LALIFF will open with critically acclaimed In the Summers, and close with the World Premiere of Grassland.
This edition will include an expanded industry program footprint with a new film market, over 90 films, 19 world premieres, and over 150 Youth Cinema Project student films.
Festival to take place May 29 – June 2, 2024
LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 6, 2024 – Latino Film Institute (LFI) today announced the full lineup for the 23rd Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), which will take place from May 29th through June 2nd, 2024, at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, CA. This year, the festival is expanding by creating a new section, LALIFF Eastside, showcasing films by L.A.-based filmmakers at the Regal L.A. Live. The festival will open with the critically acclaimed In the Summers, directed by Alessandra Lacorazza and starring René Pérez Joglar (Residente), Sasha Calle, Lío Mehiel, and Leslie Grace, and will close with the World Premiere of Grassland, written and directed by William Bermudez and Sam Friedman and starring Mía Maestro, Jeff Kober, Quincy Isaiah, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, and Sean Convery. The complete lineup includes feature films, short films, episodic works, animation, masterclasses, panels, networking sessions, musical performances, and LALIFF’s first film market. Tickets are available for purchase now on the festival’s site.
In the Summers tells the story of Violeta and Eva who, every summer, visit their loving but reckless father Vicente, who tries to atone for the past by creating a world of wonder for them to experience. But old wounds do not heal easily and despite the fun facade, Vicente’s battle with addiction gradually erodes the magic, culminating in a devastating tragedy. The film won the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award for Lacorazza at the Sundance Film Festival.
Grassland explores the failures of the criminal justice system through the lens of a single Latina mother whose illegal marijuana business is jeopardized when her young son befriends their new neighbors. The film is celebrating its world premiere at the festival.
“LALIFF serves as a platform to uplift and highlight the remarkable contributions of Latino creators in film and television, and as the yearly culmination of programs under our institute’s umbrella. As we expand our footprint, we will continue to be driven by a simple but powerful goal: excellence.” said Edward James Olmos, Co-Founder of LALIFF.
“This is an incredible opportunity for studios, education professionals, and the artistic Latino community to come together,” said Axel Caballero, CEO of LFI. “The generous support of our sponsors has allowed us to broaden our offerings with an expanded industry program, a new film market, and a second venue for our screenings. Supporting our community is always top priority, and this year we are hyper focused on amplifying the work of Latinas in front of and behind the camera. We look forward to this year’s celebration.”
LALIFF 2024 will offer diverse programming in a wide variety of genres, including highly anticipated world premieres, as well as films from Latin America that have been praised at some of the most prestigious film festivals around the world, portraying a broad range of topics through cutting-edge films from the vanguard of current Latino cinema.
FEATURES
Feature films from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, U.S., Uruguay, and Venezuela make up the program of 22 films, seven of which will be presenting their world premieres.
This section of the festival will feature a bold selection of female directors including multidisciplinary artist Mabel Valdiviezo with her latest documentary Prodigal Daughter, Mar Novo with Sisters, María Zanetti with Alemania, Gabriela A. Moses with Boca Chica, Antonella Sudasassi Furniss with Memories of a Burning Body, Carolina Markowicz with Toll, Ángeles Cruz with Valentina or the Serenity, and Lillah Halla with Power Alley. Some of these films have received praise from film critics and audiences at key international film festivals such as the Festival de Cannes, the Berlinale, and the Toronto International Film Festival.
Featured world premieres include, among others, the documentaries Paper Butterfly, directed by Rafael Medina Adalfio, a co-production between Venezuela and the U.S. and Speaking Out, directed by John Solis. The Strike, a documentary directed by JoeBill Muñoz and Lucas Guilkey, comes to Los Angeles after its world premiere at the HotDocs Film Festival in Canada.
The following titles complete the international selection: About 30 by the Argentinian director Martín Shanly; the documentary film Igualada, directed by Juan Mejia Botero; Bionico’s Bachata directed by Yoel Morales, from the Dominican Republic; and Rain, a Mexican film by director Rodrigo García Saiz.
LALIFF EASTSIDE
In an effort to amplify its impact and embrace the essence of Los Angeles, LALIFF 2024 is introducing an additional program with a spotlight on L.A.-based filmmakers. LALIFF Eastside will celebrate four highly-anticipated world premieres with screenings at the Regal L.A. Live. Eastside’s lineup includes F.L.Y., directed by Rafael Albarran and Trent Kendrick; Say a Little Prayer, directed by Patrick Perez Vidauri; The Unexpecteds, directed by Alejandro Montoya Marín; and The Wingwalker, directed by Alonso Alvarez-Barreda.
LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATED SHORTS
The short film selection comprises 36 live action and 12 animated shorts originating from over 11 countries. Out of the overall selection, 31 are directed by U.S. Latinos, 22 by women, and 12 will be presenting their world premieres. Audiences can enjoy these diverse short films either as standalone screenings or paired with featured films.
Among the programs is “Nosotras,” featuring nine shorts portraying women’s experiences, all directed by women. Notable is the Chilean film Yaya, directed by Leticia Akel Escárate.
“Unhinged” offers a captivating journey through films exploring the loss of innocence, providing a compelling examination of the human condition. A highlight of this program is the Puerto Rican film Cousins, directed by Ricardo J. Varona.
“Spaces/Places” delves into the nostalgia for lost places and people, guiding viewers through an exploration of the reciprocal relationship between spaces and individuals. Anchoring the films in this program is Querido Pequeño Haití, directed by Diana Larrea.
Carnívora, directed by Felipe Vargas, embodies the spirit of “Ocaso,” a program that presents a diverse array of fantasy and horror films, each featuring characters entangled in the allure of art, religion, family, death, and the American dream.
The “Anímate” program showcases the work of Latino animators and the imaginative worlds they create.
Highlighted in this program is The Other Side, directed by Niki López.
EPISODICS
The festival will present the World Premiere of ESPN Deportes’ Las Amazonas de Yaxunah, directed by Alfonso Algara, written by Tlatoani Carrera and narrated by Academy Award-nominated actress Yalitza Aparicio and the U.S. premiere of the animated action-comedy Rey Mysterio vs The Darkness, written and directed by Calavera Hermanos.
A selection of episodic shorts will include the world premieres of two titles. Dreams & Schemes, created by Dolores Rivera and co-directed by Daniel Fermín Pfeffer and Carlos Cardona, and Gringo Latino, created and directed by Eric Delgado. It also includes the U.S. Premieres of The LAnd, created by Andrés Orellana and co-directed with Brittany Anders Esparza, and Vida which is created and directed by Maria Valdez.
AWARDS
The Best U.S. Latino Live Action Short and Best U.S. Latina Director of a Live Action Short awards will be presented by Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo and jury members for this category are: Pete Corona, development executive; Francis Román, Senior Film & TV Festival Programming Manager at SXSW; and Amanda Ross, Director of Strategy and Analytics at NBCU TV, DEI.
The Best U.S. Episodic Short will be presented by FX and the jury members for this category are: Shola Ajewole, Senior Vice President of Creative and Cultural Diversity for FX and FX Productions; Lynette Coll, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Rabble; and Anthony Nardolillo, award-winning film and television director and producer.
The Best Animated Short will be presented by LatinX in Animation (LXiA) with the support of Cartuna, and the jury members for that category are: Sydney Bright, Head of Global Animation at Wattpad WEBTOON Studios; Louis Gonzalez, animator; and Angeline Izquierdo, creative director.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
The festival will feature special screenings of all films created throughout the year by the LFI Fellowships, including the Inclusion Fellowship, the Spark Animation Fellowship and YCP Alumni Fellowship. The program will also showcase films from the 2024 NGLmitú x Walmart Filmmaker Mentorship Program, featuring directors selected in collaboration with LFI.
YCP@LALIFF
More than 150 short films will be showcased at LALIFF’s student festival within the festival. The Youth Cinema Project (YCP), one of LFI’s signature programs, works in the classrooms of public schools, integrating filmmaking with 21st century learning skills and utilizes a rigorous standards-based curriculum and a hands-on approach that integrates social emotional learning and English Language Arts. YCP@LALIFF is a two-day event where students will take part in red carpets, panels, workshops, and masterclasses. The acclaimed YCP LiveReads, where Latinx Hollywood will take the stage to perform live readings of scripts written by public school students, will return again this year.
LALIFF MUSIC
LALIFF Music is back for its seventh edition, featuring music performances by U.S. Latino-based artists, which will take place every night of the festival. The lineup will be announced at a later date.
LALIFF FILM MARKET
A brand new initiative from LFI, the LALIFF Film Market will offer a carefully curated catalog of commercially viable U.S. Latino films to sales agents and buyers for potential acquisition and distribution. Employing a meticulous selection process, the market will present a selected group of features that are in post-production during LALIFF 2024. Moreover, the market will showcase the U.S. Latino world premieres included in the festival’s official selection.
LALIFF INDUSTRY FORUM
The LALIFF Industry Forum will feature panels and workshops presented by Amazon MGM Studios, ESPN Films, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures Animation, STARZ, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. The forum will also include three-day masterclasses on distribution and visual storytelling presented by Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo.
LALIFF 2024 SPONSORS
LALIFF 2024 is presented by the generous support from the following sponsors: Platinum Sponsor: Youth
Cinema Project; Premier Sponsor: Los Angeles Times; Grand Sponsor: Warner Bros. Discovery; Principal
Sponsor: Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo; YCP Alumni and LFI Works in Progress sponsor: Amazon MGM Studios; and LFI Inclusion Fellowship and LFI Spark Animation Fellowship sponsor: Netflix. Our Official Sponsors tier includes Cartoon Network Studios, Egeda US, ESPN Films, FX, High Performance Learning Environments, Nickelodeon, Ovation Hollywood, Sony Pictures Entertainment, STARZ, Variety, and Warner Bros. Animation.
For the LALIFF full program slate and schedule please visit www.laliff.org.
Download LALIFF 2024 Poster here.
Download LALIFF 2024 Film Stills here.
About Latino Film Institute (LFI)
The Latino Film Institute (LFI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating infrastructure for equity, diversity, and excellence for the Latino community in the entertainment industry. LFI houses five signature programs: The Youth Cinema Project (YCP), the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), LatinX in Animation (LXiA), LFI Scholar, and LFI Spotlight Series. For more information on LFI, visit www.latinofilm.org.
About Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF)
The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) is a premiere international event dedicated to showcasing the entirety of human experience from the Latino perspective, whether through film, television, digital, music, art, or any other vehicle, regardless of platform. For more information and updates on LALIFF visit www.laliff.org
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Media Contact:
Loraine Valverde – Latino Film Institute
[emailprotected]
