In 1993 punk artist Mabel Valdiviezo flees from war-torn Peru to San Francisco, CA on a tourist visa. Soon she goes from tourist to “undocumented”, living on the fringes of society, struggling to build a life. Being the artist that she is, she documented her struggles through photographic self-portraits, drawings, collages, and visual diaries. Fifteen years later, her documentary Prodigal Daughter makes its world premiere at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival on Thursday, May 30th, 7:00 PM @TCL Chinese Theatre – Cinema 3

Director and producer, Valdiviezo is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work explores migration, gender equality, and healing justice. Prodigal Daughter  follows the filmmaker/artist on a poignant journey to reunite with her family in Peru after 16 years of silence.  Through Mabel’s personal story, the film reveals the struggles of immigrant women living without a safety net, exploring their challenges in staying connected with their families left behind. 

The film weaves vérité scenes with family photos that Valdiviezo transforms into vibrant mixed media “photo-paintings” to convey her emotional separation from her family and her longing for reconnection. Peruvian underground punk art blends with playful stop-motion animations, bringing to life her youth during Peru’s tumultuous 80s. 

“In this current climate, it is crucial to craft narratives that offer multifaceted portrayals of immigrant lives that mirror the richness of our communities,” Valdiviezo said.  She  emphasizes the importance of challenging the mainstream stereotypical depiction of immigrants.

Valdiviezo’s production company Haiku Films is focused on producing compelling documentaries that explore pressing issues of our times, utilizing community storytelling as a catalyst for cultural change. 

Valdiviezo plans to grow a robust social impact campaign and partner with immigrant and women organizations, to bring the film to community centers, schools, broadcast, and online audiences. 

For ticket information:  bit.ly/3JZeLiT

“Prodigal Daughter” visit prodigaldaughterthemovie.com.

The post ‘Prodigal Daughter’ Fifteen Years in the Making, Makes World Premiere at LALIFF first appeared on .

The three winning selections are Omni Loop, directed by Bernardo Britto; Sisters, written, produced, and performed by Marta Mendez, Valeria Maldonado, and Virginia Novello; and Papa Melissa, directed by Sophia Stieglitz and produced by Constanza Castro and Dominica Castro.

Over 78 Individual directors and independent production companies submitted a picture-locked cut in the final stages of production for consideration, and the top three were selected based on their unique directorial voice, cultural significance, and commercial viability. The funds will be divided based on each project’s post-production needs. Additionally, Amazon Studios will offer additional support to the filmmakers through mentoring and in-kind resources.

“We are very proud of the winners of our first ever LALIFF Works in Progress competition. We are grateful for Amazon Studios’ support and excited to see these filmmakers complete their feature films” shared LALIFF Artistic Director Diana Cadavid.

“At Amazon Studios we are committed to removing barriers to success at all points in the creative process,” said Jerome Core, Head of US & WW DEIA Content for Amazon Studios. “We are thrilled to join LALIFF in helping these talented creatives achieve their filmmaking goals.”

LALIFF Works In Progress finishing fund-winning films are:

Omni Loop – Diagnosed with a black hole growing inside her chest and stuck in a loop reliving the last five days of her life, a 55-year-old wife and mother from Miami, Florida decides to solve time travel in order to go back and be the person she always intended to be. Omni Loop stars Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) and Ayo Edebiri (Bottoms, The Bear). It is directed by Britto and produced by David Hinojosa and Benjamin Cohen. The film was part of the Sundance screenwriters and creative producer labs.

Sisters – Following in the footsteps of their beloved grandmother, three estranged Mexican-American sisters take an adventure through rural Mexico to complete a pilgrimage. Maria, having recently discovered she has cancer, reunites her sisters in hopes of finding a miracle. Yet, as she attempts to keep her illness a secret, the tension between Sofia and Lucia seems to interrupt any chance of healing. With no hiking experience or reception, the sisters encounter challenges at every turn, but with the help of a local botanist with a dark past, the magic of Mexico will fill them with adventure and hope. The disease and the pilgrimage will bind them together in an attempt to find healing, forgiveness, and an unexpected miracle. The film stars writers Mendez, Maldonado, and Novello as well as Cristo Fernandez (Ted Lasso).

Papá Melissa – At home Papá, on the street Melissa. Set in Mexico City, a family of street merchants reconcile with their father´s non-binary identity: exploring gender roles and contradictory emotions. Papá Melissa takes us through an internal battle of crashing beauty constructs and parental duties. Identifying as a two-spirited person, this father and family challenge society’s general beliefs. Directed by Stieglitz and produced by Constanza and Doménica Castro at 271 Films.

LALIFF Works in Progress is an expansion of Amazon Studios and LFI’s current relationship; Amazon Studios is the exclusive sponsor of LFI’s Youth Cinema Project (YCP) Alumni program for the 2022-2023 school year. The program connects over 300 students to hands-on access and learning opportunities across the industry, including mentoring and assistance with college applications. The sponsorship also includes the inaugural YCP Fellowship initiative, which provided 17 college-bound students with resources to make a high-quality short film to strengthen their film school applications and scholarship opportunities. The finished film screened at LALIFF in June.

Visit https://laliff.org/programs/wip/ for more details on the LALIFF Works in Progress program.

The post LALIFF and Amazon Studios Announce Works in Progress Finishing Fund Recipients first appeared on .

It has been seventeen years in the making, but the film Moe, directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela and adapted for the screen by Evelina Fernandez from her GLAAD Award-winning play, Dementia, will finally have its World Premiere on June 3 at The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival In Hollywood.

Moises (Sal Lopez) — his friends call him Moe — is throwing a going away party because he’s dying of AIDS. He’s a theater artist working on a one-man, or rather, one-woman… show. He invites his closest friends over for his “going away for good” party, but his plans go awry when his best friend, who has given himself to the Lord, and his ex, whom he hasn’t seen in 15 years, show up. All the while Moe’s alter ego, a torch-singing drag queen, wants to take him for “the ride of his life.”

Moe is the long-anticipated feature film by the team that brought you Luminarias (1999), the Latina Sex In the City feature also written by Fernandez and directed by Valenzuela.

When produced for the stage in 2002 it was entitled Dementia, and it went on to win the GLAAD Award for Outstanding Theater Production in Los Angeles, and garnered four Ovation Award nominations.

Lopez originated the role on stage, alongside fellow Latino Theater Company members Geoffrey Rivas, Lucy Rodriguez, and Fernández. Also appearing in the film version are Tonantzin Esparza, Pepe Serna (Life is Art, With Love), Richard Coca and Renée Victor (With Love).

“It took 17 years to bring Moe to the big screen,” says Valenzuela. “We shot the film in 2005 on 35mm, with a very limited budget. It was only the generous support of our friends, colleagues, and community, who remained passionate about reaching a wider audience with the story, that enabled us to finally bring it to the screen.”

Burro Squad Productions, the film division of L.A.’s Latino Theater Company produced the film. The premiere is set as part of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival to screen in the Chinese 6 Theatre on Saturday, June 3 at 5:30 p.m.

For more information, go to www.moefeaturefilm.com.

The post ‘Moe’ A Torch-Singing Drag Queen’s Lifestory Shot 17 Years Ago Finally Gets Premiere first appeared on .

The festival is five days of screenings, live music, panels, and networking opportunities, celebrating the diversity and talent of the Latino/a artists and storytellers from our community. This year’s lineup features 44 females (representing over 50% of the program), 13 Afro/Black Latino, nine Indigenous, and 16 LGBTQ+ directors, with 19 different countries represented.

OPENING NIGHT FILM AND GALA

LALIFF kicks off on May 31 with the West Coast premiere of Eva Longoria’s feature film directorial debut Flamin’ Hot, the story of Richard Montañez a Frito Lay janitor who had an idea that a spiced up Cheetos snack would resonate with his community with a little “chili” added. With his grassroots marketing the snack to his community, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos became a global pop culture phenomenon.

Jesse Garcia plays Montañez with Annie Gonzalez playing his wife Judy. Included in the cast are Emilio Rivera, Tony Shalhoub, Bobby Soto, Pepe Serna and Brice Gonzalez among others. The after party will include musical performances, featuring La Misa Negra.

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES: June 1, 2023

You Were My First Boyfriend: Directed by Cecilia Aldarondo & Sarah Enid Hagey. Synopsis: In this high school reunion movie turned inside out, filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo relives her tortured adolescence, wondering if she remembered it all wrong.

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES: June 3, 2023

Patria Y Vida: The Power of Music. Directed by Beatriz Luengo. Synopsis: The powerful story of six afro descendants rappers who have rewritten Cuban history and sparked a lyrical battle for human rights through a song called “Patria y Vida”. 

Moe: Directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela. Synopsis: is name is Moises, but his friends call him Moe. He’s having a going away party because he’s dying of AIDS.

For Full schedule of features screeing June 1 – June 4 CLICK HERE

A SLATE OF SHORT FILMS

For the 2023 edition of LALIFF, we are proud to be presenting a collection of 42 live action short films directed by Latino filmmakers from regions all over the world including the U.S., Latin America, and Europe! Be sure to check out the different short programs, as well as the ones that will be presented alongside a feature.

Thursday, June 1 at 6:30 PM

This short program aptly includes teenagers looking to have their first time (Before Madrid), grocery store workers facing creatures from out of this world (Dead Enders), a poetic contemplation of queer activism (Flores del Otro Patio), a cowgirl learning the ropes (How to Lasso), the fight of migrant workers against wage theft in Florida (Monarcas), a love affair with a fictional heartthrob (Consuelo), a young woman facing her obsession with food (Detox), and a gathering at the hottest dance spot in town (Hot Latin Nights at the Granada!).

FRIDAY, JUNE 2 at 8:30 PM

In this program we see a young woman whose best friend is a ghost (A History of Sitting in Waiting Rooms (Or Whatever Longer Title you Prefer)), the last two speakers of an Indigenous language struggling to keep it alive (Still Here), a maid in search for her place in society (Clinging to Air), the paranoia inside an office (In the Static), a couple struggling to choose a name for their newborn (23 Semanas), a love letter to Afro-Latina islanders (Negra, Yo Soy Bella), a damning criticism of gentrification (This One is for the Neighborhood) and a look into vibrant a Mexico City dance subculture (Danzoneros). There is something for everyone.

SUNDAY, JUNE 4 at 1:45 PM

The final shorts program, come watch a strange phenomenon overtaking people in the streets (The Hour of the Birds), a complicated look into family relationships (Mother’s Daughter), a gang of badass women standing up for themselves (Bumblebees), a group of young immigrant children helping their parents survive (Translators), the undying love for a mother amidst a health crisis (Pedacito de Carne), an unlikely connection in the underbelly of Mexico City (Strange World), and the most bizarre commercial shoot you’ve experienced (SABORRRR!). We have great stories up until the very end!

LALIFF will wrap up the festival on a high with Problemista, from writer, director, and actor Julio Torres. The film tells the story of an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast, interpreted by Tilda Swinton, becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream.

LALIFF offers a schedule feature films, shorts and workshops. SEE IT HERE

Purchase tickets at https://bit.ly/3VU8AlE.

The post 22nd Edition of LALIFF May 31-June 4, 2023 at TCL Chinese Theatre first appeared on .

Individual directors and independent production companies are invited to submit a picture locked cut of their feature length scripted or documentary film. A jury of post-production professionals will divide the funds among the three top projects, based on their post-production needs. Funds recipients will be announced at this year’s LALIFF, which is presented by the Latino Film Institute (LFI) and takes place in Los Angeles May 31-June 4.

Throughout its history, LALIFF has bestowed the Gabriel Figueroa Lifetime Achievement Award to such industry icons as, Raul Julia, Pedro Almodovar, Carlos Saura, Maria Felix, Anthony Quinn, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Federico Luppi, Rita Moreno, Ricardo Montalban, Antonio Banderas, Ignacio Lopez Tarso, Gustavo Santaolalla and, of course, Gabriel Figueroa himself.

“We are very excited to announce the expansion of our collaboration with Amazon Studios through the inaugural LALIFF Works in Progress initiative. By supporting this program, Amazon is supporting our work as we continue to elevate Latino voices in a landscape where it’s difficult for filmmakers from our community to secure post-productions funds”, said Academy Award® nominated actor, founder of the Latino Film Institute and co-founder of LALIFF, Edward James Olmos.

“At Amazon Studios we strive to remove barriers to success in the creative process. It is part of the equity work we are committed to doing” said Latasha Gillespie, global head of DEIA for Amazon Studios and Prime Video. “LALIFF Works in Progress is a compelling example of our Inclusion Policy and Playbook in action.”

LALIFF Works in Progress is an expansion of Amazon Studios and LFI’s current relationship; Amazon Studios is the exclusive sponsor of LFI’s Youth Cinema Project (YCP) Alumni program for the 2022-2023 school year.  The program connects over 300 students to hands-on access and learning opportunities across the industry, including mentoring and assistance with college applications. The sponsorship also includes the inaugural YCP Fellowship initiative, which provides 19 college bound students with resources to make a high-quality short film to strengthen their film school applications and scholarship opportunities. The finished film will screen at LALIFF in June. 

The LALIFF Youth Program, a screen education program that took place at the festival, set the groundwork for what would eventually become the statewide, public school educational film program known as, the Youth Cinema Project.

Visit here for more details on the LALIFF Works in Progress program and how to submit.

Amazon Studios is the home for talent, creating and producing Original films and television series for a global audienceAmazon Studios also produces and acquires Original movies for theatrical release and exclusively for Prime Video, in addition to producing Original content for Freevee, Amazon’s premium free streaming service.

The post Amazon Studios Expands Support For LALIFF Initiative ‘Works in Progress’ first appeared on .

The YCP/Amazon Fellowship provides young filmmakers with mentorship and funding to create short films; this particular short film, created by the cohort, will premiere at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) 2023. More info on this festival below.
https://laliff.org

The are currently are looking for Latinas and Afro Latinas between the ages of 18 and 22, to play brave and edgy non conforming punk rock musicians. No need to know how to play anything or sing, just give us the aesthetic and speak some Spanish.

Shoot Dates are April 14th – 16th in Los Angeles, CA. 

TALENT MUST BE LOS ANGELES LOCAL. The project is SAG-AFTRA and is a paid gig.
Send your submission materials (picture, resume, phone number and email) to solsupernovacasting@cris-franco

Casting for the following roles

[V] To Play 18 to 22; Latina; female. Brave and reckless. A nonconformist who uses anger to cover up her emotional sensitivity. 

[ANDY] To Play 18 to 22, Afro-Latina; female. V’s girlfriend. She is almost always calm and collected. The voice of reason. She mostly defers to her partner V, who is a lot more assertive. 

[BELLA] To Play 18 to 22, Latina, female. Bella has a strong urge to express herself and is very passionate. She plays drums in a rock band with her roommates.

If you fit these roles. Submit as soon as possible

Creative team includes:

Producing Mentor: Gabriela Gonzalez, Directing Mentor: Anthony Nardolillo , Writers: Kimberly Mediola Leon and Alyssa Rodriguez, Casting Director: Candido Cornejo, CSA, Casting Assistant: Michael Padilla

The post Casting Latina & Afro-Latina Punk Rock Musicians 18-22 + ‘Sol Supernova’ first appeared on .

The Los Angeles-based program will start in June and with 10 select participants who will learn how to navigate the entertainment industry and build awareness of the business skills required to get a film to the screen. 

“This partnership with the Academy marks another important step in ensuring that Hollywood truly represents the diversity and richness that the Latino community has to offer,” said Edward James Olmos, co-founder of LALIFF.  “We are honored to be able to support these talented filmmakers by offering them the right tools for the continuous growth in their careers.”

The cohort is composed of LALIFF award-winning filmmakers and Inclusion Fellowship recipients. The program is part of Aperture 2025, the Academy’s ongoing commitment to inclusion, representation and equity, and is supported by TelevisaUnivision’s new global streaming service, ViX.

“We are so grateful to LALIFF and ViX for playing a central role in our vision to invest in filmmakers from different communities, backgrounds and experiences,” said Shawn Finnie, the Academy’s Executive Vice President, Member Relations and Awards. 

The Accelerator will be led by the Academy’s VP of Impact and Operations Jeanell English and Associate Director, Member Relations and Awards Angelica Cervantes.  Through our Academy members and industry executives, this program will address the important, yet often overlooked, topic of the business of film.”

The participants will engage in a series of workshops and masterclasses centered around content distribution, facilitated by leaders across the film industry.  Topics will include creative pitching, marketing and promotions, production development, and more.  Participants will each receive exclusive networking opportunities, mentoring from Academy members, a $10,000 stipend to go towards all aspects of distributing and promoting their projects, or to offset living costs, and the opportunity to pitch current or future projects to industry leaders.

The participants who will be acknowledged at the LA Latino Film Festival during the June 1 – 5 dates are: 

Miguel Angel Caballero
Lorena Durán
Michael Flores
Justin Floyd
Gabriela Garcia Medina
Monica Moore-Suriyage
Gabriela Ortega
Kase Peña
Tamara Shogaolu
Maite Zubiaurre

The post AMPAS & LALIFF Join Forces on Film Accelerator first appeared on .

Los Angeles, CA — All Sorts, the second feature film from Writer/Director J. Rick Castañeda will have its premiere as an Official Feature Selection at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) on June 2nd.

Castañeda is an award-winning writer/director of branded content and narrative films, and the founder of Vibrant Penguin. All Sorts is a Kafkaesque comedy about a lonely data entry clerk who stumbles into the world of championship folder filing. Castañeda’s Vibrant Penguin a multimedia production company based in L.A. is producing.

Set in the world of Data-Mart All Sorts follows Diego. Diego is desperate – for a job, and so he finds himself in the strange, strange land of Data-Mart where he is hired to work by Vasquez, the absurd boss who loves data but can’t type. There he meets June and they begin to fall for each other as they make their way into the secret world of underground filing.  

“I had a hard time getting into the film industry and had to work a lot of office jobs. I found them really depressing, but that struggle was the inspiration for this movie. So in some ways, it feels like I was able to use that unfortunate experience to get this ‘yes’ in Hollywood.”

The All Sorts cast includes Eli Vargas as Diego (Chavez, You, Me and Dupree, Arrested Development); Greena Park is June (The Comedown, Family from Tang). Together, the two journey through a wildly unexpected office adventure.

All Sorts screens at LALIFF on Thursday, June 2 at 6:45 p.m. at TCL Chinese 6 Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood. “LALIFF is an incredibly selective festival, so being invited to screen there means a lot,” said Castañeda.

All Sorts is set in the world of Data-Mart, an office where paperclips come alive, employees get physically lost inside filing cabinets, and the boss accidentally fires himself. “The film is a very positive story about love, friendship, and finding magic in a dim, drab place,” said Castañeda. “The aim is to get people to look at their world in a different way.”

All Sorts was previously screened at the 2021 Raindance Film Festival and the 2021 Seattle International Film Festival, where it received many positive reviews. “This isn’t just a movie for lovers of off-beat office comedies,” said Producer Laura Reich. “From the reviews and comments we’ve received so far, the film is really connecting with larger audiences seeking a feel-good indie movie.”  To purchase tickets Click here.

Castañeda’s first feature film, Cement Suitcase, was an Official Selection of LALIFF in 2013.

Instagram: @laliff_  Twitter: @laliff  Facebook: facebook.com/laliff

The post LALIFF: ‘All Sorts’ A Kafkaesque Comedy By J. Rick Castañeda first appeared on .

Los Angeles, CA – Founder of the Latino Film Institute, Academy Award®-nominated actor Edward James Olmos recently announce the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) return for its 21st edition and with it the lineup of films and events that will take place June 1 – 5 at the iconic TCL Chinese Theater and TCL Chinese 6 in Hollywood, CA.

This year’s festival will open with the Disney Original Documentary Mija directed by Isabel Castro.  The documentary follows Doris Muñoz, who began a career in music talent management and met Jacks Haupt, an auspicious young singer, both share the ever-present guilt of being the first American-born members of their undocumented families.  

The closing night film will be Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max’s Father of the Bride directed by Gaz Alazraki with an ensemble cast led by Oscar nominee Andy Garcia alongside Gloria Estefan, Adria Arjona, Diego Boneta, Isabela Merced, and Chloe Fineman.

The full lineup includes feature films, short films, episodic, animation, master classes, and musical performances. 

“LALIFF Is proud to present a diverse line-up of Latino storytellers,” said Edward James Olmos, co-founder of LALIFF. “The festival has seen tremendous growth, with support from both the film industry and our audience, allowing us to showcase and nurture important voices that the world needs to hear.”

The festival program comprises 17 feature films from the US, Latin America and Canada. Every film and episodic will have an in-person screening, and a selection will be available online, on-demand, from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM on Sunday, June 5th.

Other noted films screening during the festival are A Place in the Field directed by Nicole Mejia (currently a fellow of the LALIFF Inclusion Fellowship), All Sorts directed by J. Rick Castañeda (who was part of LALIFF’s Official Selection in 2016 with Cement Suitcase), and Blood Red Ox directed by Rodrigo Bellot (his previous feature, Tu Me Manques, was Bolivia’s submission for the Goyas and the Academy Awards in 2019).

The documentary program includes My Two Voices directed by Lina Rodriguez (which premiered at this year’s Berlinale as part of the Forum section); Comala, directed by Gian Cassini (an official selection by the Toronto, Morelia and Guadalajara Film Festivals), Pepe Serna: Life is Art directed by Luis Reyes, about the groundbreaking Mexican-American character actor Pepe Serna and whose body of work proves the lasting power and importance of character actors; and What We Leave Behind directed by Iliana Sosa, that tells the story of her grandfather’s lifetime of bus rides across the border to visit his children in the U.S. 

“You will find some of the boldest films, TV series and music, with 50% of the program directed by women,” said Diana Cadavid, LALIFF’s Festival Director. “We offer a platform for our artists to connect with a diverse and multicultural audience, as well as with important players in the industry,” said Diana Cadavid, LALIFF’s Festival Director. 

The Latinx inclusion Fellowship Series, sponsored by Netflix, will include five Afro Latino and five Indigenous Latino filmmakers. All ten filmmakers will be premiering their short films at LALIFF 2022.

Celebration animation this year the festival includes the Latino Film Institute’s premiere of two animated series from Mexico and the Cafecito Talks, conversations that cover a broad spectrum of perspectives in the animation world, featuring industry leaders and diverse talent and artists.

The festival has three juried competitions in the Live Action Short, Animated Short and Short Episodic categories.

The LALIFF Music 5th edition will highlight exceptional and diverse Latino/a talent, music panels, networking lounges, and celebrate the art and sound. 

LALIFF this year will collaborate with AltaMed Health Services to celebrate the work of Harry Gamboa Jr., Chicano artist (photographer, performance artist, director), author, educator, and currently the Director of the Photo/Media Program at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). The festival will showcase a selection of his photography and video artwork, spanning over six decades.

LALIFF’s Industry Days includes one on one meetings and networking events, a series of panels of industry talks covering a wide variety of topics. 

The two-day Legacy event, LALIFF’s student film festival, returns with over 100 films shot and produced by students of the Youth Cinema Project and will include student film premieres, panels, Q&As, special events and workshops, and screenings.

For more information and listing of sponsors for the festival For the LALIFF full programming slate, schedule and sponsor listing please visit www.laliff.org.Tickets are now available to purchase through the festival’s site here.

The post LALIFF 21st Edition: From Studio Films to Youth Cinema Projects first appeared on .

The film follows the Águilas del Desierto, a volunteer group that searches for missing immigrants in the southern Sonoran Desert in the border state of Arizona. Once a month Aguilas members, including construction workers, gardeners and domestic laborers, set out to investigate the potential, tragic tragedies of immigrants who risk their lives in hopes for a better life in the United States. 

The film is directed by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and Maite Zubiaurre, two college professors for whom immigration is an important element of their professional, artistic and activist work.

Guevara-Flanagan is an associate professor at the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television who has been making documentary films on gender, death and the Latino community for nearly two decades. For her part, Zubiaurre is also a UCLA professor, teaching European languages and transcultural studies, Spanish and Portuguese, digital humanities and urban humanities. She also leads a collaborative project on migrant death and border activism and art. Zubiaurre is the author of Talking Trash. Cultural Uses of Waste, a book about contemporary litter and its meanings and artistic possibilities.

The Fotokem Award jury members were actress/singer Jackie Cruz of Orange Is the New Black, HBO and HBO Max Director of Content Acquisition Amanda Trokan and actor/writer/director Edson Jean (Grown, Moonlight).

A total of four awards were handed out to shorts at the 20th edition of LALIFF.

The Fotokem Award for Best Direction of a Live Action Short Film went to Gabriela Ortega for In Case I’m Next about systemic racism against and attacks on Black lives in the name of law and order.

Kristian Mercado’s Nuevo Rico took the Best Animated Short Film Award. The film revolves around a brother and sister who discover a secret that propels them to reggaeton stardom only to discover the heavy prices of fame.

Also, Victor Orozco Ramírez received the Special Jury Recognition for Innovative Storytelling for his film Revolykus, a German/Mexico co-production.

Twenty-four shorts competed at LALIFF, hailing from countries like Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Chile Mexico, Spain and the United States. The fest ran June 2 through 6 in Hollywood.

Featured Photo: Águilas (Credit: LALIFF)

The post Immigration Doc ‘Águilas’ Wins LALIFF Short Film Competition first appeared on .