Olivia & The Clouds by Tomás Pichardo Espaillat
The San Diego Latino Film Festival announced the winners of its 32nd edition, with the Dominican film Olivia & the Clouds / Olivia & las nubes by Tomás Pichardo Espaillat topping the list as the winner of the Best Feature Film Award. The documentary The In Between by Robie and Alejandro Flores won the Best Frontera Feature Film Award, while the Audience Award went to the Argentine film Reas, directed by Lola Arias.
Other winners announced by the San Diego Latino Film Festival are Moon Belly / Vientre de luna by Liliana K’an for Best Short Film, Memories of an Eternal Flower / Memorias de una flor eterna by Gabriela Cardona & Sergio Valdez for Best Frontera Short Film, and The Other Side / El otro lado by Angel Gomez for Best Youth Film.
Olivia & the Clouds, the directorial debut of Dominican filmmaker Tomás Pichardo Espaillat, is a poetic exploration of love, loss, and memory. The film follows the interconnected stories of Olivia, Ramón, Bárbara, and Mauricio as they struggle to relate to one another without fully understanding each other. This experimental animated film also won the Junior Jury Award at the Locarno International Film Festival.
The In Between, another debut feature, is a lyrical documentary essay by director Robie Flores and producer Alejandro Flores. After the death of her brother, Flores returns to her hometown of Eagle Pass on the Texas-Mexico border, yearning to turn back time. Immersed in the experiences of adolescence—quinceañeras, Selena, Rio Grande river excursions, teen makeovers, and more—she rediscovers the home her brother adored and she once overlooked. What emerges is a playful yet profound dance between a personal and collective coming-of-age portrait of borderland youth, as well as Flores' own journey to reclaim joy in the aftermath of grief.
Argentine filmmaker Lola Arias’ Reas is a breathtaking nonfiction musical that explores the dynamics between long-term and newly admitted inmates in a women’s prison in Buenos Aires. Through imaginative re-creations of daily prison life—including budding romances, voguing workshops, and rock band formations—the formerly incarcerated ensemble delivers compelling performances that challenge and affirm their experiences.
Presented by the Media Arts Center San Diego, the 32nd edition of the San Diego Latino Film Festival took place from March 19-23, 2025.
