NFMLA Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema 2024

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) hosts its annual NFMLA Film Festival InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema program. The line-up consists of four short film programs of noteworthy independent films from new talent that encompass a diversity of genres, narrative approaches and stories, told by emerging filmmakers from and working in Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, France, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United States.

The in-person festival day programming begins with InFocus: São Paulo, a collection of films curated in partnership with SPCINE and Kinoforum that highlight the work of a diverse range of filmmakers from the city of São Paulo, Brazil. This block of films explores ideas of home, family and motherhood, mental health, ambiguous loss, queerness, self-determination and fighting for what’s right under seemingly impossible circumstances.

The program continues with InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema I, a selection of shorts which offers a wealth of characters with creative approaches to problem solving, who are finding their own ways of overcoming and coming to terms, who are grieving and holding space for hope and joy.

Next, InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema II, a collection of stories about self determination, healing and creating our own destiny. These are stories of overcoming generational trauma, reviving traditions, coming to terms with complicated childhood experiences, escaping a predetermined future, coming to terms with betrayal and finding your own voice and self-expression.

The night concludes with InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema III, which takes us into the realm of magical realism, experimental narratives and things that aren’t as they seem. There are heroes emerging from unlikely places, a dreamlike exploration of wealth and immigration, great joy found in simple pleasures, the madness of grief, the pursuit of a better future, and fraught expeditions to the depths of our own psyche.

NFMLA showcases films by filmmakers of all backgrounds throughout the year, across both our general and InFocus programming. All filmmakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their projects for consideration for upcoming NFMLA Festivals, regardless of the schedule for InFocus programming, which celebrates diversity, inclusion and region by spotlighting communities of filmmakers within our filmmaking community as part of our monthly program. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The South Park Center is an ADA compliant venue and is wheelchair accessible. We request captioned films from all filmmakers participating at our Festival. For any accessibility needs, please send a request to [email protected] at least 72 hours prior to the event.

Program #1 – InFocus: São Paulo

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM - Pre-Reception

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM – Program

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #2 – InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema I

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM – Pre-Reception

3:15 PM - 5:00 PM – Program

5:00 PM - 5:15 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #3 – InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema II

5:15 PM - 5:45 PM – Pre-Reception

5:45 PM - 7:30 PM – Program

7:30 PM - 7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #4 – InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema III

7:45 PM - 8:15 PM – Pre-Reception

8:15 PM - 10:00 PM – Program

10:00 PM - 10:15 PM – Audience Q&A

Host or Publisher NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA)