Monthly Film Festival

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) hosts its annual NFMLA Film Festival InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema program. The selection features three short film programs showcasing significant and thought-provoking independent films by emerging filmmakers from and working in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela, and the United States.

For all-access passholders, the festival’s opening reception will feature complimentary food from Pink’s Hot Dogs and a specialty “border” spirit, sotol, made in Chihuahua, Mexico, by Casa Lotos Sotol.

The day begins with InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema I, a selection that blends coming-of-age narratives with explorations of complex, sometimes challenging, and meaningful family dynamics. This program captures parental expectations, finding one’s own footing (and guidance) through early experiences of discrimination, fraught family mental health discussions, finding a way through together, preparing for loss, and embracing family in all its messiness.

The program continues with InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema II, a collection of stories about resilience in contending with systemic problems both societal and personal: stressful work environments, injustice, inequality, rigid social expectations, collapsing family and political units, systemic failures and dictatorial control. These films use comedy, drama, satire and whimsy to shake up what needs to be shaken up, and center humanity in the process. 

The night concludes with InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema III, a dynamic program about connection and belonging, our desire for it, the ways it can turn dangerous, the ways we can lose each other, come back to each other and ultimately, if need be, save ourselves. 

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 representation by spotlighting various communities of filmmakers as part of the NFMLA Monthly Film Festival. This project is made possible in part by grant support from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).  

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 info@nfmla.org at least 72 hours prior to the event.