30th San Diego Latino Film Festival Souvenir Program

About 30 years ago, I eagerly walked into a meeting with the editors of Voz Fronteriza, the UC San Diego student-run Chicano newspaper, Gene Chavira and Adolfo Guzman-Lopez. I had recently moved to the San Diego-Baja California region, and having produced a Chicano film festival at UC Santa Cruz from 1989 to 1992, I thought it would be great to start a similar film festival here. Thus was born what is now known as the SDLFF. Initially called Cine Estudiantil, the festival was created to spotlight Latinx filmmakers and actors, as well as to combat the negative stereotypes perpetuated by mainstream media.

In terms of technology and viewing habits in the world of cinema and film festivals, much has changed since the first one held in 1994 at UC San Diego, San Diego State University, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California and Centro Cultural de la Raza. It used to be that the SDLFF locally was the only place to see U.S.-Latinx and/or Spanish language movies. Now, a quick search online will deliver thousands of movies and television shows available to you as a viewer. So where does this leave a film festival and nonprofit such as ours?

Well, despite the technological advances, the need for such an event still exists. Some advancements have been made in the past 30 years in terms of Latinx representation in front of and behind the camera; however, we still have a long way to go. Negative stereotypes continue to plague our mainstream media, political discourse, and every aspect of Hollywood movies and television shows.

We call to all of you; to continue this fight, support independent Latinx films, and help this festival continue to innovate for the next 30 years.

Thank you for your amazing support and I look forward to enjoying all the wonderful movies on the BIG screen with you all during the next 11 days!

After a postponed film festival, a virtual iteration, and a hybrid edition, I am thrilled this festival’s films will be enjoyed as in-person events in cinemas. It seems fitting that for our 30th edition we would return to this normal mode of operations amidst the turmoil the world has faced over the last couple of years. Even as the festival has changed

Ethan van Thillo Founder / Executive Director

STAFF

Ethan van Thillo, Executive Director

Moises Esparza, Exhibitions Director

Araceli Medina, Special Events Associate

Ryan Kuratomi, Director of Video Production

Juan Lopez, Community Production Manager

Nicole Goes, Box Office Manager & Programmer

Mark Madero, Digital Gym Cinema Manager

Kristian Perez-Franco, Print Traffic & Theater Manager

Laurie Piña, Digital Gym Cinema Associate

Oscar Romero, Digital Gym Cinema Associate

Larry Da Silveira, Tu Cine! / Youth Showcase

Montserrat Ceja, Graphic Designer

Amanda Barcena, Bookkeeper

Pilar Kuri, Sabor Latino Coordinator

Blanca Arroyo, Sabor Latino Assistant

Larissa Vega, Talent Relations Manager

Keli Pallares, Talent Relations Associate

Jessica Andrea Hernández, Talent Associate

Paola Hernandez-Jiao, Festival Host & Ambassador

Susana Franco, Press Coordinator

Andy Gonzalez, Arte Latino Gallery Curator

Melody De Los Cobos, Arte Latino Gallery Curator

Saul Silva, Sonido Latino Stage Manager & Party Planner

Rickey Ketcham, VIP Lounge Lead

Carmela Prudencio, Marketing Coordinator

Soni Bhalla, Festival Lounge and Village Hub Manager

Joana Guzman, Host & Influencer Coordinator

Jordan Jacobo, Host

Tiffany Ávila-Bastidas, DGC Associate

Hannah O’keefe, Administrative Assistant

José Islas, Photography

Seth Gadsen, Program/Grants Manager

Shanna Trenholm, Development

Edwin Cruz, Teaching Artist

Devone Jones, Teaching Artist

Mizar Martin, Teaching Artist

Anjalika Sharma, Teaching Artist

Amada Torruella, Teaching Artist

Jackie Domi, Teaching Artist

Edwin FrankO, Teaching Artist

Carly Lujan, Teaching Artist

Julian Rodriguez, Teaching Artist

Imran Arceneaux, Teaching Assistant

Noah Kalal, Teaching Assistant

Jose Juan Magallón,

Box Office Assistant Manager

Annie Torres, Box Office

Teresa Denis, Box Office

Justin Padilla, Box Office

Shaun Deguzman, Box Office

Ethan Gaige Duenas, Box Office

Dylan Chan, Box Office

Sandra Vazquez, Box Office

Sophy Zepeda, Box Office

MEDIA ARTS CENTER SAN DIEGO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Adolfo Ventura | Board President Director of Operations, MAAC

Paul Espinosa | Vice President President/CEO of Espinosa Productions

Francisco Mata | Secretary San Ysidro School District, Coordinator of Public Relations and Community Services

Michael Caro | Director San Diego Regional Manager Assistance for Veterans

Shelby Batchelor Courtney | Director

Pastoral Care Counselor & Duolingo Ambassador

Lisa Feldman | Director Home Care Liaison at Pacific Point Health Care Services

FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION COMMITTEE

Cuauhtémoc Ruelas

Susana Demaestri

Samuel Bandeira

Danny Soley

Luis Martinez

Julia Medina, PhD

Ana Valladares-Hinderdael

Sophia Schultz

Kristal Bivona, PhD

Andrea Cordoba

Maria Elena Delgado

David Fabela

Miguel Rodriguez

Kristin Moran, PhD

Norell Martinez

Michael Caro

Shelly Ro

Gustavo Huitron

Geneva Gamez

Enrique Meza | Director Communications and Segment Marketing Manager Mission Federal Credit Union

Michael Caro | Director Cox Communications

Luis Monteagudo Jr. | Director Retired Journalist/ Communications Director

Lorena Mostajo | Director Visual Arts department, UCSD

Ruben Morfin | Director Vice President, Morgan Stanley

MIGRANT VOICES FILM CHALLENGE JURY

Paulina Casmur

Javier Espinoza

Laura Castañeda

Diana Trejo Cuauhtémoc Ruelas

POSTER ARTIST

Soni Lopez-Chavez

FESTIVAL PROGRAMMERS

Adriana Trujillo, Frontera Filmmakers Showcase

Luis Martinez, ¡Hay que reírse! Showcase

Yakira Delgadillo, ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase

Miguel Rodriguez, Un mundo extraño Showcase

Nicole Góes, VOSes Showcase

JURORS

NARRATIVE SHORTS

Daniela Schmidt, Jury Head

Edda Manriquez

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Gerardo Chijona, Jury Head

FRONTERA SHOWCASE

Diana Trejo

Cuauhtemoc Ruelas

Alfredo González

NARRATIVE FEATURES

Cristina Velasco, Jury Head

Arcadi Palerm-Artis

Arturo Chavez

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

Everardo González, Jury Head

Erica Nguyen

Ellie Walton

SPONSORS

MAJOR SPONSORS

OPENING & CLOSING NIGHT CELEBRATION SPONSORS

SHOWCASE SPONSORS

RADIO SPONSORS

SCREEN SPONSOR

FILM SPONSORS

SONIDO LATINO STAGE SPONSOR

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

SPONSORS

MEDIA KICKOFF CELEBRATION SPONSOR

OPENING NIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE SPONSORS

SABOR LATINO SPONSORS

TELEVISION SPONSOR

VENUE SPONSORS

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE SPONSOR

TICKET PRICES

General Admission – $12.00

Senior/Student/Military – $10.00

Member rate – $9.00

PASSES & TICKET PACKS

5–MOVIE TICKET PACK – $50.00

• Entrance to 5 films of your choosing.

• Limit two per customer. A $60.00 value!

FILM PASS – $120.00

• Entrance to 11 films of your choosing.

• Access to the VIP Priority Seating Line which grants early admittance to every show

• The Film Pass is Non-Transferable. Film Pass holders will receive 11 digital vouchers that must be redeemed for tickets to specific screenings.

• Limit two per customer. A $132 value!

FESTIVAL PASS – $225.00

• OVER 160 screenings

• Access to the Priority Seating Line which grants early admittance to every show

• VIP Lounge & Receptions

• Plus, special benefits during the festival and throughout the year at our Digital Gym CINEMA North Park with your Membership Card!

• The Festival Pass is Non-Transferable.

• Limit two per customer. A $1,400 value!

The Festival Pass does NOT grant access to Sabor Latino – Food, Beer & Tequila Festival and Opening Night / Closing Night Party.

VIP PASS – $300.00

• OVER 160 film screenings

• Priority Seating Line which grants early admittance to every show

• VIP Passes to Sabor Latino Food, Beer & Tequila Festival

• VIP Lounge & Receptions

• FREE Entrance to all after-parties, panels, press conferences & events

• Live Film Talks – get up close to the stars!

• 1 year FREE Media Arts Center San Diego’s BASIC Membership

• Plus, special benefits during the festival and throughout the year at our Digital Gym Cinema with your Membership Card!

• The VIP pass is Non-Transferable.

• Limit two per customer. A $2,000 value!

All pass holders will be allowed preferred entrance into theatres up to 20 minutes prior to showtime or until the pass holder allotment has been reached. Early arrival to all screenings is recommended. Passes do NOT guarantee seating and pass holders may not always be able to attend the film program of their first choice. Please be at your seat by the scheduled start time of your film. Empty seats may be resold after posted start time to accommodate rush-line patrons.

VENUES

AMC Mission Valley 20

1640 Camino Del Rio N, San Diego, CA 92108

Digital Gym Cinema

1100 Market St, 2nd floor, San Diego, CA 92101

BOX OFFICE

Starting March 9th, tickets, and passes may be purchased at the film festival’s Box Office Tent located directly in front of AMC Mission Valley 20 and at the Digital Gym Cinema’s Concession Stand. Box Office hours begin 30 minutes before each showtime.

After you have purchased your pass or tickets online, you will receive an email confirmation. Please bring this email along with your ID to pick up your order at the box office at AMC Mission Valley or the Digital Gym Cinema.

Or, if you purchase your tickets online you can simply go straight to the cinemas and a theater manager/festival staff will take your printed ticket or view your email confirmation on your phone.

Will Call tickets may be printed at the box office, at either AMC Mission Valley 20 or the Digital Gym Cinema.

SPECIAL GROUP SALES!

Looking to buy multiple tickets? Buy with a group and get discounts.

QTY

10 – 25

26 – 50

Tickets are non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash. See festival staff for further information. All group sales tickets must be made in advance and are not sold at the box office. Group sales tickets must be purchased in person at:

Media Arts Center San Diego

1100 Market St. Ste 326 San Diego, CA 92101

For more information, visit sdlatinofilm.com or call (619) 230-1938.

OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION

CLOSING AWARDS CEREMONY GALA & CONCERT

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2023, 8:30PM - 12:00AM at “The Forum” UCSD Park & Market 1100 Market Street, 1st Floor San Diego, CA 92101

Brought to you by UCSD Park & Market, John Roy Sound LLC, Radio Latina 104.5 FM, Univision San Diego, Azteca Canal 33

Join us as we kick-off the 30th Anniversary San Diego Latino Film Festival in style at downtown San Diego’s one-of-a-kind cultural and education hub, “The Forum” in UCSD Park & Market.

Dance the night away with live music, featuring Sabrosas Latin Orchestra (12-piece all female Salsa band) & Puente (Cuban and Brazilian Latin music); plus, spirits, lite bites, and film celebrities.

Hosted by Paola Hernandez (SDUT) & Gaby Casas (Radio Latina)

TICKET INCLUDES

• 1 Free Movie Ticket to be used throughout the 11-day festival!

• 1 Free Drink Ticket

• Lite Bites/appetizers

• Live music by Sabrosas Latin Orchestra & Puente

• Red Carpet

• Photo Booth

ADMISSION COST

$20 In Advance

$25 At the Door

+21 Event

SPONSORS

SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2023, 7:00PM - 12:00AM

7:00 - 8:15pm - “Premios Corazon” Awards Ceremony

8:30pm - 12:00am - Concert w/ SONORA DINAMITA con Vilma Diaz

at “The Forum” UCSD Park & Market

1100 Market Street, 1st Floor San Diego, CA 92101

Brought to you by UCSD Park & Market, John Roy Sound LLC, Univision San Diego, Azteca Canal 33

Join us for the Closing Awards Ceremony & Concert Celebrating the Conclusion of our 30th Anniversary San Diego Latino Film Festival. This special celebration will take place at San Diego’s new downtown one-of-a-kind cultural and education hub, “The Forum” & “The Guggenheim Theatre” in UCSD Park & Market.

Dance your Cumbia hearts out with live music, featuring legendary group, SONORA DINAMITA con Vilma Diaz, & RICKY G. BACHATA; plus, spirits, lite bites, awards ceremony and film celebrities. Hosted by Paola Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune.

TICKET INCLUDES

• 1 Free Movie Ticket to be used throughout the 11-day festival!

• 1 Free Drink Ticket

• Lite Bites/appetizers

• Awards Ceremony. Find out Best Film Winners, Meet Tributes y más!

• Live music by legendary Cumbia super group, SONORA DINAMITA con Vilma Diaz, & RICKY G. BACHATA.

• Red Carpet

• Photo Booth

ADMISSION COST

$30 In Advance

$35 At the Door

+21 Event

Get

LOCATION

Downtown at San Diego’s new oneof-a-kind cultural and education hub, “The Forum” in UCSD Park & Market.

1100 Market Street, 1st Floor San Diego, CA 92101

TICKETS www.sdlatinofilm.com INFO

(619) 230-1938

info@mediaartscenter.org

PARKING

Available at UCSD Park & Market or adjacent parking lots such as Padres Parkade.

the chance to mingle with guest filmmakers & actors from the 30th San Diego Latino Film Festival!

ARTE LATINO GALLERY

ARTE LATINO GALLERY

Arte Latino Gallery will be home to the festival’s Artisan Mercado where you can find artists and vendors with handmade products. The Festival Hub will feature collaborative art installations, interactive art, and live art.

March 9–12 & March 17-19, 2–10pm

Westfield Mission Valley

1640 Camino Del Rio, N San Diego, CA 92108

Next to Papaya Clothing

CURATOR

Andy Gonzalez, La Onda Arte Latino

FEATURED ARTISTS

Lalo Alcaraz

Soni López-Chavez

Pako Pablos

Melody De Los Cobos

Inocente

CORAZON AWARDS

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Esmeralda Robles

Gmonik

Love City Heights

Ira Cosmos

Andy Gonzalez, Concept & Design

Melody De Los Cobos, Design & Awards Artist

Saturday March 18th, 12-5pm

First Arte Latino Comic & Lucha Art Fest

Featuring Lalo Alcaraz & Guests at our Festival

FESTIVAL LOUNGE & VILLAGE HUB

The Festival Lounge, in front of AMC Theatres, will house local artists, vendors, DJ, lite bites & spirits, art gallery motifs, lounge areas, sponsors, interactive elements, celebrity interview headquarters and more!

March 9–19, 4–9pm Westfield Mission Valley

1640 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego, CA 92108

Courtyard in front of AMC Mission Valley 20 (former Ruby’s Diner space)

ARTE LATINO CO-CURATOR

Melody De Los Cobos

Melody De Los Cobos is a mixed media artist, muralist, curator, community event organizer, and Love City Height’s Artistic Director. Born and raised in San Diego, she is well known among her private collectors, curators and fellow artists. Her skills of construction with corn husk and eggshells in three-dimensional works of art have made her a must-see artist. She draws inspiration from her Mexican heritage and Chicana experience as a first generation born American, to create vibrant and unique pieces. Melody’s love of texture and color allows her to find creative inspiration in everything life visually presents in her path and the emotions of her life experiences.

If you’d like to follow her work, art exhibitions and events, please visit her Instagram @chicanalilly

Breathe better, live better

ResMed is committed to helping educate and provide cloud-connected solutions to people with sleep apnea, COPD, asthma–and their healthcare providers–so they can sleep, breathe, and live healthier lives outside the hospital.

ResMed is a proud sponsor of the San Diego Latino Film Festival 2023 ResMed.com

SONIDO LATINO STAGE & SABOR LATINO

SONIDO LATINO STAGE 2023

DAILY LIVE MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

Westfield Mission Valley

1640 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego, CA 92108

Festival Village @ AMC Courtyard

PRESENTED BY

Sonido Latino is back celebrating 30 yrs of latinx film and culture in San Diego. Join us at Westfield Mission Valley for 11 days of bands, dancers, singers, performers, djs y mas! Located in the heart of our Festival Village, right in front of the AMC theater. Schedule and lineup subject to change.

Thursday March 9th

2pm Brazilian Samba

Dancers

3pm Astral Jubilee

4pm DJ Switch

5pm Maya Sofia with Victor Enciso

Friday March 10th

Guest DJ 4pm Majo y Ember 5pm Marujah

Saturday March 11th

DJ JOSEXXX

2pm Avant Garde Music School

5pm Nicole McFly

6pm Linda Owlen

7pm Itzel

Sunday March 12th

1pm Flamenco with Roots

2pm Memory Lounge

4pm Celeste Lanuza

5pm DJ Niayuku

6TH SABOR LATINO FOOD, BEER & TEQUILA FEST!

SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 2023, 2:30PM - 6:30PM

Westfield Mission Valley

1640 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego, CA 92108

Eastern end of mall, near Daniel's Jewelers & Panera Bread

Celebrate Latino flavors & culture with us and enjoy unlimited food tastings inspired by award-winning Latino chefs, unlimited beer & tequila tastings; plus, live music, Arte Latino showcase, guest filmmakers/actors & our annual BEST DISH contest!

JUDGES

Martin San Román, Katia Ramirez-Blankley, Carlos Haro, Vicente Ortiz, & Rosie O Connor

Monday March 13th 6pm Elena Castañeda

Tuesday March 14th 3pm Amanda Da Rosa

Wednesday March 15th 4pm David De Alva

6pm SM Familia

Thursday March 16th

2pm Guest DJ 6pm Gaby Aparicio

Friday March 17th

5pm DJ Ana Brown

5pm Cumbia Machin

Saturday March 18th

1pm Flamenco with Roots

2pm Bambula

4pm Enruedame Mas

Sunday March 19th

3pm Zach Gutierrez Trio

4pm The Neighborhood Kids

CHEFS & Instagram

Chef Javier Caro-La Justina @Lajustinavalle

Chef Jonas Campos-Corazón

Artesano @Chef_jonas_campos

Chef Jorge Fuentes-Mariscos Beyer @Chef_jorgefuentes

Chef Karina Castro-Maestra Del Fuego At Yiima @Yiimabyasao

Master Beatriz G. PazTraditional Mexican And Seafood Cuisine @Elpescadorcarson @Donchenteoficial.com

Chef Lety Mckenzie-Brujas Cocina @Brujadelacocinasd

Chef Martin Guerrero-Chef Martin Guerrero Foundation @Chefmguerrero

Chef Rael Coronado-New American Cuisine At Savage @Svg_tj Facebook @Savagetj

TICKETS

Chef Rodolfo Luviano- Master Of Mexican Barbacoa @Luviano.rodolfo

Chef Paulo Mendoza - Sea180

Chef Danny BetancourtPeregrino Catering @Soydannybc

Chef David Alarcon - Fuego Santo @Davealarcon

Chef Eduardo Salgado - Emat Cocina Del Huerto @Eduardosalgue

Chef Oliver Seki - Seki Restaurante @Oasfchef

Chef Carlos EsquivelRestaurante Frida @Carlos.esquivels

Chef Liz Diaz - Deliz Gourmet @Lizdiazdg

VIP • $55 (Early Entrance at 2:30pm)

General Admission • $45 (Entrance at 3:30pm)

This is a 21+ event (NO EXCEPTIONS)

Rain or shine event - tickets are not refundable!

Proceeds Benefit Media Arts Center San Diego’s Youth Media Scholarships.

For more information, visit sdlatinofilm.com or call (619) 230-1938.

FILM SCHEDULE

2

It’s Not the First Time We Fight For Our Love (Brazil/USA, 104 min)

Solo uno más... Shorts (73 min)

SCREEN 10

Argentina, 1985 (Argentina, 140 min.)

Chile ‘76 (Chile/Argentina/Qatar, 95 min.)

Sublime (Argentina, 100 min)

The Wind Blows the Border (Brazil, 77 min.)

Amores Perros (Mexico, 153 min.) FRI 10

Ritmo Latino Shorts (82 min.)

Cumpleañero (Panama, 96 min.)

La Lucha: Getting Schooled in America (USA, 84 min.)

Soy Niño (Chile/France, 62 min.)

Viva Mujeres Shorts (99 min.)

Swing and Sway (Brazil, 82 min.)

El empleado y el patrón (Uruguay/Argentina/Brazil, 110 min.)

Argentina, 1985 (Argentina, 140 min.)

El empleado y el patrón (Uruguay/Argentina/Brazil, 110 min.)

¡SOMOS! Cine LGBTQ+ Shorts (116 min.)

Los pacientes recurrentes (Mexico, 97 min.)

El visitante (Bolivia/Uruguay, 86 min.)

FRI 17

4:30 PM

Los mecánicos (Puerto Rico / USA, 87 min.)

Diamond in the Rough (USA, 88 min.)

Tengo sueños eléctricos (Belgium/France/Costa Rica, 110 min.)

Albertina y los muertos (Chile, 81 min.)

El infierno (Mexico, 148 min.)

Manco Cápac (Peru, 92 min.)

Me mataron 3 veces (Mexico, 99 min.)

La Civil (Mexico/Belgium/Romania, 140 min.)

La vida en el silencio (Mexico, 125 min.)

La picada (preceded by EL ALJIBE Short) (Costa Rica / Chile, 76 min.)

Historias Originarias Shorts (81 min.)

Lejos de casa (preceded by FRIENDSHIP PARK Short) (Mexico, 91 min.)

La ciénaga (Argentina, 101 min.)

Antes que lleguen los zopilotes (Mexico, 96 min.)

Cross Dreamers (Argentina, 78 min.)

Frontera Filmmakers Shorts - Narratives (105 min)

Me mataron 3 veces (Mexico, 99 min.)

4:30 PM

PM

Gol de Plata (Guatemala/El Salvador, 73 min.)

Años Luz (Uruguay, 81 min.)

7:20

PM

PM

Swing and Sway (Brazil, 82 min.)

7:00

El Corazón Shorts (82 min.)

Migrant Voices Today (120 min.)

Frontera Filmmakers Shorts - Documentaries (90 min.)

6:10

8:30

Un Mundo Extraño Shorts (100 min)

7:00

9:45

Diamond in the Rough (USA, 88 min.)

4:00

PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM

11:15 AM 1:45 PM 4:10 PM 6:30 PM 9:10 PM

11:15 AM

Silent Beauty (USA/Mexico/Malta, 88 min.)

Home is somewhere else (Mexico, 88 min.)

Gol de Plata (Guatemala/El Salvador, 73 min.)

Hermanas (Colombia/United States, 77 min.)

Finlandia (Mexico/Spain, 97 min.)

4:10 PM 6:45 PM 9:30 PM

11:30 AM 1:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM

Hay que reirse Shorts (108 min.)

La pecera (Puerto Rico/Spain, 92 min.)

Barajas (Ecuador, 62 min.)

Conjunto Blues (USA, 60 min.)

Donde los vientos se cruzan (Mexico, 77 min.)

Con los años que me quedan (Mexico/Spain, 107 min.)

Split at the Root (USA, 96 min.)

PM

Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter (Brazil, 86 min.) 11:30 AM

Children of Las Brisas (Venezuela/USA/France/UK, 84 min.)

Sublime (Argentina, 100 min.)

Donde los vientos se cruzan (Mexico, 77 min.)

Chile ‘76 (Chile/Argentina/Qatar, 95 min.)

La hija de todas las rabias (Nicaragua, 87 min.)

La Civil (Mexico/Belgium/Romania, 140 min.)

4:10 PM 6:10 PM 8:10 PM

Dry Ground Burning (Brazil/Portugal, 154 min.) 7:30

12 MOVIE TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

SAN DIEGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL 2023

Presented by UnionBank

AMC

SCREEN 11

5:00 PM

7:00 PM

5:30 PM

8:00 PM

La rebelión de las flores (Argentina, 81 min.)

Lecciones para canallas (Mexico, 104 min.)

La Lucha: Getting Schooled in America (USA, 84 min.)

Amor y matemáticas (Mexico, 82 min.)

El Ojo de Agua de los Gálvez (México, 90 min.)

Dearest Eva (USA, 105 min.)

Los mecánicos (Puerto Rico/USA, 87 min.)

Matando Cabos (Mexico, 94 min.)

The Pastor and the Revolutionary (Brazil, 115 min.)

DGC

5:15 PM 7:20 PM

5:35 PM

8:40 PM

Manco Cápac (Peru, 92 min.)

Sansón y yo (Mexico/United States, 83 min.)

Dry Ground Burning (Brazil/Portugal, 154 min.)

Tierra quebrá (Colombia, 110 min.)

2:05 PM 4:30 PM 7:15 PM

Nuestros días más felices (Argentina, 100 min.)

La rebelión de las flores (Argentina, 81 min.)

Finlandia (Mexico/Spain, 97 min.)

11:45 AM

PM

Inocente - 10th Anniversary Presentation (40 min.)

Perlimps (Brazil, 75 min.)

Silent Beauty (USA/Mexico/Malta, 88 min.)

Sansón y yo (Mexico/USA, 83 min.)

5:00 PM 7:20 PM 9:45 PM

5:00 PM 7:20 PM 9:45 PM

5:00 PM

7:15 PM

4:30 PM

6:00 PM

8:15 PM

4:45 PM

7:30 PM

9:45 PM

Albertina y los muertos (Chile, 81 min.)

Amor y matemáticas (Mexico, 82 min.)

El Ojo de Agua de los Gálvez (México, 90 min.)

El equipo (Argentina/USA/Mexico, 80 min.)

Lecciones para canallas (Mexico, 104 min.)

La Lucha: Getting Schooled in America (USA, 84 min.)

Santos - Skin to Skin (USA, 75 min.)

Home is Somewhere Else (Mexico, 88 min.)

Barajas (Ecuador, 62 min.)

El movimiento Continues Shorts (78 min)

Oscuros Amores (Cuba, 89 min.)

VOSes Shorts (97 min.)

Maquíllame otra vez (Mexico/Chile, 81 min.)

11:45 AM

2:10 PM

4:45 PM

7:55 PM

11:45 AM 2:00 PM 4:15 PM

6:20 PM 9:00 PM

Tierra quebrá (Colombia, 110 min.)

Tengo sueños eléctricos (Belgium/France/Costa Rica, 110 min.)

Hecho en USA Shorts (116 min)

Historias para no contar (Spain, 100 min.)

Dearest Eva (USA, 105 min.)

It’s Not the First Time We Fight For Our Love (Brazil/USA, 104 min.)

Cumpleañero (Panama, 96 min.)

5:15 PM

7:30 PM

5:15 PM

7:40 PM

Manco Cápac (Peru, 92 min.)

The Wind Blows the Border (Brazil, 77 min.)

The Pastor and the Revolutionary (Brazil, 115 min.)

Cumpleañero (Panama, 96 min.)

5:30 PM

7:30 PM

4:45 PM

7:20 PM

5:10 PM

7:40 PM

Lejos de casa (Mexico, 81 min.)

Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter (Brazil, 86 min.)

La vida en el silencio (Mexico, 125 min.)

Los pacientes recurrentes (Mexico, 97 min.)

Contratiempo (Mexico, 92 min.)

El equipo (Argentina/USA/Mexico, 80 min.)

PM 2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:30 PM

Lo que se hereda (Dominican Republic, 84 min.)

Maquíllame otra vez (Mexico/Chile, 81 min.)

Huesera (Mexico, 93 min.)

Mukí Sopalírili Aligué Gawichí Nirúgame (Mexico, 101 min.)

Diamond in the Rough (USA, 88 min.)

Antes que lleguen los zopilotes (Mexico, 96 min.)

El visitante (Bolivia/Uruguay, 86 min.)

12:00 PM 2:15 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM

Santos - Skin to Skin (USA, 75 min.)

Años Luz (Uruguay, 81 min.)

Oscuros Amores (Cuba, 89 min.)

13

ARGENTINA, 1985

SPOTLIGHT FILM SHOWCASE

Our most exciting Spotlight Films Showcase yet offers a snapshot of what the rest of the film festival has to offer: crowd-pleasing delights, boundary pushing propositions from exciting and established cinematic voices, and even an Oscar nominated film starring Ricardo Darín…

AÑOS LUZ

Dir. Alina Kaplan

(Uruguay, 81 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/14 • 8:30 • S2

3/19 • 5:00 • DGC

Mateo, Belén and María José, three siblings that have grown apart, are forced to meet again in order to close the deal to sell the house they spent their childhood in. Spotlight Films Showcase.

ARGENTINA, 1985

Dir. Santiago Mitre

(Argentina, 140 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Courtroom Drama/ Politics)

3/09 • 4:45 • S10

3/12 • 11:00 • S2

‘Argentina, 1985’ is inspired by the true story of Julio Strassera, Luis Moreno Ocampo and their young legal team of unlikely heroes in their David-vs-Goliath battle to prosecute Argentina’s bloodiest military dictatorship to bring justice to the victims of the Military Junta. Golden Globe® winner and now an Academy Award® nominee for Best International Feature Film. Starring Ricardo Darín. Spotlight Films Showcase.

CHILE ‘76

Dir. Manuela Martelli

(Chile / Argentina / Qatar, 95 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Political Thriller)

3/09 • 7:35 • S10

3/19 • 4:10 • S10

In the early days of Pinochet’s dictatorship, a sheltered woman spending her summer by the beach is asked by the family priest to take care of an injured young man. She is inadvertently drawn into the world of the Chilean political opposition and must face real-world threats she is unprepared to handle. Spotlight Films Showcase.

DRY GROUND BURNING

Dir. Joana Pimenta, Adirley Queirós

(Brazil/Portugal, 154 min., 2022, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Docu-Fiction)

3/10 • 5:35 • DGC

3/19 • 8:10 • S10

Just released from prison, Léa returns home to the Brasilia favela of Sol Nascente and joins up with her half-sister Chitara, the fearless leader of an all-female gang that steals and refines oil from underground pipes. Living in constant opposition to Bolsonaro’s fiercely authoritarian and militarized government, Chitara’s women claim the streets for themselves as a declaration of radical political resistance. Spotlight Films Showcase.

EL EMPLEADO Y EL PATRÓN

Dir. Manolo Nieto

(Uruguay / Argentina / Brazil, 110 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/11 • 9:15

3/12 • 1:50

S2

S2

An accident causes cataclysmic consequences for an employee and his boss as they try to act in the best interest of their respective newborns and families. Spotlight Films Showcase.

HISTORIAS PARA NO CONTAR

Dir. Cesc Gay

(Spain, 100 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Comedy)

3/18 • 7:55

3/19 • 9:00

S11

S11

A light-hearted collection of five stories about unexpected romantic encounters, shocking revelations, and our inability to govern our emotions. Featuring an all-star cast, including Argentine actor Chino Darín, Maribel Verdu, Antonio de la Torre, María León, and Quim Gutiérrez. Spotlight Films Showcase.

HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE

Dirs. Carlos Hagerman, Jorge Villalobos

(Mexico, 88 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Immigration/Animation)

3/15 • 7:15

3/17 • 8:15

S11

S2

Co-presented by MAAC

Co-presented by SDLRLA

Combining the power of poetry, animation and real conversations, HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE, provides a window into the hearts and minds of immigrant youth and their undocumented families. Frontera Filmmakers Showcase; Spotlight Films Showcase.

MANCO CÁPAC

Dir. Henry Vallejo

(Peru, 92 min., 2020, Spanish, Quechua w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/09 • 5:15

3/11 • 12:00

3/13 • 5:15

DGC

S10

DGC

Elisban arrives in the city of Puno, too late to meet his friend Hermogenes, with whom he was going to work. Homeless and without money, he survives from unstable small jobs, in a city that sharpens his loneliness at every step. The inertia of continuing to move forward may lead him to a better fate. Spotlight Films Showcase.

OSCUROS AMORES

Dir. Gerardo Chijona

(Cuba, 89 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Comedy)

3/16 • 8:15

3/19 • 7:15

S11

DGC

Over the course of a night, three dark love stories intertwine revealing shocking surprises about human desire in Gerardo Chijona’s latest exciting provocation. Spotlight Films Showcase.

THE PASTOR AND THE REVOLUTIONARY

Dir. José Eduardo Belmonte

(Brazil, 115 min., 2022, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/11 • 9:30 • S11

3/14 • 5:15 • DGC

At the turn of the millennium, Juliana, the illegitimate daughter of a colonel who has just committed suicide, finds out that her father was a torturer during the military dictatorship in Brazil. Spotlight Films Showcase.

PERLIMPS

Dir. Alê Abreu

(Brazil, 75 min., 2022, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Animation)

3/12 • 3:20 • S11 • Co-presented by ResMed

Claé and Bruô, secret agents from enemy Kingdoms, must overcome their differences and combine forces to find the Perlimps and infiltrate into a world controlled by Giants that is in the imminence of a terrible war. Spotlight Films Showcase.

SPLIT AT THE ROOT

Dir. Linda Goldstein Knowlton

(USA, 96 min., 2022, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Immigration)

3/18 • 9:45 • S10

3/19 • 11:45AM • S11

Executive produced by award winning actress and humanitarian Rosario Dawson and directed by Emmy nominated director Linda Goldstein Knowlton, SPLIT AT THE ROOT follows the emotional journey of mothers separated from their children at the U.S. border and the grassroots initiative that, against all odds, reunites those families. Spotlight Films Showcase.

EL VISITANTE

Dir. Martín Boulocq

(Bolivia / Uruguay, 86 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/12 • 9:15 • S2

3/18 • 7:30 • DGC

A man recently released from prison tries to reconnect with his daughter. What transpires is a meditation on class, family relationships, and the increasing power of Evangelism in Latin America. Spotlight Films Showcase.

ANTES QUE LLEGUEN LOS ZOPILOTES

UN MUNDO EXTRAÑO SHOWCASE

Storytellers have always used fantasy, science fiction, horror, and unreality to lend some perspective to our everyday experiences. These films come from this time-honored tradition. • Curated by Miguel Rodriguez

ANTES QUE LLEGUEN LOS ZOPILOTES

Dir. Jonás N. Díaz

(Mexico, 96 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama/Experimental)

3/12 • 9:25 • S10

3/18 • 4:45 • DGC

Tuza, a dominant woman dedicated to a peculiar type of fishing, causes Justino's death. To deal with her guilt, she will have to help Luvina find his body before the buzzards arrive and eat it. Through this Juan Rulfo-esque environment, both women embark on a mysterious and unusual journey between different simultaneous realities, where their desires face loneliness. Un mundo extraño Showcase.

HUESERA

Dir. Michelle Garza Cervera

(Mexico, 97 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Horror)

3/12 • 7:10 • DGC

3/19 • 6:20 • S11

Valeria has long dreamed about becoming a mother. After learning that she's pregnant, she expects to feel happy, yet something's off… Un mundo extraño Showcase.

UN MUNDO EXTRAÑO SHORTS

3/16 • 8:30 • S2

LA MELODÍA TORRENCIAL

A BITTER MURMUR

EL ESCARABAJO

DEAD ENDERS

THE CIGUAPA

• Dir. José Luis Saturno, México

• Dir. Manuel Baeza, USA

• Dir. Guido Mauas, Argentina

• Dir. Fidel Ruiz-Healy, Tyler Walker

• Dir. Blaine Morris, USA

HIJAS DE BRUJAS

THE BLUE DRUM

• Dir. Faride Schroeder Lases, México

• Dir. Angelita Mendoza, USA

LEGACY SHOWCASE

Three films that marked the direction of the festival in the early 2000s have been selected to be a part of this year’s legacy showcase. Two of the films changed the direction of Mexican cinema forever and put Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna on a path to international stardom. The third is Lucrecia Martel’s unforgettable debut feature which has inspired auteurs for decades.

AMORES PERROS

Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu

(Mexico, 153 min., 2000, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/9 • 9:35 • S10

Alejandro González Iñárritu shocked the world with this stunning triptych of interconnected stories linked together by a violent car crash. Through this meditation on violence, González Iñárritu exposes harsh realities about justice, classism, and inequality in Mexico at the turn of the century. Content Advisory: Graphic sequences of animal cruelty; violence. Legacy Showcase.

LA CIÉNAGA

Dir. Lucrecia Martel

(Argentina, 101 min., 2001, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/12 • 7:00 • S10

Lucrecia Martel shattered narrative conventions with her debut feature, La ciénaga-- a sweltering gift of a movie that explores class, family dynamics, and sexuality through the experiences of an extended family whose perpetual search of comfort from the summer heat threatens to explode at any moment. Legacy Showcase.

Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN

Dir. Alfonso Cuarón

(Mexico, 106 min., 2001, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Road Film / Comedy)

3/15 • 9:30 • S10

Alfonso Cuarón’s iconic road film follows the unforgettable adventures of two best friends on a trip with a mysterious older woman. As they make their way towards a secluded beach, emotions and confessions that can’t be taken back begin to reveal themselves. Starring Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Maribel Verdú. Content Advisory: Graphic sexuality. Legacy Showcase.

Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN

YOUTH VISIONS

Made possible with help from

Media Arts Center San Diego presents its annual Youth Visions showcase, a collection of short films from teen filmmakers, representing a burgeoning population of youth who are finding creative expression and empowerment in telling stories through visual media.

March 18, 2023, 1:45 PM

AMC Mission Valley 20

Total running time • 84 minutes • Co-presented by ARTS

AVERY: A TEENAGE VIDEO DIARY

Dir. Leyla Mendoza, Jocelyn Moreno & Maya Velasquez

(Emerging Makers at Second Chance, San Diego, CA, 5 min.)

In this visual journal, teenagers meditate on their private struggles with mental illness and explore what it means to be young in a society that hurts us.

CESAR CHAVEZ SERVICE CLUBS

Dir. Angelina Alcala

(Media Arts Center San Diego, 3 min.)

Follow the Cesar Chavez service club through their summer program to promote nonviolent teachings through curriculum and hands-on learning with the youth at Roosevelt Middle School. One of their active members, Sanjana Ganguly-Fitzgerald, expresses the importance of the long lasting sustainable change they bring to their community and how the club provides a platform for younger youth.

COMO UN RAYO

Dir. Yermy Galindo

(Media Arts Center San Diego, San Diego, CA, 2 min.)

Three years after having migrated to the United States, Yermy reflects on his running practice and embraces the healing force that has swallowed him whole.

CYCLES

Dir. Iris Azul Enrique-O’Connor (Sacred Heart Prep Academy, Half Moon Bay, CA, 6 min.)

A boy gets a call from his grandmother as she touches upon the effects of technology in the modern age.

ECV COMMUNITY CENTER

Dir. Milan Shah (San Diego, CA, 5 min.)

A look at a school-based community center that supports our San Diego Latin and refugee populations.

FAMILY BUSINESS

Dir. Jennifer Alonzo

(MACSD Workforce Development Initiative, San Diego, CA, 2 min.)

In Jennifer Alonzo’s debut as a filmmaker, “Family Business” opens this passionate and emotional conversation about family-run businesses and their struggles. Maribel Estrada, a restaurant owner, answers a personal question: “Why a Family owned Business?”

FELINE COMMUNITY

Dir. Amelia Sanchez

(Emerging Makers at Second Chance, San Diego, CA, 5 min.)

San Diego has a growing free-roaming cat community, with more than 9,500 cats entering local shelters last year. Through verite cellphone footage and a virtual interview, the filmmaker takes us on a journey to try to find networks of care for cats, all whilst hanging with these furry friends in the wild.

LAS HIJAS

Dir. Allyson Peña De Niz (Youth Documentary Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, 13 min.)

New immigrants and refugees face steep challenges coming to the U.S. Rarely, though, do we hear candid conversations between immigrant kids and their families. In Las Hijas, filmmaker Allyson Peña de Niz crafts a deeply intimate portrait of immigration through the eyes of first-generation daughters.

MESTIZO LOVE

Dir. Solia Yali Reyes

(Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, CA, 11 min.)

A real-life rom-com of two interracial couples exploring love, experience, and culture in one big family.

EL MOLE

Dir. Karla Alvarez and Vannya Moreno (High Tech High Chula Vista, CA, 2 min.)

A brief overview of the traditional sauce used in Mexican cuisine.

NEXT GEN

Dir. Sophia Hernandez (Reel Voices, San Diego, CA, 8 min.)

Teenage children of immigrants reflect on resilience as they balance embracing American culture and their respective family heritage.

CESAR CHAVEZ SERVICE CLUBS

PIECE OF MIND

Dir. Daniel Alejandro Zasueta

(Reel Voices, San Diego, CA, 6 min.)

A young filmmaker reconnects with his father’s spirit through music and the memories left behind. This reflective documentary embraces the past to guide the future.

REALITY CHANGERS

Dir. Saad Omar

(Media Arts Center San Diego, San Diego, CA, 4 min.)

Reality Changers is a prolific resource for teens in City Heights, expanding access to technology in a historically marginalized community.

RECORDAR Y NUNCA OLVIDAR

Dir. Gabriela Figueroa

(Da Vinci Primera Escuela de Arte Multimedia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 5 min.)

The neighborhood is waiting for the year that begins. Aurelio in his home prepares dinner for a special visit. Hours pass and the chair is still empty.

SEÑOR MANGOS

Dir. Sarah Blackwell and Itzel Leon

(Teen Producers Project, San Diego, CA, 3 min.)

This documentary is about a small fruit, smoothie, and torta bar in North Park. It answers the question: “Why Señor Mango’s?”

SPRING VALLEY PARK

Dir. Sergio Sanchez

(Emerging Makers at Second Chance, San Diego, CA, 3 min.)

Using a mix of family archives, cellphone videos and static images at dusk, filmmaker Sergio Sanchez draws a personal memory landscape as he reflects on his growth and looks back at the moment he entered the foster care system.

YO SOY CHAPLIN

Dir. Mara Armelles

(Taller Telekids, Sevilla, Spain, 3 min.)

Short animated biopic of silent film comedian and actor/director Charlie Chaplin.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

A showcase featuring a mix of documentary and fiction films, each focused on a specific mission driven message about art and immigration, education, military service, or classist injustices.

INOCENTE (10TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING)

Dirs. Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine

(USA, 40 min., 2012, Spanish w/ English subtitles, English, Art / Immigration)

3/12 • 1:35 • S11

The Academy Award®-winning INOCENTE is an inspiring coming-ofage story of a 15-year old girl in California. Though homeless and undocumented, she refuses to give up on her dream of being an artist, proving that the hand she has been dealt does not define her – her dreams do. 10th anniversary screening. Special Presentations.

LA LUCHA: GETTING SCHOOLED IN AMERICA

Dir. Rand Courtney

(USA, 84 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, English; Education)

3/10 • 5:30 • S11

3/11 • 11:45AM • S2

3/14 • 9:45 • S11

When one of their friends is killed, a group of friends facing the same societal dangers as their murdered classmate unite in an effort to graduate high school and find a way out. Special Presentations.

UN MUNDO PARA JULIUS

Dir. Rossana Diaz Costa

(Peru / Argentina / Spain, 104 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/17 • 6:00 • S2 • Co-presented by House of Peru

An affluent young boy from Lima, Peru loses his innocence as he learns about the injustices the staff in his home face on a daily basis. Based on the book by Alfredo Bryce Echenique. Special Presentations.

ULTIMATE SACRIFICES CPT. JENNIFER MORENO

Dir. Daniel Bernardi

(USA, 60 min., 2022, English, Military)

3/18 • 11:30AM • S10

This film tells the story of Jennifer Moreno a Chicana who exceeded all expectations of people from her San Diego neighborhood, lived life with a purpose, and died a hero in Afghanistan serving with the Ranger Battalion. Special Presentations.

LA LUCHA: GETTING SCHOOLED IN AMERICA

MEET THE LEGENDARY ACTOR JOAQUÍN COSÍO IN PERSON!

A special tribute to an actor without equal, Joaquín Cosío!

We are thrilled to present this year’s festival tribute to an actor of unparalleled talent, Joaquín Cosío. His illustrious career has led him to become a titan of Mexican cinema and through his crossover roles in films like The Suicide Squad and Gentified he has become an international sensation. It is an honor to have Mr. Cosío join us for this three-night celebration of his career!

LECCIONES PARA CANALLAS

Dir. Gustavo Moheno

(Mexico, 104 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Comedy)

3/09 • 7:00 • S11

3/14 • 7:20 • S11

Joaquín Cosío plays Barry El Sucio, a con man looking for his next big score. The unexpected arrival of his daughter (Danae Reynaud) leads to complications that turn into promising opportunities for him and his girlfriend (Diana Bovio). Joaquín Cosío Tribute.

EL INFIERNO

Dir. Luis Estrada

(Mexico, 148 min., 2010, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Crime)

3/10 • 7:00 • S10

Luis Estrada’s scathing El infierno shocked audiences with its ruthless portrayal of corruption and cartel violence in Mexico while immortalizing Joaquín Cosío’s El Cochiloco as one of the most unforgettable characters in Mexican cinema. Joaquín Cosío Tribute.

MATANDO CABOS

Dir. Alejandro Lozano

(Mexico, 99 min., 2004, Spanish, No English subtitles, Crime Comedy)

3/11 • 7:00 • S11

Bumbling crooks Jaque and Mudo mistakenly kidnap their millionaire boss and embark on a wacky adventure after reaching out to wrestler Ruben “Mascarita” (Joaquín Cosío) for help. Joaquín Cosío Tribute.

LECCIONES PARA CANALLAS EL INFIERNO

TENGO SUEÑOS ELÉCTRICOS

VOSes SHOWCASE

There are nearly 5.2 million persons of Central American descent in the United States and that number doubled in the last 10 years. VOSes gives voice to those who speak in “vos”. It puts the oft-forgotten voices of Central American characters at the center stage by highlighting the works of Central American filmmakers, helping viewers bypass the stereotypical media portrayals of a culture that is of increasing importance in the American social fabric. • Curated by Nicole Góes

TENGO SUEÑOS ELÉCTRICOS

Dir. Valentina Maurel

(Belgium / France / Costa Rica, 110 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/13 • 9:00 • S2

3/18 • 2:10 • S11

Eva is a strong-willed, restless 16-year-old girl who desperately wants to reconnect with her estranged father. Clinging onto him as he goes through a second adolescence, she balances between the sensitivity of teenage life and the ruthlessness of the adult world. VOSes Showcase.

(Content Advisory: Contains sequences of domestic violence)

LA PICADA

Dir. Felipe Zúñiga

(Costa Rica / Chile, 76 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Docu-Fiction)

3/12 • 11:30AM • S10 • Preceded by short, El Aljibe

3/14 • 4:30 • S2

Rosmeri is the last remaining inhabitant of La Picada, a tiny ghost town that sits at the foot of Costa Rica’s most active volcano. Despite the constant pressure from the authorities and her family to evict due to the imminent threat of a volcanic eruption, she refuses to abandon her home. VOSes Showcase.

CHUCHÚ Y EL GENERAL

Dir. Joaquin Horna Dolande

(Panama, 102 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

3/16 • 4:15 • S10

3/19 • 2:50 • S2

It’s 1974 and Panamanian university professor Chuchú Martinez decides to join the National Guard and is appointed to be the

personal escort of General Omar Torrijos. Driven by their shared goal to help reduce poverty and fight against Central American dictatorships, this is the story of their life-long friendship. VOSes Showcase.

GOL DE PLATA

Dir. Kenneth Müller

(Guatemala / El Salvador, 73 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Sports Drama)

3/14 • 6:15 • S2

3/18 • 11:15AM • S2

Inspired by the life of Guatemalan soccer player, Juan Carlos Plata! The film narrates intimate moments of a young man who, despite the adversity he was born in, dared to dream and scored a historic goal against the world champion, Brazil, bringing an entire nation together during the 1998 Gold Cup. VOSes Showcase.

CUMPLEAÑERO

Dir. Arturo Montenegro

(Panama, 96 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/10 • 9:00 • S2

3/12 • 5:00 • DGC

3/14 • 7:40 • DGC

Jimmy invites his close friends to a weekend of fun and excess at his beach house to celebrate his 45th birthday. The party comes to an abrupt end when Jimmy confesses that he has been diagnosed with ALS and wants to end his life after blowing the candles.

Content advisory: This film discusses suicide and shows images following a suicide attempt. VOSes Showcase.

LA HIJA DE TODAS LAS RABIAS

Dir. Laura Baumeister

(Nicaragua, 87 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/19 • 6:10 • S10

Eleven-year-old María lives with her mother Lilibeth on the edge of Nicaragua’s largest garbage dump. Their future depends on selling a litter of purebred puppies to a local gang member. When the deal falls through, Lilibeth has to move to the outskirts of the city and leave María to work at a recycling factory. VOSes Showcase.

VOSes SHORTS

3/17 • 4:45 • S11

CHECK ON A MATE

Dir. Salvador Aguilar Estrada, Honduras/Canada

MADELAINE

Dir. Leonor Zúniga, Nicaragua

MEMORIA VIVA: FEBE ELIZABETH VELÁSQUEZ

Dir. Gabriela Turcios & Daniel Portillo, El Salvador DIRECCIONES

Dir. María Luisa Santos & Carlo Nasisse, Costa Rica

¡OPORTUNIDAD!

Dir. Jesús Vanegas, El Salvador EL ALJIBE

Dir. Alejandro Ferlini, Costa Rica/Spain

NICTÉ

Dir. Irene Paz, Guatemala/France

LOVE HAS NO BORDERS

SCREENING

The San Diego Union Tribune presents the 5th annual Migrant Voices Today Film Challenge! This annual competition celebrates journalists and filmmakers creating short form films about the migrant and refugee experience! Three winners will be announced after the screening:

First place $3,000 • Second place $2,000 • Third place $1,000

March 14, 2023, 7:00 PM

AMC Mission Valley 20

Total running time • 40 minutes • Award ceremony to follow

Hosted by Paola Hernandez-Jiao & Laura Castañeda

AUSTRALIAN MONGREL

Dir. Rocco Fazzari

(Australia, 2 min., 2023, English, Documentary)

Passengers on the Sydney Rail Network are asked "How did you get here?"

BALD AND BEAUTIFUL

Dir. Kayla Mulholland

(USA, 5 min., 2022, English, Documentary)

As an American-born daughter from a traditional African family, shaving your head bald is an act of rebellion. Nyakoach attempts to break down her culture's traditionally patriarchal values, while still maintaining respect and love for her roots.

ENCUENTROS

Dir. Dario Guerrero

(Honduras, 5 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, English, Documentary)

A Central American migrant is kidnapped in Mexico City after advising his fellow travelers that San Ysidro will be the safest US port to receive them. The caravan sets off and struggles intensely to reach the relative safety of detention within the United States. A visceral journey documented by the migrants and activists who walked together during the November 2019 caravan.

HELLO MEXICO

Dir. Richard E. Haywood

(USA, 3 min., 2019, English, Narrative)

Two young lovers must say goodbye as one is getting deported.

I AM ALIYA

Dir. Matic Carl

(Slovenia, 3 min., 2016, English, Short)

Short story about a refugee who never gives up.

LOVE HAS NO BORDERS

Dir. Pamela Oliver Muñoz (USA, 4 min., 2021, English, Spanish, Animation)

Gang violence forces a loving family to leave Central America in hopes of finding a better life only to find more trouble in the U.S.

LOYALTY

Dirs. Ana Stella Cunha, Milena Avelar (Brazil, 5 min., 2019, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

In the Quilombo de Damásio - as in practically the whole state of Maranhão - the joke of the "Portuguese dance" is part of the extensive June celebrations. A family of dancers recalls stories, inviting us to reflect on relationships of power and oppression, fear and pride.

SOÑADORA

Dir. Jr Rodriguez (USA, 5 min., 2022, Spanish, English, Documentary)

As an immigrant, Vanessa Chavarriaga, is used to existing between two worlds: that of where she was born, in Colombia, and where she lives now in the United States.This is her story of being split between two cultures while learning to thrive with her own unique identity, told through running, skiing and poetry.

THE BORDER

Dir. Ray Arzate (USA, 5 min., English, Documentary)

"The Border" is a powerful film that introduces the viewer to Haitian migrants struggling to make it out of poverty and corruption. The film paints a vivid and heartbreaking portrait of their journey and the discrimination they face. It's a story of hope and courage in the face of hardship; one that will stay with viewers long after the credits roll.

THE LIFE LETTER

Dir. Matas Kaikaris (Lithuania, 4 min., 2022, No Dialogue, Animation)

A piece of mail’s trip from battlefield to town, with a purpose of expressing one soldier's feelings.

MIGRANT VOICES TODAY FILM

SANSÓN Y YO

¡DOCUMANIA! SHOWCASE

Non-fiction films that explore themes like forensic anthropology, femicide, immigration, and the criminal justice system, while using storytelling techniques that push the documentary form in exciting new directions.

AJENOS A LA PAZ

Dir. Laura Ángel, Noah DeBonis

(Colombia, 88 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Reintegration)

3/16 • 4:00 • S2

3/17 • 9:45 • S11

Three former child soldiers face retribution, anxiety, and danger as they attempt to rebuild their lives after leaving the FARC guerrilla army and the bloody Colombian conflict. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

BARAJAS

Dir. Javier Izquierdo

(Ecuador, 62 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Politics / Literature)

3/16 • 4:30 • S11

3/18 • 1:30 • S10

Barajas explores the deaths of four Latin American writers during a plane crash near a Madrid airport in 1983. Through archival footage dir. Javier Izquierdo evokes the continent’s visual memory during an era full of struggles, dictatorships, and exiles that influenced a whole generation. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

EL EQUIPO

Dir. Bernardo Ruiz

(Argentina / USA / Mexico, 80 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, English, History / Forensic Anthropology)

3/14 • 5:00 • S11

3/17 • 7:40 • DGC

In 1984, an unlikely meeting between Dr. Clyde Snow, a legendary American forensic scientist, and a group of Argentine students, changes the course of forensic science and human rights forever. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

ME MATARON 3 VECES

Dir. Rodrigo Occelli

(Mexico, 99 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Femicide / Women’s Rights)

3/11 • 2:10 • S10

3/13 • 9:30 • S10

After their mother’s femicide, three siblings were separated from each other and forced to live in different places. Many years later they reunite to share their story. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

MY DACA LIFE

Dir. Fanny Grande

(USA, 70 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Immigration)

3/16 • 6:10 • S2

3/19 • 1:10 • S2

Maribel, a DACA recipient, receives Advance Parole and is able to travel to Mexico for the first time in 25 years. This documentary follows her on this emotional journey, and brings insight into the plight of so many undocumented individuals. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

SANSÓN Y YO

Dir. Rodrigo Reyes

(Mexico / United States, 85 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Immigration / Criminal Justice)

3/9 • 7:20 • DGC

3/12 • 7:30 • S11

During his day job as a Spanish criminal interpreter in a small town in California, filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes (499) met a young man named Sansón, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was sentenced to life in prison without parole. With no permission to interview him, Sansón and Reyes worked together over a decade, using hundreds of letters as inspiration for recreations of Sansón’s childhood—featuring members of Sansón’s own family. The result is a vibrant portrait of a friendship navigating immigration and the depths of the criminal justice system and pushing the boundaries of cinematic imagination to rescue a young migrant’s story from oblivion. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

THE WIND BLOWS THE BORDER

Dirs. Laura Faerman, Marina Weis (Brazil, 77 min., 2022, Portuguese, Guarani w/ English subtitles, Land Activism)

3/10 • 4:30 • S2

3/13 • 7:30 • DGC

Along the Brazilian-Paraguayan border (the heart of Brazilian agribusiness), an indigenous teacher fighting for land rights stands in direct opposition to a lawyer with strong relations to the Bolsonarist federal power. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase; Historias Originarias Showcase.

DOCUMANIA SHORTS

3/15 • 4:45 • S2

OUTLIER: TRUST • Dir. Faith E. Briggs, Dani Reyes-Acosta, USA

KEMONITO: LA ÚLTIMA CAÍDA • Dir. Teresa de Miguel, México

SOCORRO • Dir. Susanna Lira, Brazil

TIERRA FÉRTIL • Dir. Eugenia Renteria, México

NANIA 1988 • Dir. Diana Orduna, Ecuador

LA VISTA DESDE ARRIBA • Dir. Rafael Martínez Sánchez, México

WANDERING • Dir. Karla Meza, Canada

HISTORIAS ORIGINARIAS SHOWCASE

THE WIND BLOWS THE BORDER

Dirs. Laura Faerman, Marina Weis

(Brazil, 77 min., 2022, Portuguese, Guarani w/ English subtitles, Land Activism)

3/10 • 4:30 • S2

3/13 • 7:30 • DGC

Along the Brazilian-Paraguayan border (the heart of Brazilian agribusiness), an indigenous teacher fighting for land rights stands in direct opposition to a lawyer with strong relations to the Bolsonarist federal power. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase; Historias Originarias Showcase.

HISTORIAS ORIGINARIAS SHORTS

LA REBELIÓN DE LAS FLORES

HISTORIAS ORIGINARIAS SHOWCASE

This showcase highlights the traditions and experiences of indigenous communities throughout Latin America, as well as their resiliency as they battle the oppressive forces of modern day colonialism.

ALBERTINA Y LOS MUERTOS

Dir. Cesar Borie

(Chile, 81 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Traditions)

3/10 • 5:00 • S10

3/13 • 5:00 • S11

Albertina sells flowers at the cemetery in San Miguel de Azapa, Chile, a town built over Indigenous tombs. For half of a century, she has led traditions that seek prosperity for the living while keeping their relationship with the dead on good terms. This balance must continue, even after Albertina is gone. Historias Originarias Films Showcase.

MUKÍ SOPALÍRILI ALIGUÉ GAWICHÍ NIRÚGAME (THE WOMAN OF STARS AND MOUNTAINS)

Dir. Santiago Esteinou

(Mexico, 101 min., 2023, Tarahumara, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Documentary)

3/17 • 4:10 • S10

3/18 • 12:00 • DGC

This documentary tells the story of Rita, a Tarahumara indigenous woman who left her community in the Mountains and went on a journey to Kansas where she was wrongfully detained and placed in a psychiatric hospital for 12 years. Historias Originarias Showcase.

LA REBELIÓN DE LAS FLORES

Dir. María Laura Vásquez

(Argentina, 81 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Revolution)

3/9 • 5:00

• S11

• Co-presented by Casa Familiar

3/11 • 4:30 • DGC

In 2019, a group of women from different native nations located in what is now called Argentina peacefully occupied the Ministry of the Interior demanding an end to death in their territories. Historias Originarias Showcase.

3/12 • 1:30 • S10

3 DÍAS, 3 AÑOS

Dir. Florencia Gómez Sántiz, México DECOLONIZING DINNER

Dir. Alejandro Miranda Cruz, USA

APINÁN - NOSOTROS LOS LENCA

Dir. Asael Talavera, Honduras

STRONG YAQUI WOMEN

Dir. Miroslava Gonzalez, USA

¡SOMOS! CINE LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE

LO QUE SE HEREDA

Dir. Victoria Linares

(Dominican Republic, 84 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles, Family Tribute)

3/19 • 2:00 • S11

A revelation about Oscar Torres, her unknown and once world-famous queer filmmaker cousin, sends Victoria down a path of self-discovery through reconstructions of his intimate memories living in the 1950’s authoritarian Caribbean, as Victoria leads re-enactments of his unproduced screenplays with the family who erased him. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

SOY NIÑO

Dir. Lorena Zilleruelo

(Chile / France, 62 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Gender Identity)

FINLANDIA

¡SOMOS! CINE LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE

Co-presented by San Diego Pride

From first love to first laugh, the array of films in this showcase will take you on a wild ride exploring what it means to live and embrace every inch of your identity in the most unapologetically way possible. • Curated by Yakira Delgadillo

CROSS DREAMERS

Dir. Soledad Velasco

(Argentina, 78 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English Subtitles, Gender Expression)

3/13 • 4:45 • S10

3/19 • 12:00 • DGC

Cross Dreamers is the story of 4 men who once felt they needed to repress their desire to express their feminine identity, but now, as 50-somethings, are empowered to explore their true selves. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

FINLANDIA

Dir. Horacio Alcala

(Mexico / Spain, 97 min, 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama/Fantasy)

3/11 • 7:15 • DGC

3/18 • 6:30 • S2

Outside of Oaxaca lives a group of Muxes, third gender and non-binary people, who make a living sewing and looking after their elders. Parallel to this, designers in Spain plot to appropriate their designs. The film follows their lives, indulging in their intoxicating ‘velas’ and grieving their lost loves, all in the beautiful setting of rural Mexico. Starring Noé Hernández. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase

IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME WE FIGHT FOR OUR LOVE

Dir. Luis Carlos de Alencar

(Brazil / USA, 104 min., 2022, Portuguese, Spanish w/ English subtitles, English, Activism / History)

3/09 • 4:30 • S2

3/12 • 2:30 • DGC

A galvanizing portrait of Brazil’s LGBTQ+ community that came together after the coup of 1964 and continues to fight for liberation. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

3/11 • 2:00 • S2 • Co-presented by Rainbow Spaces

Bastian, a young trans boy, has to face a very difficult time in life: adolescence. From age 12 - 18, he is filmed by his cousin Lorena who documents difficult and intimate aspects of Bastian’s life. Bastian’s journey introduces us to a more open-minded Chile, thanks to the country’s new generation. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

SUBLIME

Dir. Mariano Biasin

(Argentina, 100 min, 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Coming of Age / Drama)

3/09 • 8:45 • S2

3/19 • 5:15 • S2

Manuel and Felipe are childhood friends with an unbreakable bond. Their friendship is put to the test when Manuel’s feelings towards Felipe surface, their band begins getting noticed by girls, and they both begin to discover their sexuality. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

THREE TIDY TIGERS TIED A TIE TIGHTER

Dir. Gustavo Vinagre

(Brazil, 86 min, 2022, Brazilian Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Adventure/Comedy/ Musical)

3/15 • 7:30 • DGC

3/18 • 9:10 • S2

Three queer people drift through a dystopian São Paulo, Brazil, ravaged by capitalism and a pandemic that attacks the memory. The trio discuss their experiences with HIV, share makeup tips for masked faces and come together to see an antique revue. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

¡SOMOS! CINE LGBTQ+ SHORTS

3/12 • 4:00 • S2

WAREHOUSE • Dir. Ahualt Amaro, USA

THE LAST TIME WE CAME OUT OF THE CLOSET • Dir. Bruno Tadeu, Brazil

NOVENA • Dir. Fernando Lopez, USA

NI AQUI NI ALLÁ

• Dir. Ley Comas, USA

RIP TIDE • Dir. Luisa Dantas, USA

OUT IN PLACE

• Dir. Nicolas Jaras, USA

SAY IT - AN AUTOFICTION • Dir. Evandro Manchini, Brazil

HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE

FRONTERA FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE

Frontera Filmmaker Showcase celebrates the voices of filmmakers from the Tijuana-San Diego border region and films that deal with border related experiences. Through the films selected for this year, we seek to show the diverse experiences and perspectives of this unique and vibrant place where cultures and communities interact and influence each other. From personal and intimate narratives, glimpses of the past and our daily lives, these films offer a rich range of stories that capture the vibrant and varied border experience. • Curated by Adriana Trujillo

CONTRATIEMPO

Dir. José Paredes

(Mexico, 92 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/15 • 7:20 • S2

3/17 • 5:10 • DGC

Antonio "Dexter" Jimenez is a single father, divorced, focused on his work, and is barely getting by. But everything changes when his old friend finds him again after many years and decides to bring "Vulvox" back, their old rock band they founded back in the 90s. Frontera Filmmakers Showcase.

DONDE LOS VIENTOS SE CRUZAN

Dir. Ana Andrade, Jesús Guerra

(Mexico, 77 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

3/18 • 5:00 • S10

3/19 • 11:30AM • S10

On the riverbed of Tijuana, along the US / Mexico border, lives a community of outlaws and addicts. An alcoholic Mayan deportee who finds beauty in delicate flora and fauna, a female photographer who documents the harassment endured by this community, and an elderly couple who are experiencing loneliness, find friendship and hope in this place of limbo. Frontera Filmmakers Showcase.

EL OJO DE AGUA DE LOS GÁLVEZ

Dirs. José Luis Figueroa Lewis, Ana Paola Rodríguez España (México, 90 min. 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

3/11

3/13

9:45

Despite living in Los Angeles, California, José Gálvez has decided not to give up his almost uninhabited ranch in Mexico: El Ojo de Agua. There lies the history of his ancestors, his most beloved memories and most intense experiences. Such is his determination that he has motivated others to follow in his footsteps. Frontera Filmmakers Showcase.

HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE

Dirs. Carlos Hagerman, Jorge Villalobos (Mexico, 88 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Immigration/Animation)

3/15 • 7:15 • S11 • Co-presented by MAAC

3/17 • 8:15 • S2 • Co-presented by SDLRLA

Combining the power of poetry, animation and real conversations, HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE, provides a window into the hearts and minds of immigrant youth and their undocumented families. Frontera Filmmakers Showcase; Spotlight Films Showcase.

LEJOS DE CASA

Dir. Carlos Hernández Vázquez (Mexico, 81 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Immigration)

3/12 • 4:30 • S10 • Co-presented by Friendship Park

3/15 • 5:30 • DGC

In Tijuana a group of children and adolescents from Mexico and Latin America wait in shelters for a resolution to their asylum request to enter the US. This is the story of their long and uncertain wait. Frontera Filmmakers Showcase.

FRONTERA FILMMAKERS NARRATIVE SHORTS

3/13 • 7:00 • S10

FUEGO • Dir. Edwin FrankO, USA

CONSUELO • Dir. JL Ruiz, México

PIEDRAS GORDAS • Dir. Jorge Garcia, México

LA CREACION • Dir. Layla Pamela Morán, México

GREAT BIG LOVE AFFAIR • Dir. Rafael Rodriguez M., USA

DON’T DO IT • Dir. Patrick Guera, USA

LIKE HONEY • Dir. Nicole Valencia, México

FRONTERA FILMMAKERS DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

3/15 • 7:00 • S10 • Co-presented by USD

NUESTRO LUGAR SEGURO • Dir. Andrea Falcon, México

TEJEE (LA TIYEI) • Dir. Ángel Estrada, México

ALGÚN DÍA CAERÁ • Dir. Mateo Vargas, México

SOY FRONTERIZA • Dir. Yadira Gutierrez (Yega), México

LA HUERTA, KUMEYAAY PRIDE • Dir. Jorge Antonio Garcia, México

On view March 16 to August 13, 2023

Enter a world of visual stories and rhymes. Aimed at cultural recovery, Celia Álvarez Muñoz spoofs the viewer with bilingual puns, mistranslations, and word play. Join the acclaimed Chicana artist in a conversation about assimilation through colorful, innuendo-filled murals and photography.

Reserve your tickets today at mcasd.org

700 Prospect St. La Jolla, CA 92037

Celia Álvarez Muñoz, Petrocuatl, 1988. Courtesy of the artist.

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego presents

¡HAY QUE REÍRSE! SHOWCASE

In a world full of ups and downs these films find comedy in the mundane, laughter in the irreverent and moments of levity in the absurd. When life gets too serious these filmmakers remind us that sometimes you just have to laugh! • Curated by Luis Martinez

CON LOS AÑOS QUE ME QUEDAN

Dir. Frank Ariza

(Mexico / Spain, 107 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English Subtitles, Comedy)

3/18 • 7:15 • S10

3/19 • 1:45 • S10

Macarena is trying to navigate the complicated relationship between herself and her Churrero parents in LA and sets off to find a way to make some extra cash by making a dangerous delivery. An all-star cast includes Regina Blandón, Aislinn Derbez, Michelle Rodríguez, and Manuel Vega. ¡Hay que reírse Showcase.

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

Dir. Jeannette Godoy

(USA, 88 min., 2022, English, Comedy)

3/13 • 6:30 • S2

3/16 • 9:45 • S10

3/18 • 2:30 • DGC

Ariana can’t hold down a 9-5 job no matter how hard she tries, which isn’t that hard…. To help her navigate post-college life, her Tío gets her a seasonal membership at his country club and challenges her to make some friends. Will the country club change Ariana—or will it be the other way around? ¡Hay que reírse! Showcase.

LOS MECÁNICOS

Dir. Julio Román

(Puerto Rico / USA, 87 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Comedy)

3/11 • 4:45 • S11 • Co-presented by House of Puerto Rico

3/13 • 4:30 • S2

Linda inherits a mechanic shop on the brink of bankruptcy and enlists a group of actors pretending to be mechanics to help her fix a racing car that will yield her a big cash prize. ¡Hay que reírse! Showcase.

LOS PACIENTES RECURRENTES

Dir. Mario Lucero Beauregard

(Mexico, 97 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English Subtitles, Comedy Road Movie)

3/12 • 6:50 • S2

3/16 • 7:20 • DGC

As part of a rehab strategy a mismatched group of rehab patients set off on a road trip through southeast Mexico on a mission to take an 8-year-old indigenous girl with terminal cancer back to her hometown. Starring Hernán Mendoza. ¡Hay que reírse Showcase.

¡HAY QUE REIRSE! SHORTS

3/17 • 6:45 • S10

(HA-HA)

Dir. Alberto Acosta, USA

WISH UPON A DISCO BALL

Dir. Anabel Iñigo, USA

THE GUITAR THIEF

Dir. Miguel Lepe Jr, USA

LE PETITE MORT

Dir. Matthew Law & Grasie Mercedes, USA

PRIVACY COMES FIRST

Dir. Monica Matute, USA

CHICO AND RICO: ANIMAL AVENGERS!

Dir. Jose Montesinos, USA

ILLEGALLY BROWN

Dir. Gabriela Revilla Lugo, USA HOAR

Dir. Jeanette DIlone, USA

THE BUCK STOP

Dir. Jordan Jacobo, USA

LOS PACIENTES RECURRENTES

¡VIVA MUJERES! FILM SHOWCASE

Stories of resilience, sisterhood, imagined realities, broken silences, and more abound in this year’s ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase, our annual tribute to women filmmakers who are breaking molds and charting their own unique cinematic destinies.

DEAREST EVA

Dir. Kamryn Fall

(USA, 105 min., 2023, English, Drama)

3/11 • 2:15 • S11

3/12 • 12:00 • DGC

After a letter from her childhood crush arrives, a young Black woman struggles to balance love and happiness with her responsibilities as matriarch of her chaotic and dysfunctional 19th century family. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase.

HERMANAS

Dir. Paola Ochoa

(Colombia / United States, 77 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Solidarity)

3/18 • 4:10 • S2

Every summer my aunts and mother, four middle class women in their 60’s, spend vacations at our family home. With no men around, our heartfelt and hilarious discussions about life and love reveal an intimate portrait of womanhood in Colombia. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase.

LA PECERA

Dir. Glorimar Marrero Sánchez

(Puerto Rico / Spain, 92 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/14 • 9:00 • S10

3/17 • 9:30 • S10

As her cancer spreads, Noelia ultimately decides to return to her native Vieques, Puerto Rico, and claim her freedom to decide her own fate. She reunites with her friends and family, who are still dealing with the contamination of the U.S. Navy after 60 years of military practices. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase

NUESTROS DÍAS MÁS FELICES

Dir. Sol Berruezo Pichon-Rivière

(Argentina, 100 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/11 • 2:05 • DGC

3/15 • 4:55 • S10

Agatha (74) and Leonidas (36) maintain a codependent mother-son relationship: Agatha never fell in love again, and Leonidas does not dare to build a life outside the doors of the family home. One day, Agatha suddenly wakes up in the body of a little girl: as herself, but seven years old, prompting the return of Agatha’s eldest daughter, who arrives to heal old wounds. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase.

SILENT BEAUTY

Dir. Jasmín Mara López

(USA / Mexico / Malta, 88 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Documentary)

3/12 • 5:10 • S11

3/17 • 4:00 • S2

A lyrical and sensitive autobiographical exploration of the filmmaker’s family history with child sexual abuse and a culture of silence. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase.

(Content Advisory: Discussions of sexual abuse)

SWING AND SWAY

Dirs. Chica Barbosa, Fernanda Pessoa

(Brazil, 82 min., Portuguese, Spanish, w/ English subtitles; English, Immigration / Experimental / Resistance)

3/11 • 6:45 • S2

3/15 • 9:45 • S2

As a counterpoint to a virtual and (dis)connected world, two girlfriends engage in a filmic provocation under their own rules. A swing and sway that in ominous times becomes a dance of resistance. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase.

TIERRA QUEBRÁ

Dir. Nina Marín

(Colombia, 110 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/10 • 8:40 • DGC

3/18 • 11:45AM • S11

Superstitions, taboos, and complicated family dynamics take center stage in Tierra quebrá, Nina Marin’s stunning portrait of a woman who returns home to rebuild family ties but is faced with tragedy and the temptation of a forbidden love. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase.

¡VIVA MUJERES! SHORTS

3/11 • 4:00 • S2 • Co-presented by Mujeres Brewhouse

BAJO UN MISMO CIELO

Dir. Ana Laura Calderón, México

ABUELITA’S KITCHEN: MEXICAN FOOD STORIES

Dir. Ebony Marie Bailey, USA

POLVO DE MONTAÑA

Dir. Marlén Ríos-Farjat, México

ESTRELLAS DEL DESIERTO

Dir. Katherina Harder Sacre, Chile

DAUGHTER OF THE SEA

Dir. Alexis C. Garcia, Puerto Rico

SWING AND SWAY

¡TU CINE! Free Student Outreach Screenings. Made possible by

Curated for middle school and high school students, each film is entertaining, enlightening, and educational, encouraging dialogue and reflection.

March 14-17, 2023, 10 am-12 pm

AMC Mission Valley 20 & Digital Gym Cinema

HIGH SCHOOL FILMS – AMC MISSION VALLEY 20

EL EQUIPO

Dir. Bernardo Ruiz

(Argentina / USA / Mexico, 80 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, History / Forensic Anthropology)

Tuesday, 3/14 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

In 1984, an unlikely meeting between Dr. Clyde Snow, a legendary American forensic scientist, and a group of Argentine students, changes the course of forensic science and human rights forever.

HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE

Dirs. Carlos Hagerman, Jorge Villalobos

(Mexico, 88 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Immigration/Animation)

Wednesday, 3/15 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Combining the power of poetry, animation and real conversations, HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE, provides a window into the hearts and minds of immigrant youth and their undocumented families.

MY DACA LIFE

Dir. Fanny Grande

(USA, 70 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Immigration)

Thursday, 3/16 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Maribel, a DACA recipient, receives Advance Parole and is able to travel to Mexico for the first time in 25 years. This documentary follows her on this emotional journey, and brings insight into the plight of so many undocumented individuals.

GOL DE PLATA

Dir. Kenneth Müller

(Guatemala / El Salvador, 73 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Sports Drama)

Friday, 3/17 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Inspired by the life of Guatemalan soccer player, Juan Carlos Plata! The film narrates intimate moments of a young man who, despite the adversity he was born in, dared to dream and scored a historic goal against the world champion, Brazil, bringing an entire nation together during the 1998 Gold Cup.

MIDDLE SCHOOL FILMS – AMC MISSION VALLEY 20

GOL DE PLATA

Dir. Kenneth Müller

(Guatemala / El Salvador, 73 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Sports Drama)

Tuesday, 3/14 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Thursday, 3/16 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Inspired by the life of Guatemalan soccer player, Juan Carlos Plata! The film narrates intimate moments of a young man who, despite the adversity he was born in, dared to dream and scored a historic goal against the world champion, Brazil, bringing an entire nation together during the 1998 Gold Cup.

CHILDREN

OF LAS BRISAS

Dir. Marianela Maldonado

(Venezuela / USA / France / UK, 84 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Music / Resilience)

Wednesday, 3/15 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Friday, 3/17 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Children of Las Brisas is a story of resistance, resilience and perseverance that explores the power of discipline and classical music as tools for survival. The documentary follows three Venezuelan children from the impoverished Las Brisas neighborhood, in their quest to become professional musicians within the ranks of “El Sistema” music program.

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL FILMS –DIGITAL GYM CINEMA

THE WIND BLOWS THE BORDER

Dirs. Laura Faerman, Marina Weis

(Brazil, 77 min., 2022, Portuguese, Guarani w/ English subtitles, Land Activism)

Tuesday, 3/14 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Along the Brazilian-Paraguayan border (the heart of Brazilian agribusiness), an indigenous teacher fighting for land rights stands in direct opposition to a lawyer with strong relations to the Bolsonarist federal power.

SOY NIÑO

Dir. Lorena Zilleruelo

(Chile / France, 62 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Gender Identity)

Wednesday, 3/15 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Bastian, a young trans boy, has to face a very difficult time in life: adolescence. From age 12 - 18, he is filmed by his cousin Lorena who documents difficult and intimate aspects of Bastian’s life. Bastian’s journey introduces us to a more open-minded Chile, thanks to the country’s new generation

GOL DE PLATA

LEJOS DE CASA

Dir. Carlos Hernández Vázquez

(Mexico, 81 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Immigration)

Thursday, 3/16 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

In Tijuana a group of children and adolescents from Mexico and Latin America wait in shelters for a resolution to their asylum request to enter the US. This is the story of their long and uncertain wait.

LA LUCHA: GETTING SCHOOLED IN AMERICA

Dir. Rand Courtney

(USA, 84 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, English; Education)

Friday, 3/17 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

When one of their friends is killed, a group of friends facing the same societal dangers as their murdered classmate, unite in an effort to graduate high school and find a way out.

There are MTS Trolley stops located near Westfield Mission Valley Mall for AMC screenings and at the corner of Park & Market in Downtown for DGC screenings. For more information, contact Larry Da Silveira at larry@mediaartscenter.org, or call Media Arts Center San Diego at (619) 230-1938. We look forward to seeing you and your students at the festival!

LEJOS DE CASA

MAQUÍLLAME OTRA VEZ

MEXICO TODAY SHOWCASE

This showcase features Mexico’s most talented filmmakers and stars creating unforgettable works of modern Mexican cinema in a variety of genres and sensibilities. Featuring films starring Arcelia Ramírez, Roberto Quijano, Diana Bovio, Ilse Salas, Paulina Gaitán, Regina Blandón, and Juan Manuel Bernal, among many others.

AMOR Y MATEMÁTICAS

Dir. Claudia Sainte-Luce

(Mexico, 82 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Dramedy)

3/10 • 8:00 • S11 • Co-presented by SD Latino Professionals

3/13 • 7:20 • S11

An ex-boyband popstar (Roberto Quijano) and his fan/neighbor (Diana Bovio) struggle to fit in with society as adults in Claudia Sainte-Luce’s amusing and witty film about a delayed “coming-ofage.” Mexico Today Showcase.

LA CIVIL

Dir. Teodora Mihai

(Mexico / Belgium / Romania, 140 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Crime/ Thriller)

3/11 • 4:30 • S10 • Co-presented by House of Mexico

3/19 • 7:30 • S2

A mother takes justice into her own hands after her daughter is kidnapped in Northern Mexico in this pulse pounding thriller starring Arcelia Ramírez. Mexico Today Showcase.

MAQUÍLLAME OTRA VEZ

Dir. Guillermo Calderón

(Mexico / Chile, 81 min., 2023, Spanish, No English subtitles, Comedy)

3/17 • 7:30 • S11

3/19 • 4:15 • S11

Regina Blandón, Paulina Gaitán, and Ilse Salas star in Maquíllame otra vez, a film about a pair of make-up artists who are struggling to make ends meet and get an irresistible professional offer from a chaotic former friend that threatens to upend their lives. Mexico Today Showcase.

LA VIDA EN EL SILENCIO

Dir. Rodrigo Arnaz

(Mexico, 125 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/11 • 7:45 • S10

3/16 • 4:45 • DGC

A musician attempts to communicate with his young son who is on the autism spectrum through music. The unexpected arrival of his son’s mother changes their lives forever. Mexico Today Showcase.

SPRING 2023

YOUTH MEDIA & TECH CAMPS

Learn how to make movies by making your own!

Learn video editing, storyboarding, stop motion, animation, green screen and more!

SPRING CAMP

March 20-24, 2023

March 27-31, 2023

April 3-7, 2023

April 10-14, 2023

AGES 6 – 12 8:30am – 3:00pm $300/week

Come join us for one of our new Intersections global music concerts, and discover the wide variety of events at Park & Market.

DISCOVER UC SAN DIEGO PARK & MARKET

UC San Diego is excited and committed to make Park & Market the burgeoning hub of intellectual, cultural, and economic growth—for our city and binational region. Our community partners will have unprecedented access to resources and opportunities, all in one place. It’s a magnet for futurists, artists, innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists, lifelong learners, and change makers.

OMARA

RITMO LATINO SHOWCASE

A collection of films that use musicality as a gateway to explore deeply textured realities of the Latinx experience, from the development of Conjunto music as an expression of resilience, to students using music as a means for survival in Venezuela, to a Cuban music legend ascending to take her place in music history.

CHILDREN OF LAS BRISAS

Dir. Marianela Maldonado

(Venezuela / USA / France / UK, 84 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Music / Resilience)

3/19 • 11:15AM • S2

Children of Las Brisas is a story of resistance, resilience and perseverance that explores the power of discipline and classical music as tools for survival. The documentary follows three Venezuelan children from the impoverished Las Brisas neighborhood, in their quest to become professional musicians within the ranks of “El Sistema” music program. Ritmo Latino Showcase.

CONJUNTO BLUES

Dir. Joel Celestino Settles

(USA, 60 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Live Theater)

3/18 • 3:00 • S10

Conjunto Blues, written and performed by Nicolás R Valdez, is a stage play that was adapted for the screen in November of 2020 in collaboration with Teatro Vivo and The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. The show explores the social and historical conditions that led to the development of Conjunto music as an expression of cultural resistance and liberation. Ritmo Latino Showcase.

OMARA

Dir. Hugo Perez

(Cuba / USA, 76 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Music)

3/12 • 11:45AM • S11

3/16 • 7:00 • S10 • Preceded by short, Fuego • Co-presented by My San Diego Latino

If you’ve listened to the Buena Vista Social Club, then you’ve heard the unforgettable voice of Omara Portuondo. In this first-of-its-kind

look at the life of one of the nation’s biggest stars, director Hugo Perez brings audiences along on an intimate journey into the heart of Cuba’s “Bride of Feeling.” Ritmo Latino Showcase.

SANTOS - SKIN TO SKIN

Dir. Kathryn Golden

(USA / U.S. Caribbean Islands Territory, 75 min., 2022, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Music/Activism)

3/15 • 5:00 • S11

3/19 • 2:15 • DGC

SANTOS–Skin to Skin is a portrait of community activist and seven-time Grammy nominee John Santos, a “keeper of the Afro-Caribbean flame.” In this documentary, Santos links the rhythms of his ancestors to contemporary struggles against urban gentrification, social inequality, and racial injustice. Ritmo Latino Showcase.

RITMO LATINO SHORTS

3/10 • 6:15PM • S2

EACH OF US

Dir. Harllon Peixoto Ferreira Filho, Brazil

SENTIR EL SON

Dir. Karla Bernadette Duarte, USA

LA GUAGUA 47

Dir. Pedro Escarcega, USA

PUNK TALK

Dir. Thelma Ruiz, México

EMPRESS - ‘LEMME B ME’

Dir. Gustavo E. Guardado Jr., USA

VIVIR TODA LA VIDA

Dir. Marlén Ríos-Farjat, México

NØ SHADES - ‘MIDNIGHT STRANGERS’

Dir. Marco Fregoso, México

SM FAMILIA - ‘AYÚDANOS’

Dir. Felix Sierra, Lennie Westfall, USA

SATURDAY FUEGO DIABLO

Dir. Anita Abbasi, Canada

THE SLEEPWALKERS - ‘AMOR LEJANO’

Dir. Anthony Garcia-Muñoz

BULEVAR DESCARGA - ‘TIA JUANA’, USA/México

LA DIABLA - ‘LA HISTORIA SOMBRÍA’

Dir. Rick Alvarez, México

NARRATIVE FILMS SYNOPSES

AMOR Y MATEMÁTICAS

Dir. Claudia Sainte-Luce (Mexico, 82 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Dramedy)

3/10 • 8:00 • S11

3/13 • 7:20 • S11

A-boyband popstar (Roberto Quijano) and his fan/neighbor (Diana Bovio) struggle to fit in with society as adults in Claudia Saint-Luce’s amusing and witty film about a delayed “coming-of-age.” Mexico Today Showcase. Co-presented by SD Latino Professionals

AMORES PERROS

Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu (Mexico, 153 min., 2000, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/09 • 9:35 • S10

Alejandro González Iñárritu shocked the world with this stunning triptych of interconnected stories linked together by a violent car crash. Through this meditation on violence, González Iñarritu exposes harsh realities about justice, classism, and inequality in Mexico at the turn of the century. Content Advisory: Graphic sequences of animal cruelty; violence. Legacy Showcase.

ANTES QUE LLEGUEN LOS ZOPILOTES

Dir. Jonás N. Díaz (Mexico, 96 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama/ Experimental)

3/12 • 9:25 • S10

3/18 • 4:45 • DGC

Tuza, a dominant woman dedicated to a peculiar type of fishing, causes Justino’s death. To deal with her guilt, she will have to help Luvina find his body before the buzzards arrive and eat it. Through this Juan Rulfo-esque environment, both women embark on a mysterious and unusual journey between different simultaneous realities, where their desires face loneliness. Un mundo extraño Showcase.

AÑOS LUZ

Dir. Alina Kaplan

(Uruguay, 81 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/14 • 8:30 • S2

3/19 • 5:00 • DGC

Mateo, Belén and María

José, three siblings that have grown apart, are forced to meet again in order to close the deal to sell the house they spent their childhood in. Spotlight Films Showcase.

ARGENTINA, 1985

Dir. Santiago Mitre

(Argentina, 140 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Courtroom Drama/ Politics)

3/09 • 4:45 • S10

3/12 • 11:00 • S2

‘Argentina, 1985’ is inspired by the true story of Julio Strassera, Luis Moreno Ocampo and their young legal team of unlikely heroes in their David-vs-Goliath battle to prosecute Argentina’s bloodiest military dictatorship to bring justice to the victims of the Military Junta. Golden Globe® winner and now an Academy Award® nominee for Best International Feature Film. Starring Ricardo Darín. Spotlight Films Showcase.

LA CIÉNAGA

Dir. Lucrecia Martel (Argentina, 101 min., 2001, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/12 • 7:00 • S10

Lucrecia Martel shattered narrative conventions with her debut feature, La ciénaga-- a sweltering gift of a movie that explores class, family dynamics, and sexuality through the experiences of an extended family whose perpetual search of comfort from the summer heat threatens to explode at any moment. Legacy Showcase.

LA CIVIL

Dir. Teodora Mihai

(Mexico / Belgium / Romania, 140 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Crime/Thriller)

3/11 • 4:30 • S10

3/19 • 7:30 • S2

A mother takes justice into her own hands after her daughter is kidnapped in Northern Mexico in this pulse pounding thriller starring Arcelia Ramírez. Mexico Today Showcase.

CHILE ‘76

Dir. Manuela Martelli

(Chile / Argentina / Qatar, 95 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Political Thriller)

3/09 • 7:35 • S10

3/19 • 4:10 • S10

In the early days of Pinochet’s dictatorship, a sheltered woman spending her summer by the beach is asked by the family priest to take care of an injured young man. She is inadvertently drawn into the world of the Chilean political opposition and must face real-world threats she is unprepared to handle. Spotlight Films Showcase.

CONJUNTO BLUES

Dir. Joel Celestino Settles (USA, 60 min., 2020, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Live Theate 3/18 • 3:00 • S10

Conjunto Blues, written and performed by Nicolás R Valdez, is a stage play that was adapted for the screen in November of 2020 in collaboration with Teatro Vivo and The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. The show explores the social and historical conditions that led to the development of Conjunto music as an expression of cultural resistance and liberation. Ritmo Latino Showcase.

CON LOS AÑOS QUE ME QUEDAN

Dir. Frank Ariza

(Mexico / Spain, 107 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English Subtitles, Comedy)

3/18 • 7:15 • S10

3/19 • 1:45 • S10

Macarena is trying to navigate the complicated relationship between herself and her Churrero parents in LA and sets off to find a way to make some extra cash by making a dangerous delivery. An all-star cast includes Regina Blandón, Aislinn Derbez, Michelle Rodríguez, and Manuel Vega. ¡Hay que reírse! Showcase.

NARRATIVE FILMS SYNOPSES

CONTRATIEMPO

Dir. José Paredes

(Mexico, 92 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/15 • 7:20 • S2

3/17 • 5:10 • DGC

Antonio “Dexter” Jimenez is a single father, divorced, focused on his work, and is barely getting by. But everything changes when his old friend finds him again after many years and decides to bring “Vulvox” back, their old rock band they founded back in the 90s. Frontera Filmmakers Showcase.

CUMPLEAÑERO

Dir. Arturo Montenegro

(Panama, 96 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/10 • 9:00 • S2

3/12 • 5:00 • DGC

3/14 • 7:40 • DGC

Jimmy invites his close friends to a weekend of fun and excess at his beach house to celebrate his 45th birthday. The party comes to an abrupt end when Jimmy confesses that he has been diagnosed with ALS and wants to end his life after blowing the candles. Content advisory: This film discusses suicide and shows images following a suicide attempt. VOSes Showcase.

DEAREST EVA

Dir. Kamryn Fall

(USA, 105 min., 2023, English, Drama)

3/11 • 2:15 • S11

3/12 • 12:00 • DGC

After a letter from her childhood crush arrives, a young Black woman struggles to balance love and happiness with her responsibilities as matriarch of her chaotic and dysfunctional 19th century family. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase.

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

Dir. Jeannette Godoy

(USA, 88 min., 2022, English, Comedy)

3/13 • 6:30 • S2

3/16 • 9:45 • S10

3/18 • 2:30 • DGC

Ariana can’t hold down a 9-5 job no matter how hard she tries, which isn’t that hard…. To help her navigate post-college life, her Tío gets her a seasonal membership at his country club and challenges her to make some friends. Will the country club change Ariana—or will it be the other way around? ¡Hay que reírse! Showcase.

DRY GROUND BURNING

Dir. Joana Pimenta, Adirley

Queirós

(Brazil/Portugal, 154 min., 2022, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Docu-Fiction)

3/10 • 5:35 • DGC

3/19 • 8:10 • S10

Just released from prison, Léa returns home to the Brasilia favela of Sol Nascente and joins up with her half-sister Chitara, the fearless leader of an all-female gang that steals and refines oil from underground pipes. Living in constant opposition to Bolsonaro’s fiercely authoritarian and militarized government, Chitara’s women claim the streets for themselves as a declaration of radical political resistance. Spotlight Films Showcase.

EL EMPLEADO Y EL PATRÓN

Dir. Manolo Nieto (Uruguay / Argentina / Brazil, 110 min., , 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/11 • 9:15 • S2

3/12 • 1:50 • S2

An accident causes cataclysmic consequences for an employee and his boss as they try to act in the best interest of their respective newborns and families. Spotlight Films Showcase.

FINLANDIA

Dir. Horacio Alcala

(Mexico / Spain, 97 min, 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama/Fantasy)

3/11 • 7:15 • DGC

3/18 • 6:30 • S2

Outside of Oaxaca lives a group of Muxes, third gender and non-binary people, who make a living sewing and looking after their elders. Parallel to this, designers in Spain plot to appropriate their designs. The film follows their lives, indulging in their intoxicating ‘velas’ and grieving their lost loves, all in the beautiful setting of rural Mexico. Starring Noé Hernández. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

GOL DE PLATA

Dir. Kenneth Müller (Guatemala / El Salvador, 73 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Sports Drama)

3/14 • 6:15 • S2

3/18 • 11:15 AM • S2

Inspired by the life of Guatemalan soccer player, Juan Carlos Plata! The film narrates intimate moments of a young man who, despite the adversity he was born in, dared to dream and scored a historic goal against the world champion, Brazil, bringing an entire nation together during the 1998 Gold Cup. VOSes Showcase.

LA HIJA DE TODAS LAS RABIAS

Dir. Laura Baumeister

(Nicaragua, 87 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/19 • 6:10 • S10

Eleven-year-old María lives with her mother Lilibeth on the edge of Nicaragua’s largest garbage dump. Their future depends on selling a litter of purebred puppies to a local gang member. When the deal falls through, Lilibeth has to move to the outskirts of the city and leave María to work at a recycling factory. VOSes Showcase.

HISTORIAS PARA NO CONTAR

Dir. Cesc Gay

(Spain, 100 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Comedy)

3/18 • 7:55 • S11

3/19 • 9:00 • S11

A light-hearted collection of five stories about unexpected romantic encounters, shocking revelations, and our inability to govern our emotions. Featuring an all-star cast, including Argentine actor Chino Darín, Maribel Verdú, Antonio de la Torre, María León, and Quim Gutiérrez. Spotlight Films Showcase.

HUESERA

Dir. Michelle Garza Cervera (Mexico, 97 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Horror)

3/12 • 7:10 • DGC

3/19 • 6:20 • S11

Valeria has long dreamed about becoming a mother. After learning that she’s pregnant, she expects to feel happy, yet something’s off… Un mundo extraño Showcase.

EL INFIERNO

Dir. Luis Estrada (Mexico, 148 min., 2010, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Crime)

3/10 • 7:00 • S10

Luis Estrada’s scathing El infierno shocked audiences with its ruthless portrayal of corruption and cartel violence in Mexico while immortalizing Joaquín Cosío’s El Cochiloco as one of the most unforgettable characters in Mexican cinema. Joaquín Cosío Tribute.

LECCIONES PARA CANALLAS

Dir. Gustavo Moheno (Mexico, 104 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Comedy)

3/09 • 7:00 • S11

3/14 • 7:20 • S11

Joaquín Cosío plays Barry El Sucio, a con man looking for his next big score. The unexpected arrival of his daughter (Danae Reynaud) leads to complications that turn into promising opportunities for him and his girlfriend (Diana Bovio). Joaquín Cosío Tribute.

MANCO CÁPAC

Dir. Henry Vallejo

(Peru, 92 min., 2020, Spanish, Quechua w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/09 • 5:15 • DGC

3/11 • 12:00 • S10

3/13 • 5:15 • DGC

Elisban arrives in the city of Puno, too late to meet his friend Hermogenes, with whom he was going to work. Homeless and without money, he survives from unstable small jobs, in a city that sharpens his loneliness at every step. The inertia of continuing to move forward may lead him to a better fate. Spotlight Films Showcase.

MAQUÍLLAME OTRA VEZ

Dir. Guillermo Calderón

(Mexico / Chile, 81 min., 2023, Spanish, No English subtitles, Comedy)

3/17 • 7:30 • S11

3/19 • 4:15 • S11

Regina Blandón, Paulina Gaitán, and Ilse Salas star in Maquíllame otra vez, a film about a pair of make-up artists who are struggling to make ends meet and get an irresistible professional offer from a chaotic former friend that threatens to upend their lives. Mexico Today Showcase

MATANDO CABOS

Dir. Alejandro Lozano

(Mexico, 99 min., 2004, Spanish, No English subtitles, Crime Comedy)

3/11 • 7:00 • S11

Bumbling crooks Jaque and Mudo mistakenly kidnap their millionaire boss and embark on a wacky adventure after reaching out to wrestler Ruben “Mascarita” (Joaquín Cosío) for help. Joaquín Cosío Tribute.

LOS MECÁNICOS

Dir. Julio Román

(Puerto Rico / USA, 87 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Comedy)

3/11 • 4:45 • S11

3/13 • 4:30 • S2

Linda inherits a mechanic shop on the brink of bankruptcy and enlists a group of actors pretending to be mechanics to help her fix a racing car that will yield her a big cash prize. ¡Hay que reírse! Showcase.

Co-presented by House of Puerto Rico

UN MUNDO PARA JULIUS

Dir. Rossana Diaz Costa (Peru / Argentina / Spain, 104 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/17 • 6:00 • S2

An affluent young boy from Lima, Peru loses his innocence as he learns about the injustices the staff in his home face on a daily basis. Based on the book by Alfredo Bryce Echenique. Special Presentations.

NUESTROS DÍAS MÁS FELICES

Dir. Sol Berruezo Pichon-Rivière (Argentina, 100 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/11 • 2:05 • DGC

3/15 • 4:55 • S10

Agatha (74) and Leonidas (36) maintain a codependent mother-son relationship: Agatha never fell in love again, and Leonidas does not dare to build a life outside the doors of the family home. One day, Agatha suddenly wakes up in the body of a little girl: as herself, but seven years old, prompting the return of Agatha’s eldest daughter, who arrives to heal old wounds. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase.

OSCUROS AMORES

Dir. Gerardo Chijona (Cuba, 89 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Comedy)

3/16 • 8:15 • S11

3/19 • 7:15 • DGC

Over the course of a night, three dark love stories intertwine revealing shocking surprises about human desire in Gerardo Chijona’s latest exciting provocation. Spotlight Films Showcase.

NARRATIVE FILMS SYNOPSES

LOS PACIENTES RECURRENTES

Dir. Mario Lucero Beauregard

(Mexico, 97 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English Subtitles, Comedy Road Movie)

3/12 • 6:50 • S2

3/16 • 7:20 • DGC

As part of a rehab strategy a mismatched group of rehab patients set off on a road trip through southeast Mexico on a mission to take an 8-year-old indigenous girl with terminal cancer back to her hometown. Starring Hernan Mendoza. ¡Hay que reírse! Showcase.

LA PECERA

Dir. Glorimar Marrero Sánchez

(Puerto Rico / Spain, 92 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/14 • 9:00 • S10

3/17 • 9:30 • S10

As her cancer spreads, Noelia ultimately decides to return to her native Vieques, Puerto Rico, and claim her freedom to decide her own fate. She reunites with her friends and family, who are still dealing with the contamination of the U.S. Navy after 60 years of military practices. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase

THE PASTOR AND THE REVOLUTIONARY

Dir. José Eduardo Belmonte

(Brazil, 115 min., 2022, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/11 • 9:30 • S11

3/14 • 5:15 • DGC

At the turn of the millennium, Juliana, the illegitimate daughter of a colonel who has just committed suicide, finds out that her father was a torturer during the military dictatorship in Brazil. Spotlight Films Showcase.

PERLIMPS

Dir. Alê Abreu

(Brazil, 75 min., 2022, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Animation)

3/12 • 3:20 • S11

Claé and Bruô, secret agents from enemy Kingdoms, must overcome their differences and combine forces to find the Perlimps and infiltrate into a world controlled by Giants that is in the imminence of a terrible war. Spotlight Films Showcase.

Co-presented by ResMed

LA PICADA

Dir. Felipe Zúñiga

(Costa Rica / Chile, 76 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, DocuFiction)

3/12 • 11:30AM • S10

3/14 • 4:30 • S2

Rosmeri is the last remaining inhabitant of La Picada, a tiny ghost town that sits at the foot of Costa Rica’s most active volcano. Despite the constant pressure from the authorities and her family to evict due to the imminent threat of a volcanic eruption, she refuses to abandon her home. VOSes Showcase.

SUBLIME

Dir. Mariano Biasin

(Argentina, 100 min, 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Coming of Age / Drama)

3/09 • 8:45 • S2

3/19 • 5:15 • S2

Manuel and Felipe are childhood friends with an unbreakable bond. Their friendship is put to the test when Manuel’s feelings towards Felipe surface, their band begins getting noticed by girls, and they both begin to discover their sexuality. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

TENGO SUEÑOS ELÉCTRICOS

Dir. Valentina Maurel (Belgium / France / Costa Rica, 110 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/13 • 9:00 • S2

3/18 • 2:10 • S11

Eva is a strong-willed, restless 16-year-old girl who desperately wants to reconnect with her estranged father. Clinging onto him as he goes through a second adolescence, she balances between the sensitivity of teenage life and the ruthlessness of the adult world. VOSes Showcase.

(Content Advisory: Contains sequences of domestic violence)

THREE TIDY TIGERS TIED A TIE TIGHTER

Dir. Gustavo Vinagre (Brazil, 86 min, 2022, Brazilian Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Adventure/Comedy/Musical)

3/15 • 7:30 • DGC

3/18 • 9:10 • S2

Three queer people drift through a dystopian São Paulo, Brazil, ravaged by capitalism and a pandemic that attacks the memory. The trio discuss their experiences with HIV, share makeup tips for masked faces and come together to see an antique revue. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

TIERRA QUEBRÁ

Dir. Nina Marín

(Colombia, 110 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/10 • 8:40 • DGC

3/18 • 11:45 AM • S11

Superstitions, taboos, and complicated family dynamics take center stage in Tierra quebrá, Nina Marin’s stunning portrait of a woman who returns home to rebuild family ties but is faced with tragedy and the temptation of a forbidden love. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase.

LA VIDA EN EL SILENCIO

Dir. Rodrigo Arnaz

(Mexico, 125 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/11 •7:45 • S10

3/16 • 4:45 • DGC

A musician attempts to communicate with his young son who is on the autism spectrum through music.

The unexpected arrival of his son’s mother changes their lives forever. Mexico Today Showcase.

NARRATIVE FILMS SYNOPSES

EL VISITANTE

Dir. Martín Boulocq

(Bolivia / Uruguay, 86 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

3/12 • 9:15 • S2

3/18 • 7:30 • DGC

A man recently released from prison tries to reconnect with his daughter. What transpires is a meditation on class, family relationships, and the increasing power of Evangelism in Latin America. Spotlight Films Showcase.

Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN

Dir. Alfonso Cuarón

(Mexico, 106 min., 2001, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Road Film / Comedy)

3/15 • 9:30 • S10

Alfonso Cuarón’s iconic road film follows the unforgettable adventures of two best friends on a trip with a mysterious older woman. As they make their way towards a secluded beach, emotions and confessions that can’t be taken back begin to reveal themselves. Starring Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Maribel Verdú. Content Advisory: Graphic sexuality. Legacy Showcase.

AJENOS A LA PAZ

Dir. Laura Ángel, Noah DeBonis

(Colombia, 88 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Reintegration)

3/16 • 4:00 • S2

3/17 • 9:45 • S11

Three former child soldiers face retribution, anxiety, and danger as they attempt to rebuild their lives after leaving the FARC guerrilla army and the bloody Colombian conflict. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

ALBERTINA Y LOS MUERTOS

Dir. Cesar Borie (Chile, 81 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Traditions)

3/10 • 5:00 • S10

3/13 • 5:00 • S11

Albertina sells flowers at the cemetery in San Miguel de Azapa, Chile, a town built over Indigenous tombs. For half of a century, she has led traditions that seek prosperity for the living while keeping their relationship with the dead on good terms. This balance must continue, even after Albertina is gone. Historias Originarias Films Showcase

BARAJAS

Dir. Javier Izquierdo (Ecuador, 62 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Politics / Literature)

3/16 • 4:30 • S11

3/18 • 1:30 • S10

Barajas explores the deaths of four Latin American writers during a plane crash near a Madrid airport in 1983. Through archival footage dir. Javier Izquierdo evokes the continent’s visual memory during an era full of struggles, dictatorships, and exiles that influenced a whole generation. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

CHILDREN OF LAS BRISAS

Dir. Marianela Maldonado

(Venezuela / USA / France / UK, 84 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Music / Resilience)

3/19 • 11:15AM • S2

Children of Las Brisas is a story of resistance, resilience and perseverance that explores the power of discipline and classical music as tools for survival. The documentary follows three Venezuelan children from the impoverished Las Brisas neighborhood, in their quest to become professional musicians within the ranks of “El Sistema” music program. Ritmo Latino Showcase.

CHUCHÚ Y EL GENERAL

Dir. Joaquin Horna Dolande

(Panama, 102 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

3/16 • 4:15 • S10

3/19 • 2:50 • S2

It’s 1974 and Panamanian university professor Chuchú Martinez decides to join the National Guard and is appointed to be the personal escort of General Omar Torrijos. Driven by their shared goal to help reduce poverty and fight against Central American dictatorships, this is the story of their lifelong friendship. VOSes Showcase.

CROSS DREAMERS

Dir. Soledad Velasco

(Argentina, 78 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English Subtitles, Gender Expression)

3/13 • 4:45 • S10

3/19 • 12:00 • DGC

Cross Dreamers is the story of 4 men who once felt they needed to repress their desire to express their feminine identity, but now, as 50-somethings, are empowered to explore their true selves. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

DONDE LOS VIENTOS SE CRUZAN

Dir. Ana Andrade, Jesús Guerra (Mexico, 77 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

3/18 • 5:00 • S10

3/19 • 11:30AM • S10

On the riverbed of Tijuana, along the US / Mexico border, lives a community of outlaws and addicts. An alcoholic Mayan deportee who finds beauty in delicate flora and fauna, a female photographer who documents the harassment endured by this community, and an elderly couple who are experiencing loneliness, find friendship and hope in this place of limbo. Frontera Filmmakers Showcase.

EL EQUIPO

Dir. Bernardo Ruiz (Argentina / USA / Mexico, 80 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, English, History / Forensic Anthropology)

3/14 • 5:00 • S11

3/17 • 7:40 • DGC

In 1984, an unlikely meeting between Dr. Clyde Snow, a legendary American forensic scientist, and a group of Argentine students, changes the course of forensic science and human rights forever. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

HERMANAS

Dir. Paola Ochoa

(Colombia / United States, 77 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Solidarity)

3/18 • 4:10 • S2

Every summer my aunts and mother, four middle class women in their 60’s, spend vacations at our family home. With no men around, our heartfelt and hilarious discussions about life and love reveal an intimate portrait of womanhood in Colombia. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase.

HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE

Dirs. Carlos Hagerman, Jorge Villalobos

(Mexico, 88 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Immigration/Animation)

3/15 • 7:15 • S11

3/17 • 8:15 • S2

Combining the power of poetry, animation and real conversations, HOME IS SOMEWHERE ELSE, provides a window into the hearts and minds of immigrant youth and their undocumented families. Frontera Filmmakers Showcase; Spotlight Films Showcase.

INOCENTE

Dirs. Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine (USA, 40 min., 2012, Spanish w/ English subtitles, English, Art / Immigration)

3/12 • 1:35 • S11

The Academy Award®winning INOCENTE is an inspiring coming-of-age story of a 15-year old girl in California. Though homeless and undocumented, she refuses to give up on her dream of being an artist, proving that the hand she has been dealt does not define her – her dreams do. 10th anniversary screening. Special Presentations.

IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME WE FIGHT FOR OUR LOVE

Dir. Luis Carlos de Alencar

(Brazil / USA, 104 min., 2022, Portuguese, Spanish w/ English subtitles, English, Activism / History)

3/09 • 4:30 • S2

3/12 • 2:30 • DGC

A galvanizing portrait of Brazil’s LGBTQ+ community that came together after the coup of 1964 and continues to fight for liberation. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

LA LUCHA: GETTING SCHOOLED IN AMERICA

Dir. Rand Courtney (USA, 84 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, English; Education)

3/10 • 5:30 • S11

3/11 • 11:45 AM • S2

3/14 • 9:45 • S11

When one of their friends is killed, a group of friends facing the same societal dangers as their murdered classmate unite in an effort to graduate high school and find a way out. Special Presentations.

LEJOS DE CASA

Dir. Carlos Hernández Vázquez

(Mexico, 81 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Immigration)

3/12 • 4:30 • S10

3/15 • 5:30 • DGC

In Tijuana a group of children and adolescents from Mexico and Latin America wait in shelters for a resolution to their asylum request to enter the US. This is the story of their long and uncertain wait. Frontera Filmmakers Showcase.

LO QUE SE HEREDA

Dir. Victoria Linares

(Dominican Republic, 84 min., Spanish w/ English subtitles, Family Tribute)

3/19 • 2:00 • S11

A revelation about Oscar Torres, her unknown and once world-famous queer filmmaker cousin, sends Victoria down a path of self-discovery through reconstructions of his intimate memories living in the 1950’s authoritarian Caribbean, as Victoria leads re-enactments of his unproduced screenplays with the family who erased him. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase.

ME

MATARON 3 VECES

Dir. Rodrigo Occelli

(Mexico, 99 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Femicide / Women’s Rights)

3/11 • 2:10 • S10

3/13 • 9:30 • S10

After their mother’s femicide, three siblings were separated from each other and forced to live in different places. Many years later they reunite to share their story. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

MUKÍ SOPALÍRILI ALIGUÉ GAWICHÍ NIRÚGAME (THE WOMAN OF STARS AND MOUNTAINS)

Dir. Santiago Esteinou (Mexico, 101 min., 2023, Tarahumara, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Documentary)

3/17 • 4:10 • S10

3/18 • 12:00 • DGC

This documentary tells the story of Rita, a Tarahumara indigenous woman who left her community in the Mountains and went on a journey to Kansas where she was wrongfully detained and placed in a psychiatric hospital for 12 years. Historias Originarias Showcase.

MY DACA LIFE

Dir. Fanny Grande (USA, 70 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Immigration)

3/16 • 6:10 • S2

3/19 • 1:10 • S2

Maribel, a DACA recipient, receives Advance Parole and is able to travel to Mexico for the first time in 25 years. This documentary follows her on this emotional journey, and brings insight into the plight of so many undocumented individuals. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

EL OJO DE AGUA DE LOS GÁLVEZ

Dirs. José Luis Figueroa, Ana Paola Rodríguez (México, 90 min. 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

3/11 • 12:15 • S11

3/13 • 9:45 • S11

Despite living in Los Angeles, California, José Gálvez has decided not to give up his almost uninhabited ranch in Mexico: El Ojo de Agua. There lies the history of his ancestors, his most beloved memories and most intense experiences. Such is his determination that he has motivated others to follow in his footsteps. Frontera Filmmakers Showcase.

OMARA

Dir. Hugo Perez (Cuba / USA, 76 min., 2021, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Music)

3/12 • 11:45AM • S11

3/16 • 7:00 • S10

If you’ve listened to the Buena Vista Social Club, then you’ve heard the unforgettable voice of Omara Portuondo. In this first-of-its-kind look at the life of one of the nation’s biggest stars, director Hugo Perez brings audiences along on an intimate journey into the heart of Cuba’s “Bride of Feeling”. Ritmo Latino Showcase.

LA REBELIÓN DE LAS FLORES

Dir. María Laura Vásquez

(Argentina, 81 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Revolution)

3/09 • 5:00 • S11

3/11 • 4:30 • DGC

In 2019, a group of women from different native nations located in what is now called Argentina peacefully occupied the Ministry of the Interior demanding an end to death in their territories. Historias Originarias Showcase. Co-presented by Casa Familiar

SANSÓN Y YO

Dir. Rodrigo Reyes

(Mexico / United States, 85 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Immigration / Criminal Justice)

3/09 • 7:20 • DGC

3/12 • 7:30 • S11

During his day job as a Spanish criminal interpreter in a small town in California, filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes (499) met a young man named Sansón, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was sentenced to life in prison without parole. With no permission to interview him, Sansón and Reyes worked together over a decade, using hundreds of letters as inspiration for recreations of Sansón’s childhood—featuring members of Sansón's own family. The result is a vibrant portrait of a friendship navigating immigration and the depths of the criminal justice system and pushing the boundaries of cinematic imagination to rescue a young migrant's story from oblivion. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase.

SANTOS - SKIN TO SKIN

Dir. Kathryn Golden (USA / U.S. Caribbean Islands Territory, 75 min., 2022, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Music/Activism)

3/15 • 5:00 • S11

3/19 • 2:15 • DGC

SANTOS–Skin to Skin is a portrait of community activist and seven-time Grammy nominee John Santos, a “keeper of the Afro-Caribbean flame.” In this documentary, Santos links the rhythms of his ancestors to contemporary struggles against urban gentrification, social inequality, and racial injustice. Ritmo Latino Showcase.

SILENT BEAUTY

Dir. Jasmín Mara López (USA / Mexico / Malta, 88 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles; English, Documentary)

3/12 • 5:10 • S11

3/17 • 4:00 • S2

A lyrical and sensitive autobiographical exploration of the filmmaker’s family history with child sexual abuse and a culture of silence. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase. (Content Advisory: Discussions of sexual abuse)

SOY NIÑO

Dir. Lorena Zilleruelo (Chile / France, 62 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Gender Identity)

3/11 • 2:00 • S2

Bastian, a young trans boy, has to face a very difficult time in life: adolescence.

From age 12 - 18, he is filmed by his cousin Lorena who documents difficult and intimate aspects of Bastian’s life. Bastian’s journey introduces us to a more open-minded Chile, thanks to the country’s new generation. ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase. Co-presented by CRainbow Spaces

SPLIT AT THE ROOT

Dir. Linda Goldstein Knowlton (USA, 96 min., 2022, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Immigration)

3/18 • 9:45 • S10

3/19 • 11:45AM • S11

Executive produced by award winning actress and humanitarian Rosario Dawson and directed by Emmy nominated director Linda Goldstein Knowlton, SPLIT AT THE ROOT follows the emotional journey of mothers separated from their children at the U.S. border and the grassroots initiative that, against all odds, reunites those families. Spotlight Films Showcase.

SWING AND SWAY

Dirs. Chica Barbosa, Fernanda

Pessoa

(Brazil, 82 min., Portuguese, Spanish, w/ English subtitles; English, Immigration / Experimental / Resistance)

3/11 • 6:45 • S2

3/15 • 9:45 • S2

As a counterpoint to a virtual and (dis)connected world, two girlfriends engage in a filmic provocation under their own rules. A swing and sway that in ominous times becomes a dance of resistance. ¡Viva Mujeres! Showcase.

ULTIMATE SACRIFICES CPT. JENNIFER MORENO

Dir. Daniel Bernardi (USA, 60 min., 2022, English, Military)

3/18 • 11:30AM • S10

This film tells the story of Jennifer Moreno a Chicana who exceeded all expectations of people from her San Diego neighborhood, lived life with a purpose, and died a hero in Afghanistan serving with the Ranger Battalion. Special Presentations.

THE WIND BLOWS THE BORDER

Dirs. Laura Faerman, Marina Weis (Brazil, 77 min., 2022, Portuguese, Guarani w/ English subtitles, Land Activism)

3/13 • 7:30 • DGC

3/10 • 4:30 • S2

Along the BrazilianParaguayan border (the heart of Brazilian agribusiness), an indigenous teacher fighting for land rights stands in direct opposition to a lawyer with strong relations to the Bolsonarist federal power. ¡Docu-mania! Showcase; Historias Originarias Showcase.

SOLO UNO MÁS…

3/09 • 6:45PM • S2

The boom in serial storytelling has completely changed the way we experience television. Find your next binge obsession in this collection of pilots.

¡YO SOY SALLY, LA LOCA!

Dir. David Aguilar Rodríguez (USA,18min., 2020 English, Spanish, Episodic, Comedy)

Based on a true story, this breakup comedy explores what limits one woman will go through in a desperate attempt to win her long term boyfriend back. This outrageous comedy is inspired equally by Pedro Almodovar, Desperate Housewives, and 1950s Douglas Sirk technicolor melodramas.

LA LOCURA: THE MADNESS PILOT

Dir. Sam Cadman (USA, 28 min., 2022, English . Episodic, Comedy)

Trapped by his parents in Palm Beach Florida, This Brooklyn hipster is trying to find love and happiness amidst a family dealing with Alzheimer's.

PLANT MOMS

Dir. Amy DePaola (USA, 13min., 2022 English, Episodic, Comedy)

Get to know the Plant Moms of New York- a plant parenting group of digital millennials who strive to dictate their identities before others do it for them.

MAL DE AMORES (LOVESICK)

Dir. Fiorella Vescovi Garcia

(USA, 15 min., 2022, English/Spanish, Episodic, Comedy)

When a hopeless romantic finds out her ex-girlfriend is newly engaged, she goes to her friends expecting to be coddled, but reality sets in when they call her out for prioritizing her past over their friendship.

RITMO LATINO

3/10 • 6:15PM • S2

From the very beginning of film history music was paired together with the visuals to make for a more compelling visual experience.

More than 100 years later filmmakers continue to find ingenious ways to combine music and film in this assemblage of shorts and music videos that will have you leaving the cinema with rhythm.

EACH OF US

Dir. Harllon Peixoto Ferreira Filho

(4 min., Brazil, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Music Video)

A musician seeks a way to deal with the pain of an irreparable loss.

SENTIR EL SON

Dir. Karla Bernadette Duarte

(18 min., USA, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

Franchesca, an Afro-Mexican, grew up in L.A. and was immersed in a Mexican culture that forced her into questioning her racial identity. This poetic documentary short explores through the feelingbody the meaning of ethnic and gender identity through West African and Afro-Mexican practices in music, song, and dance.

LA GUAGUA 47

Dir. Pedro Escarcega (9 min., USA, English, Spanish, Music Video)

A young Latina, newly arrived to the big city, feels very alone. One day, she learns about La Guagua 47 (the 47 bus) and embarks on a journey that changes her life.

BOCA PUNK

Dir. Thelma Ruiz

(8 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

After walking home alone, a shy fifteen year-old girl is rescued by a punk entity who shows her a world where she'll fit in just as she is.

EMPRESS - ‘LEMME B ME’

Dir. Gustavo E Guardado Jr.

(4 min., USA, English, Music Video)

A cinematic music video full of metaphoric and historic interpretations of how women were treated through the 50's until present day.

VIVIR TODA LA VIDA

Dir. Marlén Ríos-Farjat

(5 min., México, Spanish, Music Video)

A young woman returns home to find solace and enjoys life again with her mother.

NØ SHADES - ‘MIDNIGHT STRANGERS’

Dir. Marco Fregoso

(5 min, México, English, Spanish, Music Video)

Official music video for Nø Shades's single "Midnight Strangers".

SM FAMILIA - AYÚDANOS

Dir. Felix Sierra, Lennie Westfall

(4 min., USA, Spanish, English, Music Video)

Music video for the song "Ayúdanos" by SM Familia

SATURDAY FUEGO DIABLO

Dir. Anita Abbasi

(12 min., Canada, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Dramedy)

In 1981 Montreal, four Salvadoran siblings, new to Canada, seek distance from the uprisings occurring in their home country by hitting a night club, but not all goes as planned.

¡YO SOY SALLY, LA LOCA!

THE SLEEPWALKERS - ‘AMOR LEJANO’

Dir. Anthony Garcia-Munoz (4 min., México, Spanish, Music Video)

Music video for the song "Amor Lejano" by The Sleepwalkers

BULEVAR DESCARGA - ‘TIA JUANA’ (8 min., USA/México, Spanish, Music Video)

Music video for the song “Tia Juana” by Bulevar Descarga

LA DIABLA - ‘LA HISTORIA SOMBRIA’

Dir. Rick Alvarez

(3 min., México, Spanish, Music Video)

Music video for the song "La historia sombria" by La Diabla VIVA

MUJERES

3/11 • 4:00PM • S2

Friendship, tradition, and determination are all in full display in this assemblage of shorts from Latina filmmakers.

BAJO UN MISMO CIELO

Dir. Ana Laura Calderón

(15 min., Mexico, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

Andrea (4) and Marina (6) become friends playing on the rooftops of their buildings during the pandemic. They cling to their precious friendship in this lonely time, until Marina, unexpectedly, has to move from her home.

ABUELITA'S KITCHEN: MEXICAN FOOD STORIES

Dir. Ebony Marie Bailey

(27 min., USA, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

A group of indigenous, mestiza, Mexican-American, and AfroMexican grandmothers have cooked, preserved, and passed on Mexican food culture while creating community and a culture that is unique to Southern California.

POLVO DE MONTAÑA

Dir. Marlén Ríos-Farjat (19 min., Mexico, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

The mountains around Monterrey are being quarried at an incredible rate and Jessy, a young domestic worker, witnesses the scope of the economic forces that are destroying her family's health.

ESTRELLAS DEL DESIERTO

Dir. Katherina Harder Sacre

(19 min., Chile, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

In the middle of the Atacama desert, Antay sees his town disappearing due to the drought. Alongside his friends and their football team, they will try to hang on to the last sun rays, their childhood fragments and the ties with those who still resist.

DAUGHTER OF THE SEA

Dir. Alexis C Garcia

(19 min., Puerto Rico, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

After the death of her grandfather, a young woman experiences a spiritual awakening when she is called by Yemaya, the orisha Goddess of the Sea.

HISTORIAS ORIGINARIAS SHORTS

Filmmakers take us on a journey to explore their own family’s history, custom and traditions and more in this assemblage of short documentaries.

3 DÍAS, 3 AÑOS

Dir. Florencia Gómez Sántiz (30 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Tzotzil w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

Elena, a Tsotsil woman from San Andrés Larraínzar, Chiapas, is challenged by the uses and customs of her people when an almost entirely male community assembly appoints her as a municipal trustee. During her term in office, the traditional practice of masculinity begins to be questioned.

DECOLONIZING DINNER

Dir. Alejandro Miranda Cruz (12 min., USA, English, Documentary)

A meal has the power to break down walls and barriers. Two Indigenous Chefs share their passion and culture through cooking, land, and family.

APINÁN - NOSOTROS LOS LENCA

Dir. Asael Talavera (25 min., Honduras, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

An introspective artistic study on one of the original peoples of Honduras, the Lenca. Of pre-Columbian South American origins, the Lenca and their culture are kept alive by a community of 600,000. Every Honduran with indigenous blood has Lenca ancestry.

STRONG YAQUI WOMEN

Dir. Miroslava Gonzalez (13 min., USA, English, Documentary)

A mother recalls stories from her youth about her indigenous lineage and sets off on a journey to understand her place in a long line of resilient Yaqui Warriors.

¡SOMOS! LGBTQ+ CINE SHORTS

3/12 • 4:00PM • S2

From first love to first laugh, the array of shorts in this showcase will take you on a wild ride exploring what it means to live and embrace every inch of your identity in the most unapologetically way possible.

WAREHOUSE

Dir. Ahualt Amaro

(USA, 12:00 min, 2022, English, Comedy)

A queer, Latino-Indigenous, warehouse worker must choose between keeping his job or standing up to his boss when his LGBTQ colleagues are fired for demanding better working conditions.

THE LAST TIME WE CAME OUT OF THE CLOSET

Dir. Bruno Tadeu

(Brazil, 13:15 min, 2022, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Comedy)

In a parallel television dimension, the letter G has never been bigger.

NOVENA

Dir. Fernando Lopez

(USA, 15 min, English/Spanish, Drama)

Two estranged highschool best-friends reunite at the novenario ceremony for one of their deceased mothers. Feelings resurface and past dynamics are bent in this slice of life narrative that explores the layers of machismo, culture and religion.

NI AQUI NI ALLÁ

Dir. Ley Comas

(USA, 15:00 min, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

A personal documentary that centers a conversation between filmmaker Ley Comas and their mother about their gender identity.

RIP TIDE

Dir. Luisa Dantas

(USA, 13 min, English/Spanish, Drama)

A young queer couple celebrates their one-year "fauxniversary" at the beach, blissfully unaware of what the future holds.

OUT IN PLACE

Dir. Nicolas Jaras

(USA, 14:00 min, English/Spanish, Drama)

Carrie and Nayeli just bought their first home in Joshua Tree and are creating a new life in the desert together. In the midst of unpacking, the duo spontaneously decides to indulge in psychedelic mushrooms leaving them to explore their new stomping grounds.

SAY IT - AN AUTOFICTION

Dir. Evandro Manchini

(Brazil, 15 min, English/Spanish, Drama)

Mixing performance and symbolism, the film approaches the experience of a young filmmaker as he deals with the complexity of receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis on his birthday.

FRONTERA FILMMAKER NARRATIVES

3/13 • 7:00PM • S10

Frontera Filmmaker Showcase celebrates the voices of filmmakers from the Tijuana-San Diego border region and films that deal with border related experiences. Through the films selected for this year, we seek to show the diverse experiences and perspectives of this unique and vibrant place where cultures and communities interact and influence each other. From personal and intimate narratives, glimpses of the past and our daily lives, these films offer a rich range of stories that capture the vibrant and varied border experience.

FUEGO

Dir. Edwin FrankO

(22 min., USA, English, Drama)

The film begins with a look at the generation’s past, a snapshot of

Giovanni’s father dancing with a woman back in the 1980s. This is an example of his “Fuego,” the purpose or passion in one’s life. The story that Gio tells about his Fuego is framed around his friends, Eddie and Joel in a bar on New Year’s Eve, leading up to midnight.

CONSUELO

Dir. JL Ruiz

(17 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

Consuelo, a lonely woman who cleans bathrooms, finds herself involved in a series of circumstances that push her mind to seek a way to fill her inner void.

PIEDRAS GORDAS

Dir. Jorge Garcia

(30 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Thriller, Neo Noir)

Samuel Salcedo (The Chief) is a grieving police officer investigating a multiple murder case in Piedras Gordas, Tecate. While Baldomero Blancas, a corrupt police counterpart, hinders the Chief´s efforts to uncover the truth about the crime.

LA CREACION

Dir. Layla Pamela Morán

(5 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Animation)

The creation myth tells the story of the two Kumiai brother gods Sipa and Komat, who after waking up in Wakunyur, their home in the center of the earth, decide to go to the surface. Once outside, they create the ants who built mount Wikami. After that, once the water had regressed, they took clay and started shaping the world.

GREAT BIG LOVE AFFAIR

Dir. Rafael Rodriguez M. (8 min., USA, English, Drama)

A needy and socially awkward medical examiner Emily desires companionship and she fills her emotional void by using those around her to play out her fantasies: The dead.

DON’T DO IT

Dir. Patrick Guera (7 min., USA, English, Drama)

A man fights intrusive thoughts at three key moments in his life.

LIKE HONEY

Dir. Nicole Valencia (México, 16 min, 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

A young woman with nothing to lose visits a beachside commune in Tijuana and gets caught up in a whirlwind of psychedelic drugs and healing practices, only to realize that this cult might not be paradise after all.

EL CORAZÓN SHORTS

3/14 • 4:45PM • S10

Some days you want to open up a grilled cheese truck with your loved ones and others you wish to delete all memories of them from your brain. Love isn’t always smooth in compilation of short films.

KEEP/DELETE

Dir. Kryzz Gautier (19 min., USA, English, Sci-Fi, Romance)

In a future world where memories are handled like computer files, two lovers decide to undergo a procedure and have their entire relationship wiped from their brains.

FUEGO

EL PRIMER DIA DEL RESTO DE NUESTRAS VIDAS

Dir. Cabe Tejada

(3 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Dramedy)

Three roommates share multiple experiences across a short period of time.

GOOD MORNING, IGNACIO

Dir. Alan Jonsson Gavica , Leticia Fabián

(15 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

One morning, Ignacio discovers his beloved bonsai tree fighting for its life. The struggle for the survival of both Ignacio and his bonsai gives an unexpected turn to their lives.

AFTERLIFE OF MEMORY

Dir. Jordan Fuller Vera

(10 min., USA, English, Sci-Fi, Romance, Drama)

A man undergoes a cognitive procedure to revisit the love of his life, but only has access to the memory that ended their marriage.

LAS PIEDRAS DE OTTO

Dir. Juan Bobbio

(8 min., Argentina, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama, Fantasy)

In a house in Buenos Aires, a woman mourns the death of her husband. One day, the family dog discovers a stone buried in the garden triggering an unexpected reunion.

ABRACARIBES

Dir. Paola Andrea Camacho (3 min., USA, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

"ABRACARIBES: Abrazos, Caricias, y Besos" is a glimpse into the lives of two Colombian brothers who stay connected across borders, despite their separate lives and financial realities. Through technology they are now able to reminisce about their past together.

GRILLED QUESO

Dir. Sergio Eduardo Munoz Esquer (13 min., USA, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles)

A night in the life of a couple working in a food truck in the busiest area in Austin.

BOILING OVER

Dir. Paulo Miranda

(11 min., Brazil, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Comedy)

A wife asks her husband for a divorce and without hesitation, he accepts. From there, an unusual and amusing conversation between them ensues, exposing each other's secret desires and unknown personas.

DOCUMANIA SHORTS

3/15 • 4:45PM • S2

A luchador contemplates retirement, a community leader fights for their people and their land, and more in these short form nonfiction slices of reality.

OUTLIER: TRUST

Dir. Faith E. Briggs, Dani Reyes-Acosta (16 min., USA, English, Documentary)

Two women face down the biggest of enemies in the mountains— themselves—as they discover who they are (and who they want to be) on a rugged backcountry ski trip to SE Utah.

KEMONITO: LA ÚLTIMA CAÍDA

Dir. Teresa de Miguel (23 min., Mexico, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

Kemonito, the beloved mascot of Mexico's World Wrestling Council, has been trying to retire for years due to his many injuries, but the financial burden it would cause his family if he retired doesn’t allow him to.

SOCORRO

Dir. Susanna Lira

(15 min., Brazil, Portuguese w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

The documentary "Socorro" follows the struggle of community leader Socorro do Burajuba, president of the Association of Caboclos, Indigenous and Quilombolas of the Amazon.

TIERRA FÉRTIL

Dir. Eugenia Renteria

(14 min., Mexico, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

A bittersweet love letter to a small village up in the mountains of Zacatecas, Mexico, where the droughts can be as intense as the love of the people who live there.

NANIA 1988

Dir. Diana Orduna

(11 min., Ecuador, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Experimental)

Diana, an Ecuadorian who grew up away from her country attempts to decipher identity and territory through her life history in this experimental, autobiographical documentary.

LA VISTA DESDE ARRIBA

Dir. Rafael Martínez Sánchez

(14 min., Mexico, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

An advertising tarpaulin crew, hundreds of feet up in the air, risks their lives daily as part of their job, facing intense weather, equipment shortages and systemic discrimination.

WANDERING

Dir. Karla Meza

(13 min., Canada, French w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

For the past three years, a young Mexican asylum seeker has been forced to put his academic career and his dream of becoming a police officer on hold due to his immigration status. Socially isolated, he clings to the daily life he shares with his family and tries, as best he can, to occupy his time while waiting for the life he dreams of.

FRONTERA FILMMAKERS DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

3/15 • 7:00PM • S10

Frontera Filmmaker Showcase celebrates the voices of filmmakers from the Tijuana-San Diego border region and films that deal with border related experiences. Through the films selected for this year, we seek to show the diverse experiences and perspectives of this unique and vibrant place where cultures and communities interact and influence each other. From personal and intimate narratives, glimpses of the past and our daily lives, these films offer a rich range of stories that capture the vibrant and varied border experience.

NUESTRO LUGAR SEGURO

Dir. Andrea Falcon

(15 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

Sapphos's Café opens its doors to provide a safe space for the LGBTIA+ community in the city of Tijuana, which, despite being multicultural and modern, is still part of a prejudiced and dangerous country.

TEJEÉ (LA TIYEI)

Dir. Ángel Estrada

(22 min, México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, experimental)

Experimental sounds, space, the city, ancestral medicinal knowledge, and urban activism come together to heal the border in this short film that is more community science than fiction.

ALGÚN DÍA CAERÁ

(15 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

From the mouth of the Rio Grande to the beaches of Tijuana, two girls play on separate ends of the U.S. Mexico border thousands of miles apart.

SOY FRONTERIZA

Dir. Yadira Gutierrez (Yega)

(11 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, video essay)

Video ensayo sobre la experiencia de una madre migrante yuxtapuesta con el cotidiano de la vida en la frontera, el archivo personal y el contexto fronterizo.

LA HUERTA, KUMEYAAY PRIDE

Dir. Jorge Antonio Garcia

(29 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

The story of a small Kumeyaay community of about 250 inhabitants between Ensenada and San Felip, Baja California

EL MOVIMIENTO CONTINUES…SHORTS

3/16 • 6:00PM • S11

Chicano history, art and the fight for fair labor practices are all explored in this selection of thought-provoking and necessary shorts.

LA CAUSA

Dir. Artutro Ripstein

(29 min., Mexico, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Documentary)

In 1974, Arturo Ripstein sat down with Chicano leader César Chávez

to speak on the movement United Farm Workers union was leading to protect the rights of field workers all over the United States. (Special Restoration presented by IMCINE Mexico.)

FARMING FOR FREEDOM

Dir. Gabriel Amaru Zendejas (5 min., USA, English, Documentary)

In this short documentary, Lawrence Zendejas, a former field worker, discusses growing up as an impoverished Chicano in the United States.

LO SIENTO MI VIDA

Dir. Ashley James (4 min., USA, Spanish, Documentary)

Daniel Valdez, of El Teatro Campesino, David Hidalgo, of Los Lobos, & Eugene Rodriguez, of Los Cenzontles, interpret Lo Siento Mi Vida, composed by Linda Ronstadt, her father Gilbert Ronstadt, and Kenny Edwards.

EL OJO COMIENZA EN LA MANO

Dir. Yehuda Sharim (15 min., USA, English, Documentary)

A tribute to campesino stories in rural CA through the artwork of an artist largely absent from critical conversations on Chicanx art, Ruben A. Sanchez, as well as an unsentimental reckoning with the fate of many cultural workers that struggle between paying rent and/or creative endeavors.

50 YEARS OF CHICANA/O STUDIES

Dir. Paul Espinosa (23 min., USA, English, Documentary)

Former students and professors reflect on the impact which the Department of Chicana/Chicano Studies at San Diego’s City College has had on their lives over the last 50 years.

UN MUNDO EXTRAÑO

3/16 • 8:30PM • S2

Storytellers have always used fantasy, science fiction and unreality to lend some perspective to our everyday experiences. These short films come from this time-honored tradition.

LA MELODÍA TORRENCIAL

Dir. José Luis Saturno (7 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Animation)

A town suffering a long drought entrusts its destiny to a wandering musician who has the power to bring rain with his accordion.

A BITTER MURMUR

Dir. Manuel Baeza (8 min., USA, English, Horror)

When Samantha's struggle with loneliness and isolation brings the return of a haunting presence from her childhood, she is forced to question what is real and what isn't.

EL ESCARABAJO

Dir. Guido Mauas (13 min., Argentina, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Horror)

A man wakes up in the middle of the night and hears a creaking sound that seems to come from the walls. In the following days, he will find that something strange lives inside him.

LA HUERTA, KUMEYAAY PRIDE

DEAD ENDERS

Dir. Fidel Ruiz-Healy, Tyler Walker

(12 min., USA, English, Horror, Comedy)

A disaffected, young gas-station clerk on the midnight shift, must learn to give a damn about something after malevolent mind-controlling bugs are set loose by irresponsible oil drillers.

THE CIGUAPA

Dir. Blaine Morris

(14 min., USA, English, Horror, Supernatural)

Manny and Leo, a queer couple, go to a cabin for their anniversary but a mysterious woman they find in the woods threatens to break them apart.

HIJAS DE BRUJAS

Dir. Faride Schroeder Lases

(12 min., México, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Magic Realism, Horror)

A woman brings her newborn daughter to visit her family in Mexico where they participate in an ancient forest ritual in which they discover they are inevitably connected to the power of their female lineage.

THE BLUE DRUM

Dir. Angelita Mendoza

(16 min., USA, English, Horror, Thriller, Supernatural)

A woman mourning her father's passing is tormented by memories of a mother she never knew. A presence reveals secrets hidden within her family home.

VOSes SHORTS

3/17 • 4:45PM • S11

There are nearly 5.2 million persons of Central American descent in the United States and that number doubled in the last 10 years. VOSes gives voice to those who speak in “vos”. It puts the oft-forgotten voices of Central American characters at the center stage by highlighting the works of Central American filmmakers, helping viewers bypass the stereotypical media portrayals of a culture that is of increasing importance in the American social fabric.

CHECK ON A MATE

Dir. Salvador Aguilar Estrada

(Honduras, Canada, 12 min., English, Drama)

Fred Brooks lives at a nursing home and spends his days playing chess through mail correspondence with his old friend Marcel. One day, Marcel stops writing back to him and now Fred must find out why.

MADELAINE

Dir. Leonor Zúniga

(Nicaragua, 28 min., 2023, Spanish and English w/ English subtitles, DocuShort)

A 20 year old living in exile in Costa Rica prepares for her first art exhibition while she recounts the violent events that forced her to leave Nicaragua during the 2018 national protests.

MEMORIA VIVA: FEBE ELIZABETH VELÁSQUEZ

Dir. Gabriela Turcios & Daniel Portillo

(El Salvador, 7 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Animation)

The life story of unionist Febe Elizabeth Velásquez, leader of the Salvadoran union movement active during the armed conflict of the 1980s.

DIRECCIONES

Dir. María Luisa Santos and Carlo Nasisse

(Costa Rica, 14 min., 2023, Spanish w/ English subtitles. Docu-Short)

In Costa Rica there are no street addresses. Instead, an address contains directions in reference to landmarks. In this film, a woman who has always felt a pressing anxiety by this lack of order tries to understand its origins.

¡OPORTUNIDAD!

Dir. Jesús Vanegas

(El Salvador, 14 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

After going through a depressing job interview, Manuel must face his mother and his friends, who offer different perspectives about the current labor market.

EL ALJIBE

Dir. Alejandro Ferlini

(Spain / Costa Rica, 10 min., 2022, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

Antonio and Alberto live in a world without water. Facing his brother's illness, Antonio climbs to the top of the Volcano in search of the sacred water contained in El Aljibe.

NICTÉ

Dir. Irene Paz

(Guatemala, France, 10 min., 2022, Spanish and French w/ English subtitles, Drama)

A young woman working in an art gallery in Paris tries to stop the auction of a stolen Mayan piece.

¡HAY QUE REIRSE! SHORTS

3/17 • 6:45PM • S10

In a world full of ups and downs these films find comedy in the mundane, laughter in the irreverent and moments of levity in the absurd. When life gets too serious these filmmakers remind us that sometimes you just have to laugh!

(HA-HA)

Dir. Alberto Acosta

(USA, 6 min., 2023, Spanish, English w/ English Subtitles, Comedy)

Alejandro loves to laugh. But after his girlfriend makes a comment about it he becomes self conscious, causing him to stop doing something that he loves. How long can he keep it up?

WISH UPON A DISCO BALL

Dir. Anabel Iñigo

(USA, 19 min., 2022, English, Comedy, Drama)

A disco musical about two Afro-Latina sisters who find out what it means to grow up – and how that doesn’t mean growing apart.

THE GUITAR THIEF

Dir. Miguel Lepe Jr (USA, 16 min., 2023, English, Comedy)

Two Mariachis in a newly gentrified neighborhood try to make their rent in this ‘day in a life’ comedy filled with family drama and shenanigans.

LE PETITE MORT

Dir. Matthew Law & Grasie Mercedes (15 min., 2022, English, Comedy)

Two very hard to please people with repressed sexual energy find

SHORT PROGRAM SYNOPSES

HECHO EN USA

3/18 • 4:45PM • S11

A collection of expertly-crafted shorts that give us a glimpse into the incredibly diverse and ever-evolving U.S. Latine experience.

BAD HOMBREWOOD

Dir. Guillermo Casarin (24 min., USA, English, Documentary)

For decades, the film industry has confined minorities to stereotypical characters. Now, filmmakers fight to change the Latinx role in Hollywood.

THE KILL FLOOR

Dir. Carlos Avila (27 min., USA, English, Spanish w/ English subtitles, Drama)

When the COVID-19 pandemic engulfs a meatpacking plant in his rural hometown, a young reporter returns to uncover the urgent and deadly circumstances threatening the plant’s workers – including his father.

each other and fall in love. But will their energy and chemistry have unforeseen consequences?

PRIVACY COMES FIRST

Dir. Monica Matute

(USA, 3 min., 2023, English, Comedy)

The vibrations in the neighborhood are off when a package delivery exposes one neighbor's intimate secret.

CHICO AND RICO: ANIMAL AVENGERS!

Dir. Jose Montesinos

(USA, 10 min., 2023, English, Comedy, Action/Western)

Two Latino cowboys rescue animals from abusive situations using their gift of animal whispering and martial arts in this action packed comedy/action/western.

ILLEGALLY BROWN

Dir. Gabriela Revilla Lugo

(USA, 13 min., 2023, Spanish/English w/English Subtitles, Comedy)

A satiric, dark comedy about two undocumented sisters stuck south of the border who become the ultimate hope to catch a terrorist organization and save the country that expelled them.

THE BUCK STOP

Dir. Jordan Jacobo

(San Diego, 14 min., 2022, English, Comedy)

In this offbeat local comedy, a grouchy but lovable grocer shows her new employee that the customer isn’t always right.

HOAR

Dir. Jeanette DIlone

(USA, 16min., 2022, English/Spanish w/English subtitles, Comedy, Drama)

A 30-year-old phone sex worker has some great news. She got into Oxford and is getting ready to move across the globe to begin her new life. But first she must deal with her devout Catholic family members and together they must work through some family trauma or make a clean break.

MUNDO

Dir. Charles Garcia Whitcher (20 min., USA, English, Drama)

A young Chicano, who served time for a felony he didn’t commit, hopes to reunite with his high school sweetheart after being released, while at the same time his family lures him back into their life of crime.

SIN RAICES

Dir. Gabriella Athena Moses (15 min., USA, English, Drama)

A recently adopted 8-year-old refugee spends a day preparing for her first red carpet appearance with her new pop star mother when she is haunted by reminders of the life she left behind and awakened to the fragility of her new one.

LA MACANA

Dir. Maria Eugenia Mealla (10 min., USA, English, Dramedy)

Recently divorced Carmen and Franco work through their fervent relationship to support their daughter Sol when she gets her period for the first time.

ILLEGALLY BROWN

Dir. Gabriela Revilla Lugo (USA, 13 min., 2023, Spanish/English w/English Subtitles, Comedy)

A satiric, dark comedy about two undocumented sisters stuck south of the border who become the ultimate hope to catch a terrorist organization and save the country that expelled them.

DREAM CARRIERS

Dir. Esmeralda Hernandez (7 min., USA, English, Drama)

On a final ride through her neighborhood, a college-bound Chicana reflects on past generations of women through the telling of the migration of monarch butterflies.

LA MACANA

Todos los días exploramos la riqueza cultural de nuestra comunidad transfronteriza con historias sobre la gente, los lugares y los temas relevantes para los latinos en San Diego y Tijuana.

hoy. $4 por 4 meses.

Nelvin C. Cepeda - The San Diego Union-Tribune

We know that investing in other people is always worth it

We believe in diverse organizations like yours that make the community a better place. We are inspired by all you’re doing to help others achieve their goals. We see you. That’s why today we are saying thanks.

Proud to sponsor the San Diego Latino Film Festival.

Jeannette M. Gann-Escobar Director, Branch Manager

San Diego Main Branch

1201 5th Avenue

San Diego, CA 91604

619-230-4367

Rudy Maldonado Branch Manager Coronado Branch

800 Orange Avenue Coronado, CA 92118

619-522-6436

Romeo Bondoc Branch Manager

Chula Vista Branch 410 H Street

Chula Vista, CA 91910 619-426-5330