29 minute read
Short Program Synopses
HAY QUE REÍRSE - COMEDY BLOCK 1
3/10 / 6:00 / S5 Available Virtually 3/12
These filmmakers found the funny in the mundane as well as the ridiculous, and their films showcase a broad spectrum of LatinX comedic styles. It’s our shared experiences that brings us together despite our differences, and sharing a laugh or telling a joke or funny story is a way of uniting us and gives us a reprieve from the seriousness of life.
NOCHE DEL INFIERNO (HELL NIGHT) dir. Andrew Reid (14 min., USA, English)
Three freshman pledges must denounce cultural stereotypes and survive a magical test to gain entry into the most prestigious Latina sorority.
HOLD FOR APPLAUSE dir. Gerald B. Fillmore (5 min., Spain, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
As the city is preparing to applaud all the health care workers during the pandemic. Greg is stuck in an intercontinental relationship Zoom nightmare.
BONUS TIME dir. Alexander Hanno (21 min., USA, English)
A cancer survivor returns home with a new lease on life, determined to make amends with the people he’s wronged - whether they like it or not.
SIDES EPISODE 9: ZOOM MEETING, dir. Jordan Jacobo (9 min., USA, English)
A small business owner tries in vein to reign-in her inept employees during a disastrous zoom call.
STORY.TELLING dir. Fábio Brandão (29 min., Brazil, Portuguese w/ English subtitles) 2 writers flesh out a single take Meta/Slasher film as we simultaneously watch it happen.
ELISE FOR CONGRESS dir. Ernie Bustamante (3 min., USA, English)
A young, working-class Latina, Elise Martinez, runs for
Congress. But first, she must convince her mom.
LOLA'S JOURNEY dir. Analydia Monaco (15 min., USA, English)
Blamed for her ailing health due to her size, a lifethreatening medical emergency pushes a young woman to advocate for her life.
A CARCAJADAS - COMEDY BLOCK 2
3/20 / 3:30 / S5 Available Virtually 3/15
These filmmakers found the funny in the mundane as well as the ridiculous, and their films showcase a broad spectrum of LatinX comedic styles. It’s our shared experiences that brings us together despite our differences, and sharing a laugh or telling a joke or funny story is a way of uniting us and gives us a reprieve from the seriousness of life.
ARE MILLENNIALS KILLING FREDDY? dir. Andrew Joseph Jara (3 min., USA, English)
It's 2 AM on Elm Street, do you know where your kids are?
DEAD TO ME dir. Emilie Rae Ohanian Svensson (11 min., USA, English)
Two best friends take drastic measures to survive the pandemic.
I’M LISTENING dir. Ignacio Rodo (1 min., Spain, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
Some therapies take years. Some take a minute.
CHEMISTRY dir. Isaac Garza (11 min., USA, English)
A little accident leads to an intimate night going wrong. Based on a true story.
THE INVENTION OF SOLEDAD dir. Ana Cristina Franco (21 min., Ecuador, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
Soledad lives a perfect romance, until one night, the memory of her ex appears to move in…
PULP FRICTION dir. Tony Olmos, Mark Atkinson (14 min., USA, English)
The lives of two roommates and a mysterious man intertwine in a tale of conflict and clashing within close quarters.
LIFE AFTER DEATH dir. Marco Gonzalez (16 min., USA, English)
In the near future, a grieving wife struggles to accept her husband's demeanor after a dramatic change.
MÁS LATINA dir. Janeva Adena Zentz, Tim Young (14 min., USA, English)
In a male-dominated comedy scene, a Latina finds her voice by imitating the strong women in her family.
DOCU-SHORTS
3/12 / 11:15 AM / S6 Available Virtually 3/17
Film is a tool for healing in this collection of documentary shorts. Whether it’s using video letters to connect with a friend you can’t physically be with, helping someone vocalize their feelings in anonymity or speaking on the frustration and complications we humans sometimes impose on ourselves, these films will help us better understand our fellow human beings and maybe even create a connection with the stranger sitting next to us in the cinema.
FREQUENCIES dir. Andrés Vázquez (10 min., USA, English)
Through a series of intimate interviews and photographs,
FREQUENCIES, invites the viewer to hold space for the collaborators and themselves as we collectively meditate upon grief, mortality, and spiritual perseverance.
ÁGUILAS/EAGLES dir. Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, Maite Zubiaurre (14 min., USA, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
Along the southern desert border in Arizona, it is estimated that only one out of every five missing migrants are ever found. ÁGUILAS, follows Aguilas del Desierto volunteers as they set out along the southern desert border of Arizona to recover missing loved ones. Once a month these volunteers— construction workers, gardeners, domestic laborers by trade— venture deep into the wilderness of the borderlands to help bring peace to the families of the missing.
ALLÁ EN EL CIELO dir. Francisco Torres (18 min., Mexico, Spanish w/ English subtitles) Don Celedón and Ricardo are a father-son duo who live in the
southern highlands of Nuevo León, Mexico. They were stripped without warning of many hectares of land that they used to graze the few animals they had and to plant for their own consumption. While they work some of the lands that they have left, they watch their days go by, they remember their past and they tell of the particular way they have of seeing life.
SAME/DIFFERENT/BOTH/NEITHER dir. Adriana Barbosa, Fernanda Pessoa (19 min., Brazil, English, Portuguese w/ English subtitles)
In a period of isolation, far away from each other, two friends reconnect through video-letters, inspired by the poetic gaze of women experimental filmmakers.
THE INK ELEMENT dir. Luiz Maudonnet, Iuri Salles (8 min., Brazil, Portuguese w/ English subtitles)
The death of a graffiti tagger, from covid-19, is the trigger for a group of graffiti taggers to unite in an act against the mismanagement of the federal government in the pandemic.
CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN SHIFTS dir. Ben Basem (30 min., USA, English)
Conversations Between Shifts chronicles the first year of the
COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of a nurse and her son.
BINGE ESTO!
3/11 / 4:45 / S7 Available Virtually Throughout the Festival
Find your next binge obsession in Binge Esto! A variety of different genres and styles merge to create this program which will have you once again use the phrase, “..just one more episode.”
LA 143 dir. Sergio Monserrate (USA, English)
Izzy, a serial monogamist, was just dumped. Her two roommates, Charlie, an unapologetic players and Arie, a wild free spirit, take it upon themselves to guide her back into the LA dating scene. The three friends navigate dating actors, period sex, brunch and STDs while they try to figure out what love actually means.
27 dir. JL Ruiz, Juan Helu (Mexico, Spanish w/ English subitles)
Serena is a rock star who just turned 27 and is forced to decide if she will finally confront her demons or if this is the beginning of the end.
DICHOS dir. Mary Angélica Molina (USA, English)
DICHOS is a series of absurdist tales based on Latin American expressions. Because a “saying" in any language never has a literal translation in another, the episodes present tall-tales that describe their spirit and essence. Cheeky and playful, DICHOS attempts to translate the untranslatable.
WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE? dir. Edwin FrankO (USA, English)
A documentary series where filmmakers sit down with hustlers in all types of fields - from professional athletes to artists to business successes - and learn more about what makes them tick.
FRONTERA FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE NARRATIVES
3/16 / 7:00 / S8 Available Virtually 3/19
This showcase offers a special spotlight on the binational creative scene by celebrating the dynamic contemporary film landscape of Southern California, USA, and Baja California, Mexico. This year the program presents works by young and established talents from the region, most of them with first and/or second works.
IDENTIFICATION dir. Martha Elva Rodriguez (11 min., USA, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
Rigoberto is teaching his daughter how to drive, when an unexpected experience changes them forever.
LA CUARENTENA dir. Johaira Michelle Dilauro (7 min., USA, English)
A love letter by 2 nurses promoting safety during the pandemic and giving a glimpse of hope for better days ahead.
FORGETTING CAROLINE dir. Alexis Duran (15 min., USA, English)
During Michael's final goodbye to his ten-year-old stepdaughter,
Caroline, he reflects on his experiences that led to his decision to leave.
EL FUERTE SE CAE dir. Kenia Amaya (15 min., Mexico, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
Javier spends his days with a furry 6 ft tall monster, just like he used to with his sister Catalina. As his parents cope with their own duel, failing to communicate, Javier will face the attempt to rebuild the family bond.
SOME OF THESE DAYS dir. Oscar Perez (3 min., USA, English)
A young man reflects on an important time in his life.
LILY <3 dir. Jimena Muhlia (20 min., Mexico, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
Lily, a 5-year-old girl, prepares a day of the dead party for her father who comes to visit her for the first time from Mexico, while in the care of her cousin Teo, with whom she expresses the absence of the father figure as well as her own individuality as a growing woman.
HYPOCRISIS dir. Marlon Morales(16 min., Mexico, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
An alcoholic priest who receives confessions online throughout the eternal quarantine.
GLAFIRA dir. Eric Armando Ibarra (12 min., USA, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
Tony, (Chicano, 25) travels down to Ensenada, Mexico to reconnect with his grandmother through her swap meet endeavors forcing him to revisit his childhood memories of her.
FRONTERA FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE DOCUMENTARIES
3/14 / 7:20 / S8 Available Virtually 3/11
BRING THEM HOME dir. Rike Boomgaarden, Tamara Jatchvadze (30 min., USA, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles)
While filming a music video called "Excuse my Accent" hip hop artists RobYoung and Drei Ros learn that the US is deporting military veterans. The film tells the stories of these veterans and the efforts being made to Bring Them Home.
INNER CITY LEGEND dir. Edwin FrankO (23 min., USA, English)
From a fateful training session with legendary boxing trainer
Freddie Roach to becoming Los Angeles’ pride, this is the story of the Inner City Legend - professional boxer, Scrappy Ramirez.
ON THE BEAT: FEELING BODY, dir. Karla B. Duarte, USA
A poetic documentary short about women in search of empowerment and liberation by using their mind-body connection through the West African rhythms and Afro-Mexican practices in music and dance.
EL GALLO DE ORO dir. Carlos Sanchez, USA
Giovani Santillan is presented with the opportunity to showcase his hard work in front of his hometown audience for the chance to pivot to the next level of his career.
#MORRASQUEBAILAN, dir. Viviana Gonzalez, Mexico
The pandemic and the gender violence that shakes Mexico incites a crowd of women to move as a form of resistance.
OBACHAN, dir. Nicolasa Ruiz, Mexico
Fuyuko Kiyota is a japanese woman who migrated to Mexico in 1941. Obāchan tells her story.
LAS COSAS NO TIENEN PAZ dir. Samahil Borbón Ojeda, Mexico "The story is that I'm just here," says Ramón, who was once a seaman. This is the story of a shipwreck, the largest in the history of Isla de Cedros, Baja California Mexico.
PARA LA FAMILIA
3/13 / 11:00 AM / S5 Available Virtually 3/20
TEMPUS, MIGUEL dir. Angel Ferrer, USA
After discovering that his estranged biological mother has passed away, an orphan boy uses his genius-level intellect to build a time machine, journey into the past to meet his mother and convince her not to give him away.
EL REGALO DE MARÍA CAMILA, dir. Andrés Molano Moncada, Colombia
In a park, Maria Camila, 9 years old, gives any passerby a piece of paper written by her. Immediately after reading it, people begin to impersonate different animals. What power does María
Camila have to transform them?
THE BOY AND THE MOUNTAIN, dir. Santiago Aguilera, Gabriel Monreal, USA
Hernán had a wild imagination when he was a kid. Now as an adult, he’s successful but he feels incomplete. Hernán decides now is the time to take on his biggest and wildest dream.
DEAR MRS. PRESIDENT, dir. Wyatt Hall, Luke Snedecor, USA
Maria Rivera is a little girl with big dreams. With a handwritten letter, she expresses all the hop and inspiration she feels for her hero, the first female President of the United States.
FOOTSTEPS ON THE WIND, dir. Maya Sanbar, Gustavo Leal, Faga Melo, Brazil
After a devastating earthquake hits their home, Noor, and her little brother, Josef, go on a journey far away from home.
TALK WITH US, dir. Fabio Costa Prado, Brazil
Talk With Us follows twelve people with disabilities all over
Brazil. Shot remotely by the participants of the documentary themselves, they show us different ways they connect with the world and with themselves.
HECHO EN USA
3/19 / 1:45 / S8 Available Virtually 3/16
IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, dir. Alex Ferrufino, USA
Rookie LA County Sheriff Deputy Rick Diaz is on patrol with his sergeant. His sergeant tries to teach Rick what it takes to make it out on patrol, even if it means getting your hands dirty. Rick tries to steer clear of any corruption in the department and remain a beacon of hope for his community.
DOUBLE CULTURA, dir. Yessenia Sanchez, USA
Twelve-year-old Marisol acts as her mother’s translator in any given situation, but when she has to interpret medical terminology regarding her own mother’s diagnosis, the stress and responsibility becomes overwhelming.
TEJANO NIGHT, dir. Alexander Rosales, USA
While at a family gathering in South Texas, an awkward
Mexican-American, Mijo, is forced to tag along on his cousin’s
night out after butchering his Spanish pronunciation in front of his family.
CUBAN AMERICAN GOTHIC, dir. Maria Teresa Rodriguez, USA
Maggie is living alone in New York City during the early 2020 pandemic. When her Cuban parents return from the dead to help, they remind her of their immigrant journey and that they have given her everything she needs to rise above the moment.
GONE, dir. Christopher Piñero, USA
Refusing to go see her dying Mother, Renee tries to avoid the inevitability of death, as an overwhelming terror takes over her mind.
BFFS, dir. Elia Urquiza, USA
After high-school graduation, two teenage best friends from a sleepy desert town face radically different futures: while shy
Luz is preparing for her scholarship at UCLA, Paloma must stay behind to take care of her 8-month-old baby boy. In the hopes of spending the last weekend together, happy-go-lucky Paloma insists on driving Luz to UCLA, even when she finds no one else can take care of her baby.
FROM USHUAIA TO KU MEYAAY
3/15 / 4:15 / S5 Available Virtually 3/20
Indigenous groups to Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Mexico give us a glimpse into their customs and history in this enthralling and much needed assemblage of thought-provoking shorts.
BOCA DE SERPIENTE, dir. Adriana Otero Puerto, Mexico
Chicán is a small community whose inhabitants have been born with a distinguishing characteristic for generations. In this short documentary you will see their typical family life and a town’s resilience to continue their traditions.
OUR KUA’HL HEART, dir. Gabriela Badillo, Mexico
A short story about how the Kua’hl community lived before, and how today they still struggle to maintain their language.
TWAKANA YAGAN, dir. Rodrigo Tenuta, Ignacio Leonidas, Argentina
Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, is inhabited by the Yagán Paiakoala, descendant of an ancestral community that dates back more than 8,000 years.
THE TRADITIONAL BRAZILIAN FAMILY KATU, dir. Rodrigo Sena, Brazil
In 2007, a photographer created a photo essay on twelve teenagers who were part of the Katu. Twelve years later, the photographer returns to reconnect with the teenagers he once took pictures of.
FLORES DE LA LLANURA, dir. Mariana Xochiquétzal Rivera, Mexico
Yecenia, a young ñomndaa weaver, is mourning because her cousin, Silvia, has been a victim of femicide. She and other weaving women, create a collective ritual to honor Silvia’s life. Through this ritual, threads, dreams and their craft are collectively woven together as an act of healing and resilience. PACHA KUTI: THE GOLDEN PATH, dir. Reed Rickert, Peru
When Arnold returns to his native community in the Peruvian
Amazon after living in the urban world, he remembers the stories told to him by his grandfather and the great importance of maintaining balance with the jungle.
MEXICO RARO Y QUERIDO
3/11 / 6:25 / S6 Available Virtually 3/14
A group of some of the best short films to have come out of Mexico in the past year. Get a sneak peek into the feature filmmakers of tomorrow!
LA CASA DE LA MEMORIA, dir. Sofía Rosales Arreola, México
An elderly man lives in the solitude of his immense film library.
A place that seems infinite and eternal in which each shelf contains an invaluable treasure, his memories.
GUADALUPE, DIR. David Guillermo Barba, México
An undocumented housekeeper finds something unexpected and controversial in one of her client’s closet.
¿Y LUEGO?, dir. Mario Trujillo, México
David is an executive obsessed with productivity. After collapsing due to overworking, his company forces him to take a vacation to a holistic center where David feels he’s just wasting his time.
MÁS FUERTE QUE EL MIEDO, dir. Barbara Mori, México
Two young sisters reflect on their at-home family life.
SU NOMBRE ES FLOR, dir. Viridiana Pérez Ramirez, México
Tere is a young single mother that travels with her young daughter, Flor, everywhere. When Flor loses one of her new shoes, a unexpected chain of events that will change their lives forever unfolds.
EN LOS ESPACIOS DE SILENCIO, dir. Bárbara Daniela Moreno Turcott, México
It’s a warm Sunday in Mexico City; Cornelio and Fabiola are finishing their workday. As they pass through different parts of downtown and Cornelio narrates their world to Fabiola, a game of love and intimacy is revealed.
TIO, dir. Juan Medina, México
On his first day of work as a miner, Martin, a cocky teenager will learn the importance of rituals and respect for ancestors.
EL CAMINO, dir. Fernando Campos, Jaime Jasso, México
Rojo, the pilot of the cargo ship, El Camino, has an offer to transport a cargo shipment as a favor for a friend. Rojo’s daughter, Robyn, joins him on the trip but things begin to get strange when the cargo starts to manipulate both of them with a strange energy.
TOCAR EL CIELO, dir. Marco Cano, México
Miguel is 26 years old and in a wheelchair living isolated from the world due to his overprotective mother. When Miguel grows
interest in the most beautiful girl in town, Miguel begins to take steps to change his situation.
SI ME MATAN, dir. Hipatia Argüero Mendoza, México
After justice isn’t served after a series of protests against the femicide of a 17-year-old girl in Mexico City, Dafne and Tamara, activists and friends, go one step further in their search for justice.
UN MUNDO EXTRAÑO - WARPED REFLECTIONS
When the mirror is held up, what do we see? Does it reflect our fears? Anxieties? Literal realities? These short films explore our world through a fractured lens.
3/13 / 1:10 / S6 Available Virtually 3/10
HELL OF A PITCHER, dir. Daniel Burity, USA
On Independence Day a group of friends trespass on a little league baseball field and get stalked by a mysterious baseball player, forcing them into a deadly game.
THE FOURTH, dir. Johnny Kirk, USA
Fun and games on the Fourth of July take a serious turn for Rey and his friends when they are stopped by police
THE MAID, dir. Kristin Goodman, USA
A maid arrives at a palatial home and discovers an evil living inside that has no intention of letting her leave.
TINDER TANGO, dir. Cecilia Robles, USA
Two Tango aficionados meet for the first time and it turns out to be a hell of a date!
INSOLACIÓN, dir. Rogelio Sánchez Toledo, Mexico
A couple faces the horrors of global warming and political indifference in the hottest day of year.
LAYOUT, dir. Clara Martins Hermeto, Brazil
São Paulo, Brazil. The day of a man using an app to find real estate to invest in is transformed when the borders of his reality are shattered.
UN MUNDO EXTRAÑO- FOLK TALES AND SPECULATIONS
From fairy tales to folk traditions to modern science fiction, storytellers have always used dark fantasy and unreality to lend some perspective to our everyday experiences. These films come from this time-honored practice--from monsters, to folk horrors, to artificial intelligence, you may see yourself in the abyss.
3/20 / 6:20 / S6 Available Virtually 3/16
HUNGER, dir. Carlos Meléndez, Mexico
A child is being tormented by a voracious well demanding food from him. But as he proves unable to satisfy its hunger, he drags himself to find another way of feeding it.
THE WEREBACK, dir. Estrada Brothers, USA
When the full moon rises, the legend of The Wereback comes alive.
SUNCATCHER, dir. Kim Torres, Costa Rica
When a mysterious light invades socially awkward Lila, she encounters its source: a cyborg who comes to remind her who she was in a past life.
STRONG, dir. Jean Lee, USA
With the help of her AI dog, a sixteen-year-old girl must get her sick mother to another planet where a better life awaits.
MUSE, dir. Camilla Demichelis Richaud, Mexico
An aging and decadent artist rekindles a dangerous relationship with his Muse right before his last exhibition. All goes well... until the inner monster comes out to play.
UNA VEZ EN XJAN XWAN, dir. Alexander Feliciano Mejía, Guatemala
A young Maya-Mam man makes the decision to head to the US, but a mysterious figure with a large sombrero haunts him as he seeks the support of his closest and most trusted family and friends.
THE LEGEND OF SOMBRERÓN, dir. Enrique A. Mendoza, Guatemala
Chased by an evil being, Susana struggles to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
L.U.N.A., dir. Blake Vaz, USA
Field technician, Lillian Romero, is sent out to diagnose an error from her company's home assistant device L.U.N.A. When she arrives she discovers this is no ordinary error...or home.
RITMO LATINO
3/18 / 6:30 / S7 Available Virtually 3/14
One thing that film and music have in common is that they bring people together. Don’t miss the way the filmmakers of this program used music in their films to bring awareness to different topics and create community.
FUEGO, dir. Christine Rodriguez, Canada
Lonely, isolated and disconnected from his roots, Manolo has a reached a low point in his life, but he finds new hope after a chance meeting in the community center where he works.
NEON PHANTOM, dir. Leonardo Martinelli, Brazil
João works in the streets of Rio de Janeiro as a delivery driver in the gig economy. His friend and him dream of buying a motorcycle, traveling the country and transforming their lives into a musical.
BEAUTIFUL CARNIVALS, dir. Thiago B. Mendonça, Brazil
Dadinho, an old samba player, is taken by his granddaughter to his brother's burial, who was a samba player from a rival school of samba. In the process, a story about rivalry, samba and betrayal emerges from the past.
KILOMETRO CERO, dir. Caroline Brünen, Germany
Yimi Konclaze is a rapper and everyone in Havana knows him. But Yimi wants more: he wants to become famous with his music. Two music producers have taken notice of him and help him to achieve his greatest success to date: a professional music video.
LOS INTOCABLES, dir. Pablo Pintor, Eleonora Comelli, Argentina
In Buenos Aires, the dance group La Morenada, rehearses their routine in preparation for their presentation at Ciudanza
Festival and the annual party of the Virgin of Copacabana.
¡PINCHE TEPOROCHO!, dir. Luis Gerardo LoGar, Mexico
A homeless man gets lost through Mexico City whilst following a mysterious song.
RELATOS LATINOS
3/16 / 4:15 / S5 Available Virtually 3/13
Long distances, new environments and new losses are all part of this collection of shorts which show us that no matter wherever we come from and where we’ve been, what we are looking for is human connection.
HORA AZUL, dir. Zoe Garcia Miranda, Cuba
After meeting in a hospital, Mariano and China go out for a drink to forget their troubles.
TUNDRA, dir. José Luis Aparicio, Cuba
Walfrido Larduet, a lonely electrical inspector, dreams of the
Red Woman, whose image persists and becomes an obsession.
Something tells him she is near. Over the course of a day,
Walfrido will follow her trail as he travels through the suburbs of an infested city.
SOÑE QUE VIVÍA, dir. Eymeraude Cordon Le Beurier, Chile
When she returns to classes, 17-year-old student activist,
Alexandra, does not want to face her activist groups after failing to participate in rallies or her young pregnancy. A teenage mom in the verge of a postpartum depression, she sees her dreams fading away.
BARRIO FRONTERA, dir. Reed Purvis, USA
A teenage girl from a small rural village in northern Argentina moves to Buenos Aires to pursue a life with more opportunities in the hopes of helping her family back home. Sharing a small room in a huge informal settlement with her older cousin's family, she must quickly adapt to this radically different urban environment.
ONE CALL AWAY, dir. Camila Marcano, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Alone in a foreign country, a young woman meets virtually with friends and family who are in different parts of the world.
SIN MIEDO AL ÉXITO
3/19 / 4:30 / S6 Available virtually 3/15
The phrase made viral by Mexican gym owner, Paul Villafuerte, is the perfect title for a shorts program composed of inspirational stories of ultimate grit and perseverance.
ÉCHALE GANAS: THE VILLA’S TACOS STORY, dir. Shirley Yumeng He, USA
As Los Angeles reels from the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic, Victor Villa, a young Latino entrepreneur and L.A. native, must persevere to keep his street taco business afloat.
Against the backdrop of gentrification in his neighborhood,
Victor must also maintain his role as a community leader with dreams of transitioning his backyard pop-up to a full-time brick-and-mortar restaurant.
TEAM MERYLAND, dir. Gabriel Gaurano, USA
In the projects of Watts, Meryland Gonzalez, a twelve-year-old female boxer, trains to be crowned the 2019 Junior Olympics champion. Meanwhile, her immigrant parents work tirelessly to give their miracle child a shot at achieving her dreams.
DISRUPTED BORDERS, dir. Alejandra Aragon, USA
Wendy is an aspiring engineer who tinkers using parts from discarded electronics in hopes of making a 3D printed
prosthesis for her best friend Shelly, an artist with double limb deficiencies. These two young Mexican-American women reinvent cultural, gender, and ability norms against a turbulent backdrop of the border recently scarred by racist policies and attacks.
CON SU PLUMA EN SU MANO: THE BALLAD OF GUSTAVO
ARELLANO, dir. Brendan Bubion, USA
One of the most prolific Latino journalists in America, Gustavo
Arellano, faces the challenges of a changing landscape in journalism while trying to stay true to his principles and unique voice.
VICTORY, dir. Eloisa Diez, Mexico
In a small, conservative Catholic town in the Highlands of
Jalisco, Alex loses custody of his daughter. After a long legal fight, he looks for a way to fulfill the promise he made to her at birth - to always be with her - while defending his dreams: fatherhood, music, being a man.
¡SOMOS! LGBTQ+ CINE SHORTS
From first love, to coming of age, to fighting for custody rights, to navigating and discovering identity, these filmmakers embrace and share the diverse spectrum of the LGBTQIA+ community. These stories created by the LGBTQIA+ community for the LGBTQIA+ community bring consciousness and compassion to worlds familiar to some and unknown by others for all of you to embrace in your hearts.
3/13 / 4:00 / S8 Available Virtually 3/17
A BRONX STORY, dir. Bell Soto, USA
Two queer Dominican men living in Bronx, New York, navigate modern-day relationship's trials and tribulations while trying to keep their love afloat.
MEMOIRS OF THE (NON)EXISTENT ME, dir. Thiago Kistenmacker, Brazil
Marina's death transforms her past into heritage. Her memoirs and the portrait of her identity are hostage in a dispute to claim her gender.
LABIOS DE MIEL, dir. Brenda Carolina Arregoitia, Mexico At thirteen years old, Ruth begins paying attention to the boys in her school, but soon realizes that their dental hygiene isn’t that good. On the other hand, Azucena seems to have the sweetest lips she’s ever seen. The only problem is her dentist parents won’t let her eat candy.
KARINA'S SUIT, dir. Frank Benitez Peña, Colombia
Muete travels to the city to visit his cousin Karina, a transgender woman that does sex work. Muete tries to convince her to return to their town because her mother is very ill. The only condition: she has to go as Leonardo, her former identity.
MARCEL, dir. Gastón Calivari, Argentina
Gaston reconnects with the clown that animated his 3rd birthday party. The clown has a new life as trans woman who runs a flower shop in Nogoyá, Entre Rios. Their encounter unleashes a series of memories, and reflections on what it means to change from child to adult and from man to woman.
TO THE FUTURE, WITH LOVE, dir. Shaleece Haas, USA
An animated self-portrait of 19-year-old Hunter “Pixel” Jimenez, a nonbinary trans boy caught between the expectations of his Guatemalan immigrant family and his dreams of living happily ever after with his long-distance boyfriend Damienne.
VIVA MUJERES
We celebrate women filmmakers as they tell stories on our unique and varied experiences within the Latinx community. From demanding workers rights to wanting roller skates, these films show that empowerment can take many forms.
3/12 / 3:30 / S9 Available Virtually 3/18
LUNCH BREAK, dir. Nina Kopko, Brazil
It’s 1979. Four workers have lunch break inside the ladies' room, at a metallurgical factory. Between laughs and scuffles, each one has a secret of their own.
FLORES DE LA LLANURA, dir. Mariana Xochiquétzal Rivera, Mexico
Yecenia, a young ñomndaa weaver, is mourning because her cousin, Silvia, has been a victim of femicide. She and other weaving women, create a collective ritual to honor Silvia’s life. Through this ritual, threads, dreams and their craft are collectively woven together as an act of healing and resilience.
DEATH & DEATHABILITY (A PERIOD PIECE), dir. Maria Victoria Ponce, USA
Mystified by the unexpected arrival of her first period, Ceci (Blanca Ordaz) concludes she must be dying. She prepares a bucket list to accomplish on her final day, including her first real kiss and her own funeral, because death should be an art.
LABIOS DE MIEL, dir. Brenda Carolina Arregoitia, Mexico
At thirteen years old, Ruth begins paying attention to the boys in her school, but soon realizes that their dental hygiene isn’t that good. On the other hand, Azucena seems to have the sweetest lips she’s ever seen. The only problem is her dentist parents won’t let her eat candy.
LOS PATINES, dir. Loren Escandon, USA
Forced to be a servant to a white woman, an Afro-Colombian orphaned girl dreams of freedom, a normal childhood, and a pair of roller-skates.
SAVING SALVADOR, dir. Luisa Maria González, USA
A dark comedy about three sisters who take matters into their own hands when bureaucratic chaos prevents them from having a proper burial for their late father.
VIVIR TODA LA VIDA, , dir. Marlén Ríos-Farjat, Mexico
Susana is abandoned by her husband after a life together, but
can’t seem to let go of the past. One day, she receives help from her neighbor Gloria, a free-spirited woman that she usually can’t stand. But the friendship that emerges between them makes Susana realize her desire to live in the present.
REMOVER EL CORAZÓN, dir. Melissa Elizondo, Mexico
Community workers use art to help children in the town of San
Gregorio Atlapulco cope with the trauma of the 2017 Puebla
Earthquake.
VOZES SHORTS
There are nearly 5 million persons of Central American descent in the United States and that number doubled in the last 10 years. Vozes gives voz to those who speak vos. It puts the oft-forgotten voices of Central American characters at the center stage. It portrays both the daily hardships and the wonders of ancestral lands by highlighting the works of Central American filmmakers, helping viewers move past the stereotypical media portrayals of a culture that is an increasingly important part of the American social fabric.
3/18/ 4:15 / S5 Available virtually 3/11
UNIQUE, dir. Hugo Mata Parducci, El Salvador
In El Salvador, an important theatrical movement is starting to flourish in the country, where many women are leading part of this new wave in the performing arts. In an environment, which historically has always been the exclusive domain of men,
Yamileth tells us about her journey, struggles and dreams as a lights technician.
MEMORIAS DEL CHAGRES dir. Omar Calvo, Panama
The lost towns on the edge of the Chagres River were once thriving towns, they were the center of the economic and cultural progress of a country in full development. The experiences of the former inhabitants and the current ones share a special connection set by the sound of the water and illustrated by the unique landscapes of the Chagres River.
MISS PANAMA, dir. Lamar Bailey Karamañites, Pascale Boucicaut , David Felix Sutcliffe, USA
In 1980, Gloria Karamañites became the first black woman to win the Miss Panama competition, despite pageant officials maneuvering to deny her the crown. Reflecting on this history, her daughter Lamar meets characters who watched the competition live, and talks to friends and family who knew Gloria then and now, ultimately painting a vivid portrait of a country struggling with its own identity.
PARCIALMENTE NUBLADO CON PELIGRO DE TORMENTA,
dir. Nicole Villalobos, Costa Rica Esther, a seventeen year old teenager, goes on a mountain trip with her older brother and her father, with whom she doesn’t have a close relationship. During their vacation her father goes missing; driven by the fear of losing her dad, Esther will undertake a search in which she will learn to value of family. Eighteen years ago, Vicky Noly was forced to leave her children to escape poverty and political conflict in Honduras. Envisioning the U.S. as a land of opportunities, Vicky made the decision to come to this country, regardless of the sacrifices it entailed. Nevertheless, she remains deeply attached to her native customs and language and longs to reunite with her children whom she has not seen in 18 years.
DE REINAS Y OTROS COLORES dir. Juan Herrera Zuluaga
Queens, drags and transgender people tell of their experiences performing and living out their dreams in a hostile and homophobiuc society - colorful, heartbreaking and disturbing in equal measures.
SUPERVISORES DE NUBES, dir. William Aguilar, Honduras
Two old friends meet again in a deprived and looted hospital room during the COVID-19 pandemic in Honduras.
ANTES QUE AMANEZCA, dir. Enrique Medrano, Honduras
In the 1980s, a Honduran mother fights to rescue her daughter from the hands of her abusive ex-husband, a powerful and violent military general, who has been accused of the disappearance of college students.
