, Wayuunaiki w/ English subtitles, Drama)
3/14/2021 / 5:45 PM / Virtual Screening 3/17/2021 / 5:00 PM / Virtual Screening Diana Ipuana is a pregnant indigenous woman who lives in a hamlet near the Colombian-Venezuelan border, with her husband Chevrolet and brother Jorge. They find supplies by mugging travelers who take shortcuts between the countries, since the official road has been closed by a presidential order. One day, tragedy strikes Chevrolet and Jorge. From there Diana must test the resilient power of her wayuu femininity and learn to expand her own borders.
NARRATIVE FEATURES LA ODISEA DE LOS GILES Dir. Sebastián Borensztein (Argentina / Spain, 115 min., 2019, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Dramedy / Heist)
3/11/2021 / 7:00 PM / Drive-In Screening (Southbay Drive-In) Ricardo and Chino Darín come together for the first time as a father-son acting duo in La odisea de los giles, a heist dramedy that plays on the most basic human instinct: getting back what’s yours. EL PERRO QUE NO CALLA Dir. Ana Katz (Argentina, 73 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)
LOS FUERTES Dir. Omar Zúñiga (Chile, 98 min., 2019, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)
3/12/2021 / 8:00 PM / Virtual Screening 3/17/2021 / 8:00 PM / Virtual Screening Lucas travels to visit his sister in a remote town in southern Chile. In front of the ocean and the fog, he meets Antonio, a boatswain in a local fishing boat. When an intense romance grows between them, their strength, their independence and their adulthood become immovable in front of the tide.
3/12/2021 / 7:15 PM / Virtual Screening 3/20/2021 6:30 PM / Virtual Screening Sebastian is an ordinary man in his thirties devoted to his loyal dog and working in a slew of temporary jobs. As he moves fitfully through adulthood, he navigates love, loss and fatherhood — until the world is rocked by a sudden catastrophe, upending his already turbulent life.
IRMÃ Dirs. Luciana Mazeto, Vinícius Lopes (Brazil, 88 min., 2020, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Drama)
3/14/2021 / 6:30 PM / Virtual Screening 3/18/2021 / 5:45 PM / Virtual Screening Two sisters on a countryside odyssey to find their dad experience the unexpected as an unknown asteroid threatens to collide with the earth. With haunting songs, ghosts and fossils, the film blurs the border between external and internal reality. NUDO MIXTECO Dir. Ángeles Cruz (Mexico, 91 min., 2021, Spanish, Mixtec w/ English subtitles, Drama)
3/14/2021 / 7:15 PM / Virtual Screening 3/21/2021 / 4:15 PM / Virtual Screening Three stories intertwine during the celebration of San Mateo, the patron saint of a Mixtec Oaxacan village: María buries her mother, her father rejects her and, in uncertainty, she proposes to Piedad, her childhood love, to leave with her. Esteban returns after three years to discover that Chabela, his wife, is living with another man; enraged he calls the village people to prosecute her in an assembly. Toña relives her own trauma when faced with the abuse her daughter has endured as she returns to the village to ask for her family's protection.
LA RESTAURACIÓN Dir. Alonso Llosa (Peru, 93 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Dramedy)
3/14/2021 / 8:00 PM / Virtual Screening 3/19/2021 / 5:00 PM / Virtual Screening Tato, 50, a charming but penniless college dropout just moved back home. In a moment of misguided brilliance, he decides to sell his bedridden mother’s house behind her back. Now he must build a replica of his mother’s bedroom in order to create the illusion that she is still living in her old home.
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NARRATIVE FEATURES EL RETIRO Dir. Ricardo Díaz Iacoponi
LAS SIAMESAS Dir. Paula Hernández
(Argentina, 90 min., 2019, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Dramedy)
(Argentina, 80 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)
3/20/2021 / 7:00 PM / Drive-in Screening (Westfield Mission Valley) 3/21/2021 / 7:15 PM / Virtual Screening El Retiro is an inspiring and charming intergenerational dramedy about the importance of the family we're born into and the family we choose. When a doctor retires, he unexpectedly finds himself the guardian of a young boy, prompting him to reconnect with his own daughter. Through these experiences, he finds a new lease on life as he enters the next chapter of his life.
3/13/2021 / 7:15 PM / Virtual Screening 3/21/2021 / 2:45 PM / Virtual Screening Clota and Stella are a mother and daughter in a codependent relationship. When Stella learns her late-father has left her two apartments in a far-away seaside town, she and her mother take a trip to inspect the properties. Along the way, it becomes increasingly clear these apartments represent an unbearable reality for Clota: a potential separation from her daughter which might be too much to bear. SUMMERTIME Dir. Carlos Lopez Estrada (USA, 95 min., 2020, English, Spoken Word)
3/13/2021 / 6:30 PM / Virtual Screening 3/21/2021 / 5:45 PM / Virtual Screening Over the course of a hot summer day in Los Angeles, the lives of 25 young Angelinos intersect. A skating guitarist, a tagger, two wannabe rappers, an exasperated fast-food worker, a limo driver—they all weave in and out of each other’s stories. Throughout the film, their groundbreaking performances express lighthearted and deep statements about life, love, heartache, family, home, and fear.
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NARRATIVE FEATURES VALENTINA Dir. Cássio Pereira dos Santos (Brazil, 95 min., 2020, Portuguese w/ Spanish subtitles, Drama)
3/13/2021 / 5:00 PM / Virtual Screening 3/16/2021 / 7:15 PM / Virtual Screening Valentina, a 17-year-old girl, moves to the countryside of Brazil with her mother Márcia to start fresh. To avoid being bullied in her new school, Valentina tries to enroll with her new name and hopes to be private about her gender history. However, the girl and her mother quickly face dilemmas when the local public high school needs a second parental signature for enrollment. TIJUANA, I LOVE YOU Dir. Rene Bueno (Mexico, 88 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Anthology Drama)
3/13/2021 / 8:00 PM / Virtual Screening 3/18/2021 / 8:00 PM / Virtual Screening Rene Bueno's sexy, shocking, and dynamic anthology film interprets modern life in Tijuana through the lens of the Seven Deadly Sins. THROUGH ERNESTO’S EYES Dir. Ana Luiza Azevedo (Brazil, 123 min., 2019, Porguese, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)
3/19/2021 / 7:15 PM / Virtual Screening 3/21/2021 / 3:30 PM / Virtual Screening Ernesto, a 78 year old Uruguayan living in Brazil, is facing several challenges associated with old age: he is losing his vision, he feels estranged from his son, and, being a widower, faces the reality of living his final years by himself. However, the unexpected arrival of a dogwalker changes his life as she motivates him to reconnect with a special person from his past. EL ULTIMO BALSERO Dirs. Carlos Rafael Betancourt Martin, Oscar Ernesto Ortega Cuba (USA / Cuba, 79 min., 2020, English; Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)
3/12/2021 / 6:30 PM / Virtual Screening 3/16/2021 / 5:00 PM / Virtual Screening After risking his life crossing the Florida Straits on a raft, a young Cuban searches Miami for his missing father. When a political shift makes him America's first Cuban undocumented immigrant, he must battle the new and bigger fear of deportation, while trying to find where he really belongs.
ZOOT SUIT Dir. Luis Valdez (USA, 103 min., 1981, English, Drama)
3/11/2021 / 7:00 PM / Drive-In Screening (Southbay Drive-In) 40th Anniversary Screening. Part fascinating fact, part dazzling fiction, Zoot Suit is the blistering film adaptation of playwright Luis Valdez' critically acclaimed stage drama based on the "zoot suit riots" that rocked 1940s Los Angeles. When barrio leader Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez) and a group of his friends are unjustly convicted on circumstantial evidence and sent to San Quentin, activist lawyers Alice Bloomfield (Tyne Daly) and George Shearer (Charles Aidman) fight the blatant racially motivated miscarriage of justice to win Henry and his friends their freedom.
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MIGRANT VOICES FINALISTS SDLFF 2021 3rd Annual Migrant Voices Film Competition Presented by San Diego Union Tribune 3/16/2021 / 7:00 PM / Virtual Screening
SEPARATION (UNITED STATES) Director Miguel Angel Duran LLAVES / KEYS (UNITED STATES) Directors Mayra A. Flores
This year, Migrant Voices expanded its horizons and accepted international film projects from around the world. An Emerging Filmmaker prize will be awarded $1,000 and the Professional Filmmaker prize will be awarded $5,000; thanks to the generous support of San Diego Union Tribune. These very diverse 10 short-form films explore loss, separation, current political realities; and COVID-19’s effects on migrants, refugees and asylum seekers on a worldwide scale. And, the finalists are…. LOCKDOWN/STUCK (ESTONIA) Director Ana Falcon THE FORGOTTEN BUSINESSES (MEXICO) Director Christian Delgadillo DEFEND THE ASYLUM (MEXICO) Director Andrés González
THE WELCOME - AURORA (AUSTRALIA) Director Kiosk Film LAST CHRISTMAS (UNITED KINGDOM) Director Matan Rochlitz MISSING MIGRANTS (UNITED KINGDOM) Directors Raj Yagnik, Kris G SOON ENOUGH (UNITED STATES) Director Jordan Jacobo Join us Tuesday, March 16th at 7pm when we announce the two big winners and for a virtual presentation of all the finalists followed by a discussion with participating filmmakers. Ticket information here: https://sdlff2021.eventive.org
DIBUJOS DE CUARENTENA (MEXICO) Director Hugo Crosthwaite
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DOCUMENTARY FEATURES 499 Dir. Rodrigo Reyes (Mexico / USA, 87 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)
3/17 / 7:15 PM / Virtual Screening To reflect on the 500-year anniversary of the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 2021, director Reyes offers a bold hybrid cinema experience exploring the brutal legacy of colonialism in contemporary Mexico. CACHADA Dir. Marlén Viñayo (El Salvador, 81 min., 2019, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)
3/16/2021 / 6:30 PM / Virtual Screening 3/20/2021 / 4:15 PM / Virtual Screening Five Salvadoran street vendors and single mothers form a theatre company to bring their harsh life stories to the stage. During the rehearsal process of their play, they will discover themselves as victims and victimizers in a cycle of violence that has persecuted their families for generations. 18TH & GRAND: THE OLYMPIC AUDITORIUM STORY Dir. Stephen DeBro (USA, 83 min., 2021, English; Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)
LANDFALL Dir. Cecilia Aldarondo (Puerto Rico, 91 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)
3/14/2021 / 4:15 PM / Virtual Screening 3/20/2021 / 5:45 PM / Virtual Screening A kaleidoscopic portrait of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane María, LANDFALL investigates a storm of much greater magnitude: the economic crisis crippling the island long before María arrived. LUCINDA URRUSTI. PINTORA. Dir. Juan Francisco Urrusti (Mexico, 90 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)
3/14/2021 / 3:30 PM / Virtual Screening 3/17/2021 / 5:45 PM / Virtual Screening Lucinda Urrusti, the acclaimed painter, arrived in Mexico as a child, with her parents and brother, as refugees from the Spanish War (1936-1939). Art and her family are for her the most important things in life. This is a testimonial documentary, in her words, which also offers a critical analysis of her works by Eduardo Espinosa Campos, Jaime Moreno Villarreal and Manuel Felguérez.
3/19/2021 / 6:30 PM / Virtual Screening 3/21/2021 / 5:00 PM / Virtual Screening 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story chronicles the turbulent history of Los Angeles through the story of the Olympic Auditorium—a 10,000-seat fight palace—and the remarkable woman who ran it. BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Dir. Wim Wenders (United States, 105 min., 1999, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Music Documentary)
3/20/2021 / Around 8:30PM / Drive-In Screening - Westfield Mission Valley Traveling from the streets of Havana to the stage of Carnegie Hall, this revelatory documentary captures a forgotten generation of Cuba’s brightest musical talents as they enjoy an unexpected encounter with world fame
DREAMS OF CHONTA Dir. Monica Cohen (Colombia / USA, 87 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Music Documentary)
3/13/2021 / 4:15 PM / Virtual Screening 3/16/2021 / 5:45 PM / Virtual Screening Diego Obregón, an Afro-Colombian undocumented musician, sacrifices everything to achieve his dreams becoming an ambassador of his culture and rarely heard rhythms in New York City. 12
MAIJA AWI. CONCIERTO CAMPO ALASKA Dir. Ángel Estrada (Mexico, 42 min., 2020, Concert Film)
3/14/2021 / 5:00 PM / Virtual Screening Pepe Mogt, the celebrated Mexican electronic musician and founder of the Nortec Collective, returns to MUTEK with the presentation of a concert film that captures an audiovisual installation and performance filmed in the Baja Californian desert. Inspired by the Yuman legend of the Maija Awi snake, the founding myth of the Kumiai people of this region, Pepe Mogt creates an ethnographic and auditory journey that transits the textures and colors of the La Rumorosa region, culminating his presentation within a Museographic space called Campo Alaska, where ambient music, electronic rhythms, kraut beats and monolithic illuminations flood the sky and the night of the Baja California desert.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES MAREA VERDE Dir. Angel Giovanni Hoyos (Argentina / Chile / Bolivia / Colombia, 75 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)
3/13/2021 / 5:45 PM / Virtual Screening 3/19/2021 / 5:45 PM / Virtual Screening MAREA VERDE is a stunning, clear-eyed, and unforgettable documentary about the fight for safe and legal abortion rights in South America. MIGUELITO - CANTO A BORINQUEN Dir. Sam Zubrycki (Australia / Puerto Rico, 94 min., 2019, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Music Documentary)
3/12/2021 / 5:00 PM / Virtual Screening 3/21/2021 / 2:00 PM / Virtual Screening Travelling through Latin America, Miguelito traces the unexplained disappearance of an eleven year old Puerto Rican salsa singer in 1973 and the rediscovery of his life, his music, and the world he inhabits decades later. MISSING IN BROOKS COUNTY Dirs. Lisa Molomot, Jeff Bemiss (USA, 81 min., 2020, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Immigration Documentary)
3/13/2021 / 2:00 PM / Virtual Screening 3/21/2021 / 6:30 PM / Virtual Screening 70 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border lies Brooks County, Texas, a haunted place where thousands of migrants have gone missing over the past decade. MULHERES DE HAVANA Dir. Gabriela Mo (Brazil / Cuba, 75 min., 2019, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)
3/12/2021 / 5:45 PM / Virtual Screening 3/15/2021 / 5:00 PM / Virtual Screening MULHERES DE HAVANA is a documentary film that intends to authentically show the lives of women living in Havana, Cuba. In a poetic tone, we visit their houses, schools and cultures, and ask the following question to viewers: is the fight for women’s rights in other countries the same as that of women who live in Cuba? NEGRA Dir. Medhin Tewolde Serrano (Mexico, 72 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)
3/18/2021 / 7:15 PM / Virtual Screening 3/21/2021 / 8:00 PM / Virtual Screening I was about 7 years old the first time someone called me “black” on the street. That day I understood I was black, and the laughter it caused among the people nearby made me think being a black person wasn’t that great… Was this only happening to me? Or did it happen to other black women? NEGRA tells the story of five afro-descendant women from southern Mexico, exposing racism, resistance and processes of self-acceptance, strategies for transcending stereotypes, and the celebration of their identity.
OFF THE ROAD Dir. José Permar (Mexico / USA, 2020, 78 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)
3/15/2021 / 7:15 PM / Virtual Screening 3/20/2021 / 3:30 PM / Virtual Screening A group of young musicians sing the deeds of three men who live in the most isolated region of the Baja California Sur desert. As the “Baja 1000”, the world’s largest annual all-terrain car race, takes place crossing the Mexican-US border, these men look for an opportunity to be a part of it and escape the apparent monotony of their small communities. RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT Dir. Mariem Pérez Riera (USA, 90 min., 2021, English, Documentary)
3/13/2021 / 6:00 PM / Virtual Screening “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It” illuminates the humor and the grace of Moreno, as well as lesserknown struggles faced on her path to stardom, including pernicious Hollywood sexism and abuse, a toxic relationship with Marlon Brando, and serious depression a year before she emerged an Oscar winner. TRULY TEXAS MEXICAN Dir. Aníbal Capoano (USA, 90 min., 2021, English, Food Documentary)
3/13/2021 / 2:45 PM / Virtual Screening 3/18/2021 / 5:00 PM / Virtual Screening The Native American roots of Texas Mexican food serve up tacos, feminism and cultural resistance. YIB Dir. Ozan Mermer (Mexico / Germany, 65 min., 2019, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)
3/15/2021 / 5:45 PM / Virtual Screening 3/20/2021 2:45 PM / VIrtual Screening In an autonomous Mayan zone on the border between Mexico and Guatemala, two young girls with indigenous roots try to give their lives a new direction through music.
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SHORTS PROGRAMS Docu-Shorts Available Wednesday, March 16th / 4:00pm / Virtual Screening ALE LIBRE Dir. Maya Micaela Cueva (USA, 6 min., English, Spanish w/ English subtitles) Alejandra is a criminalized organizer and unapologetic immigrant. While she prepares for one of the biggest events of her life — her deportation case — Alejandra is forced to reckon with a past mistake and a system that could tear her apart from her family and the only home she has ever known. ARCHEOLOGY OF THE WORKERS´DIGNITY Dir. Uli Stelzner (Guatemala/Germany, 30 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) In neoliberal times, trade unions and labor rights are increasingly a topic for archaeologists. The film portrays an old trade unionist in Guatemala, delving into shameful working conditions and devastating consequences of the pandemic. CASABE CUBANO Dir. Marcos Colón (USA/Cuba, 13 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Atilano Santiesteban & Melba Barata’s love story is recounted alongside the multi-step process of cassava flour in this charming short. LA CACHERA Dir. Felipe H. Caro (Colombia, 13 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) When a couple fights publicly, leave each other and eventually reconcile as if nothing happened, the neighbors organize for them a CACHERA; a bizarre serenade to ridicule them with sharp verses, trumpets, sticks and pans, in the middle of the night. DESDE ARRIBA Dir. León Boltvinik (Mexico, 12 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) From the interiors of middle class apartments of Mexico City, everyday scenes are interrupted by the presence of people flying outside the window. We follow the daily routine of high rise window cleaners, their voice-over shows us their perspective about risking their life every day, an observational documentary on inequality. ( ( ( ( ( /*\ ) ) ) ) ) (ECOS DEL VOLCAN) Dir. Charles Fairbanks, Saul Kak (Mexico, 18 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles)
A sonic portrait of a Chiapan village focused on architecture and public space. Filmed over six years, ( ( ( ( ( /*\ ) ) ) ) ) is a sensory ethnography of culture and communication in a community founded by volcano eruption refugees.
JULI Dir. Verónica A. Vega Bon (Puerto Rico, 8 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) During the last few years, the community of the University of Puerto Rico has been severely affected by budget cuts and the student athlete population is one of the most impacted. Is the sacrifice worth it? "JULI" follows a day in the busy life of the student athlete Juliedys Pinero. TO BE AN AMERICAN Dir. Marco Castro (USA, 4 min., English) Intentionally filmed handheld, as if shot by a close family member, with a sense of paradise lost for this Latinx youth. The film intimately shares the voices of a new generation of Latinos and their hope for the new US. Frontera Filmmakers Documentary Shorts Screening at Drive-in Double Feature March 11th, 2021 Available Wednesday, March 17th, 2021 / 4:00pm / Virtual Screening A MI MATRIA Dir. Rafael Flores (USA, 27 min., English, Spanish w/ English subtitles) An experimental political essay about a Chicano filmmaker escorting his Mexican grandmother from Tijuana to Newport Beach, California; the place she was intimated into leaving over 85 years ago during the U.S. sponsored effort: OPERATION WETBACK. BORDER INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX: A VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER Dir. James Cooper, Sebastian Vives del Solar (USA, 20 min., English, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
This documentary explores the roles that private actors – from the immigrants themselves to the multinational corporations that incarcerate them after they have crossed la frontera – play along the United States-Mexico border. BORDER FLOWS Dir. Brendan Byrne (USA, 15 min., English, Spanish w/ English subtitles) 'BORDER FLOWS' tackles an incredibly complex socio-environmental issue through a cultural lens, highlighting the cooperation between US and Mexican community members, politicians, and cultures to create solutions to this pressing issue. DIA DE LAS MADRES Dir. Moises Barba, David Hutchinson (USA, 10 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles)
Separated by the US-Mexico border for more than 30 years, Eddy and his mom try to reconnect over the phone.
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SHORTS PROGRAMS MATRONAS Dir. Shara Lili, Noemí Delgado (El Salvador, 25 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles)
Salvadoran midwives, who delivered babies even during the Civil War, now fight to protect their ancestral role in the face of government repression. The caretaking traditions of these midwives are at risk of being lost to future generations. OSCAR'S STORY Dir. Luis Martinez (USA, 6 min., English) Oscar Velasquez's story is one of being an immigrant in their own homeland as someone who lives and breathes as an American but is told they are not one. With his DACA status up for review periodically Oscar must balance his love for making films in a rough industry with his need to work to maintain his legal status and to save money in case he has to leave the country. LAS REINAS DE LOS CUENTOS Dir. Paul Detwiler (USA, 12 min., English) A San Diego drag queen activist couple uses storytelling to educate and empower children, spreading a universal message of understanding and self-acceptance. TELAS Dir. Zimri A. Zapata (USA, 3 min., English) TELAS (fabrics, in Spanish) is a small story about work and care in the midst of a global pandemic. Though not explicit, it encourages us to think about what care labor means, how it relates to the body and community, and how this labor is exploited by those in power by the state’s failure to act. TOO LONG HERE Dir. Emily Packer (USA, 7 min., English) On August 18, 1971, First Lady Pat Nixon declared a stretch of land along the US-Mexico border a “Friendship Park,” willing two countries toward a common future. Decades later, this spirited inauguration hangs above the meeting place like a specter, charged by the border’s harsh realities. Frontera Filmmakers Narrative Shorts Screening at Drive-in Double Feature March 11th, 2021 Monday, March 15th, 2021 / 4:00PM / Virtual Screening THE ANTI-FASCIST’S DUOLOGY Dir. Xairan Gutierrez (USA, 12 min., English) Two tragic short films about dogs, money, and fascism in one revelatory anthology. ANXXIEDAD EN TIEMPOS DE COVID Dir. Mario Velasco (Mexico, 2 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) With COVID-19 everywhere, Javier’s anxiety levels increase, taking him and his mental health to its limit. 16
COCHI Dir. Aldo Meléndrez (Mexico, 13 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Al, a 12-year-old boy, finds himself trapped in an inhospitable world after the loss of a lovd one. Al seeks to see color in his life again with the help of what his loved one left behind. LAS FLORES QUE NO PUEDO VER Dir. Valeria Mier Marquez (Mexico, 10 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) When León, Dalia's cousin, gets very sick due to unrequited love, the wisest women in the family start taking care of him. In an attempt to help León, Dalia goes out looking for a cure, when she meets Daniel and her first encounter with love. HORAS DE EXPRESO Dir. Marlon Morales (Mexico, 10 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) A family man is extorted to kill another man in less than 24 hours. Everything changes when he decides not to. EL LADRON DE BICICLETAS Dir. Luis Martinez (USA, 22 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) A day in the life of Enzo, a drug-addicted artist, circling toward his rock bottom. LIGHT PARTICLE Dir. Rafael Rodriguez M. (USA, 10 min., English) Writer-director Rafael Rodriguez’s short film, LIGHT PARTICLE, chronicles the pleasure & pain of one man’s turbulent journey through a most unusual love affair. OTRO AÑO SIN TI Dir. Sebastián Del Callejo (Mexico, 10 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Guillermo is a successful but solitary young man who is struggling to overcome the anniversary of his father’s death when he receives an unexpected gift when he decides to buy a cheesecake from a street vendor. PERDON Dir. Arturo Campos (Mexico, 2 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) After losing Adriana, Carlos makes a deal with The Lord of the Underworld to be reunited with her once again. RED DROPS Dir. Abner Vargas (USA, 10 min., English) A young man goes to an improv comedy club at the Che Cafe with his wanna-be drug dealer friend. Once there, he accidentally takes acid and things start to get really weird. RIDERS Dir. Diana Trego (Mexico, 15 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Ari wants to join a male motorcycle club but she first needs to overcome the predisposed stereotypes of the group and confront her family.
SHORTS PROGRAMS Hecho en USA Available Saturday, March 13th 12:00PM / Virtual Screening
TESORO Dir. Roxanna Denise Stevens Ibarra (USA, 9 min., English, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
ALEJANDRO Dir. Jaime Castaneda (USA, 7 min., English) A mother shares stories with her son on a momentous, late afternoon drive. LA CASA DE LA ABUELA Dir. Dante Jiayu Liu (USA, 9 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) While making dinner in the kitchen of a family restaurant, Raúl gets a phone call from his grandma in Mexico. JOYRIDE Dir. Edwin Alexis Gómez (USA, 13 min., English) Teenage sisters break their grandmother out of her assisted living facility for one last joyride. LETTER OF WRECK Dir. Gustavo Guardado, Jr. (USA, 13 min., English) Elena, a highly-dedicated undocumented high school senior, has a plan to get the perfect letter of recommendation for college from Paco, her professionally frustrated teacher who has figured out a way to avoid student requests and put more work on himself. PASOS DE VALOR Dir. Natalia C Bell (USA, 18 min., English, Spanish w/ English subtitles) In 1995, a pregnant MBA student's final exam date conflicts with her due date; however, her old school professor is unwilling to make any accommodations. Determined to compete, Val takes the exam despite giving birth only three days before it. Inspired by the director's birth story. RIZO Dir. Jeanette Dilone (USA, 15 min., English) An Afro-Latina struggles with her identity as she navigates the Hollywood machine. SICKLY Dir. Byron Leon (USA, 9 min., English) Anxiously convinced his flu-like symptoms could be something much worse, a luckless Brooklynite winds up in a fever-dream series of misadventures as he searches through the night for medical care in an unfamiliar city. SUPERESTAR Dir. Daniel Larios (USA, 11 min., English, Spanish w/ English subtitles) Two Salvadoran women, one a first-generation indie-pop singer, and the other a bathroom attendant at an LA nightclub, bond over their different troubles and their mutual love of music.
Riding through South Tucson and through time, an older man revisits the memories of his youth in the 60's as he prepares to sell his prized car. His Tesoro. WHEN YOU CLEAN A STRANGER’S HOME Dir. Sharon Arteaga (USA, 7 min., English, Spanish w/ English subtitles) A cinematic essay where Abby, a first-generation high school student describes what her and her mom learn about people when cleaning their homes. Mexico raro y querido Shorts Available Friday, March 19th 4:00PM / Virtual Screening ASI EN LA TIERRA Dir. Joel Vázquez Cárdenas (Mexico, 22 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) After losing his harvest when a meteorite crashes on his farm, Salvador Huerta conspires with the local priest to profit from the townspeople's faith by tricking them into believing that the rock is a sign from God. DOS CACTUS Dir. Angélica Romanini (Mexico, 19 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Sofia and Mateo are a young couple who after a hard ordeal and burdened by their differences, take a trip to decide if they will remain together or not. FARANDULEROS Dir. Dahet Castro (Mexico, 18 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Bonnie Trujano is an actress who had to leave the stage after an accident left her body with permanent consequences. Now as the head of her family, she is looking forward to directing her masterpiece "Family Plot", which stars her son Ivan. LAS MUJERES INVISIBLES Dir. Pablo Cruz Villalba (Mexico, 17 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Hipolita works at Samuel's house and after he invaded her privacy, Hipolita takes the reins of her job and her life. EL SUEÑO MÁS LARGO QUE RECUERDO Dir. Carlos Lenin (Mexico, 20 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Tania is preparing to leave her hometown but first, she must confront what her absence will mean in the search of her disappeared father. SWEET POTATOES Dir. Rommel Villa Barriga (Mexico, 30 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) 1951, Mexico City. After synthesizing the main component of the contraceptive pill, young scientist Luis Miramontes deals with the religious and personal consequences of his groundbreaking invention. 17
SHORTS PROGRAMS Un mundo extraño Shorts Available March 14th, 2020 4:00PM / Virtual Screening
Nuestra Salud Shorts Available Friday, March 12th, 2021 / 4:00PM / Virtual Screening
EL AGUA TE ARREPENTIRA Dir. Marco Bentancor (Uruguay, 15 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) A delightful creature feature and folk horror from Uruguay will give new meaning to "looking for love in all the wrong places."
COVER/AGE Dir. Set Hernandez (USA, 25 min., English, Spanish, Tagalog w/ English subtitles) COVER/AGE follows two leaders who have been championing the immigrant health justice movement in the Golden State.
LA BRUJA Dir. Dorian Saúl Gutiérrez Picazo
SKY BLOSSOM - LONG BEACH Dir. Richard Lui (USA, 21 min., English) Brian, a Marine veteran, was diagnosed with cancer when his daughter was just months old. His daughter Rhianna, now 12, and his wife, Rocio, are now his primary caregivers.
(Mexico, 12 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles)
A Mexican folk horror, perfectly calculated to kick off this collection of strange short films! A AL FINAL, EL MAR Dir. Ana Karen Alva Medina (Mexico, 13 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Veracruz, 1700. Soledad, a young multiracial woman accused of witchcraft, is in a cell awaiting her sentence. During her seclusion, she is victim of various abuses by the local governor until one day, a strange wind brings in help from her past. INABITÁVEL Dir. Matheus Farias, Enock Carvalho In Brazil, where a trans person is murdered every three days, Marilene searches for her daughter Roberta, a trans woman who went missing. While running out of time, she discovers a hope for the future. EL LENGUAJE Dir. Daniel Ibáñez (Colombia, 15 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) A bizarre what-if tale about guilt, regret, and reckoning. A man murders his wife, but she won't sit still for that! THE OTHER SIDE Dir. Giovanni Montalvo (United Kingdom, 15 min., English) From a Mexican-born filmmaker by way of the United Kingdom, The Other Side provides a genre lens to explore the fraught issue of immigration, and the people who get caught in the crossfire. UN SILENCIO PROLONGADO Dir. Pau Verdalet (Mexico, 15 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Dreams and Lucidity, life and death, reality or fantasy--the lines between these states of consciousness are blurred in order to give an impressionistic view of bringing new life into the world. NOITE MACABRE Dir. Felipe Iesbick (Brazil, 20 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Striking an emotional chord is the work of both horror and musicals, so the two together is like peanut butter and chocolate. This satirical look at incarceration and violence will also add some levity to the collection of films! 18
Relatos Latinxs Available Thursday, March 18th, 2021 4:00PM / Virtual Screening AÑO SABATICO Dir. David David (Colombia, 12 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Carolina is a well-known Venezuelan singer who had to migrate to Colombia and work as a maid due to a political crisis in her country. In her new home, an opportunity to potentially resume her artistic career comes up. UM DIA DE PRIMAVERA Dir. Lisi Kieling (Brazil, 12 min, Portuguese w/ English subtitles) Nothing could have prepared Renata for what she was about to experience that spring morning. Overcome by emotions, uncertainty and fear, she struggles to understand how another human being could do something like this. She is faced with a decision that she will have to live with for the rest of her life. EL REMANSO Dir. Sebastián Valencia Muñoz (Colombia, 19 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Hoping for a new job, a family of wandering peasants settles in El Remanso, a country house in ruins full of brushwood where the tracks of an atrocious past are visible. In their first night at the house, in the middle of an atmosphere full of violence, the family anxiously waits for the peace dawn will bring. SER FELIZ NO VÃO Dir. Lucas H. Rossi dos Santos (Brazil, 10 min., Portuguese w/ English subtitles) A black essay on trains, beaches and occupying spaces. Freedom from language, freedom to speak. EL SILENCIO DEL RÍO Dir. Francesca Canepa (Peru, 14 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Juan, a 9 year-old Peruvian boy, lives with his dad in a floating house on the breathtaking Amazon River. This idyllic background sets an allegorical journey into the rainforest jungle, where nature, gender, truth and all things begin to reveal the identity of his dad.
SHORTS PROGRAMS SOL DEL LLANO Dir. Manuela Irene Espitia (Colombia, 20 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Immersed in the natural landscape of the Colombian plains, Meli (9) will seek a way to pull her mother out of her emotional crisis.
LAS REINAS DE LOS CUENTOS Dir. Paul Detwiler (USA, 12 min., English) A San Diego drag queen activist couple uses storytelling to educate and empower children, spreading a universal message of understanding and self-acceptance.
A TERRA EM QUE PISAR Dir. Fáuston da Silva (Brazil, 25 min., Portuguese w/ English subtitles) Joana decides to participate in an irregular occupation. This decision will give you much more than a home, but a new political conscience.
VISIBLE: HISTORIAS DE ADOLESCENCIA TRANS Dir. Juan Carlos R. Larrondo (Mexico, 18 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Two teenagers seek the fullness of their identities with time on top and normality against it. First hand testimony of transgender kids and the support of their family
LA VIRGEN, LA VIEJA, EL VIAJE Dir. Natalia Luque (Chile, 10 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Rocio, a Colombian immigrant living in New York, is forced to work as a cleaner. After a phone call with her family, she learns that her grandmother is severely ill. Rocio will use technology to say farewell her grandmother. SOMOS! LGBTQ+ Cine Shorts Available Sunday, March 14th 12:00PM / Virtual Screening AT LAST Dir. Lorena Gordon (USA, 13 min., English) A timid high school girl reveals her truth during the most important night of the year. BLOOD HANA Dir. Mary Evangelista (USA, 15 min., English) Lily, an introverted teen, begins questioning her faith in God and her sexuality as she develops a crush on her classmate, Alex. As the two girls become closer, and Lily's feelings develop, she becomes sicker and sicker. THE HOUSE OF MARIANA & GABRIEL Dir. Hena Ashraf (USA, 16 min., English, Spanish w/ English subtitles) Two siblings from Boyle Heights who can’t stand each other must prepare to move out of their family home in the absence of their father. LIGHT ON A PATH, I FOLLOW Dir. Elliot Montague (USA, 15 min., English) Joaquín, a transgender person living in rural 1990s New England, is 8-months pregnant. After encountering a mysterious spirit in the forest, Joaquín goes into labor early. Is this spirit haunting or guiding Joaquín as they await their midwife? MORA & CHENCHI Dir. Diego Toussaint (USA, 20 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) An L.A. based tween magazine writer returns to her hometown where she re-encounters her high school best friend for the first time in 11 years. In the course of the day, they become their high school selves and old feelings come back.
Viva Mujeres Available March 13th, 2021 12:00PM / Virtual Screening AL FINAL, EL MAR Dir. Ana Karen Alva Medina (Mexico, 13 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Veracruz, 1700. Soledad, a young multiracial woman accused of witchcraft, is in a cell awaiting her sentence. During her seclusion, she is victim of various abuses by the local governor until one day, a strange wind brings in help from her past. ENTRE TU Y MILAGROS Dir. Mariana Saffon (Colombia, 20 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) 15 year-old Milagros' world still revolves around her mother's affection. This summer an unexpected encounter with death will make her question her own existence. EXILIADA Dir. Leonor Zuniga (Nicaragua, 24 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) A documentary short film which explores the life of Zoilamérica Ortega Murillo, adoptive daughter of Daniel Ortega, leader of the Sandinista revolution and the current President of Nicaragua. The film reveals her struggle as a survivor of sexual abuse twenty years after she publicly accused Ortega of rape. LAS MUJERES Y EL MAR Dir. Camila Guarda (USA, 14 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Two women navigate life and death at sea in a remote Chilean fishing village. LA PIÑATA Dir. Verónica Ramírez (Mexico, 13 min., English w/ Spanish subtitles) Lorena wants to win the piñata-making school contest where the grand prize is a bicycle. Inexperienced but determined, Lorena creates a very particular piece. LA PLAYITA Dir. Sonia Bertotti (Argentina, 13 min., English w/ Spanish subtitles) Priscila, a 7 year old girl no one pays any attention to, sets out in pursuit of an elusive toy vendor, getting further away from her family and closer to adventure. 19
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SHORTS PROGRAMS SUEÑOS DE OUTSÜ Dir. Ana Camila Jaramillo (Colombia, 14 min, Guajiro w/ English subtitles) In a Wayuu community, Iwa, daughter of an Outsü (wayuu dreamer at will), embarks on a journey of childhood memories after the death of her mother. SPECIAL PROGRAMMING: ¡BINGE ESTO! Available March 12th-21st / Virtual Screening DIEGO HUERTA: OAXACA DESCUBIERTO Dir. Jason Outenreath (Mexico, 38 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) The photographer and Instagram influencer, Diego Huerta, has documented nearly every known Indigenous group in Mexico. Desde Adentro, focusing on the Indigenous communities throughout the state. After 6 years working on the project, it's now coming to a close. HISTORIAS MIGRANTES Dir. Mariano Pozzi (Argentina, 80 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles) Agustín, Lucero, Pedro and Amaral cross paths while surviving in a society they came to by their own will or by force majeure. All aspiring to live a better life. PANDEMOS Dir. Diego Medvedocky, Luis Aguer
GROWN WITHOUT WATER Dir. Xochitl Rodriguez As the sun breaks over a purple mountain, a woman wakes from a dream in the middle of West Texas desert, just outside of El Paso. She’s wrapped in soft sheets, in the bed the women who came before her slept in. There, the middle of JAMAICA & TAMARINDO Dir. Ebony Bailey The Jamaica flower in Tamarind are iconic ingredients Mexico, but their story comes from a place much further away. In Jamaica & Tamarindo: Afro tradition in the heart of Mexico, we meet five people to explore African heritage in Mexico City, and identiy that goes beyond the color of one’s skin. JOSIE Dir. Jacqueline Barragan True account of a woman living on the US/Mexico border and her quest to find retribution while becoming an undefeated martial artist. ODA A LOS FRIJOLES Dir. Karolina Esqueda A literary and visual rendition to beans, this experimental short merges a cooking recipe with archival footage of immigrants and fieldworkers.
(Argentina, 32 min., English, Spanish & Portuguese w/ English subtitles)
Pandemos is a series of collaborative short films filmed around the world with different perspectives on how quarantine has affected different parts of the world. FEMME FRONTERA FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE 2020 Available March 20th, 2021 /12:00PM / Virtual Screening
YÁ’ÁT’ÉÉH ABINÍ GOOD MORNING Dir. Morningstar Angeline Haunted by her father’s death from a global virus that has ravaged her native Navajo nation, and now under constant surveillance from an unknown military, Crystal must learn to embrace her visions, memories and dreams in order to both survive and rediscover what may bet left of the world.
LOS AMULETOS MIGRAN Dir. Amada Torruella In July 1980, nineteen-year-old Dora Rodriguez fled her native El Salvador and crossed the US/Mexico boder. In Los Amuletos Migran, we accompnay Dora while she looks through migrants’ personal belongings, which were seized and discarded by Ajo Border Patrol.
CUENTOS CON LAS REINAS BARBIE Q & RAQUELITA Available March 21st / 1:00 PM A virtual storybook reading for families of the bilingual book CUANDO AMAMOS CANTAMOS/WHEN WE LOVE SOMEONE WE SING TO THEM by Ernesto Javier Martinez. The storybook reading will be led by Barbie Q & Raquelita.
CARPETA CENICERO DE DIOS Dir. Celina Galacia Lorena and her mother live in Ciudad Juarez. Lorena lives waiting for her father’s return, while her mother is obsessed with knowing something about him. In Lorena’s memory there remains a monument, a history and hope.
SABOR LATINO: FREE VIRTUAL COOKING CLASSES Presented by Cocinas de México Diplomado, Culinary Arts School. Chef: Pedro Peña
COOKING CLASS: ENCHILADAS DE SONORA, 17 MIN. 3/12/2021 4:00 PM 3/20/2021 12:00 PM COOKING CLASS: ALBÓNDIGAS DE CAMARÓN, DEL ESTADO DE SINALOA, 15 MIN. 3/13/2021 12:00 PM COOKING CLASS: POZOLE SECO, DEL ESTADO DE COLIMA, 14 MIN. 3/19/2021 4:00 PM 21
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YOUTH VISIONS Youth Visions Screening Films Presented by California Endowment 3/20/2021 / 2:00pm / Virtual Screening
COLD SHOULDER Dir. Dean Erfani / Teen Producers Project / 8 min. CORONAVIRUS & ATHLETES Dirs. Wesley Reynafarje, Arman Vega / Teen Producers Project / 3 min. FILTERS OF LIFE Dir. Angelica Rubio / 4 min. FINAL SHOWING Dir. Griffin Edwards / Teen Producers Project / 8 min. GENTRIFICATION Dir. Samira Barragan / 5 min. INCLUDED BUT UNEQUAL Dir. Angelica Gonzalez, Sophia Kauder, Cassandra Rubio & Ali Simon-Parke / 8 min. KISS FROM A ROSE Dir. Shaman Magic Aponte / 10 min.
LE COCHON Dir. Alejandro Delgadillo /11 min. MOTIVATION ISN'T REAL Dir. Axel Bautista / 5 min. ONE MAN’S TRASH Dirs. Ryan Luetzow, Griffin Edwards,Trinity Thompson / Teen Producers Project / 5 min. RUNNING THROUGH THE AFFLICTION Dir. Joel Castro / Teen Producers Project / 3 min. SCHOOL’S OUT Dir. Sara Gomez / Teen Producers Project / 3 min. SIRRON NORRIS (MISSION MURALS AND THE STORIES THEY TELL) Dir. Aiden Jennings / 8 min. STREET OF DREAMS (VISIONES DE LA JUVENTUD) Dir. Jeff Wiant / 5 min. SUBJECT ZERO ONE Dir. Xiarel Guillermo Cortez / 4 min. UNIQUE Dir. Albert Amador Jr. / Teen Producers Project 5 min.
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