Coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month, September brings seven Latinx and Latin American in-person, virtual, and hybrid film festivals offering hundreds of recent films to American audiences. Some of the film selections are are available to stream across the country, while others are geoblocked to the festival’s state boundaries. In addition to the online screening, some of these events are also presenting outdoor screenings, plus conversations with the guest directors and panels.
Check them out!
INFFINITO BRAZILIAN FILM FESTIVAL
September 4 - 18
The 25th edition of the largest Brazilian film festival outside Brazil, the Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival will present 56 films in a hybrid format between September 4 - 18. The festival kicks off with a special outdoor screening of Dom Salvador & Abolition by Artur Ratton and Lilka Hara followed by a live concert with Dom Salvador Samba Jazz Sextet at Central Park’s Summerstage in New York City.
The festival will present some in-person screenings at the Regal South Beach and the Florida International University. The rest of the lineup will be screened online in festival’s own streaming platform. Some highlights include Madalena by Madiano Marcheti, Dorival Caymmi – The Sounds of Life by Daniela Broitman, and Valentina by Cássio Pereira dos Santos.
NEW YORK LATINO FILM FESTIVAL
September 14 - 19
The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF), the premier Urban Latino film event in the country, returns this September with drive-in/in-person experiences as well as virtual options. Originally founded in 1999, NYLFF was created to build audiences for Latino cinema, support the film community and foster relationships with Latino talent.
In its 22nd edition, the festival will feature a roster of 102 films from more than 12 countries, the largest number of films to date. NYLFF’s opening night will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film Raising Victor Vargas, featuring screening and cast reunion. Festival highlights include the U.S. premiere of Oaxacalifornia by Trisha Ziff and La Soga: 2 by Manny Pérez.
HOLA MEXICO FILM FESTIVAL
September 17 - 25
The largest Mexican film festival outside of the Mexican territory, the Hola México Film Festival returns for its 13th annual edition this September 17-25 during Hispanic Heritage Month. Bringing audiences back to the cinema, the festival will give viewers an opportunity to gather once again to celebrate the perseverance of the film community and see some of the most compelling films that have recently come out of Mexico.
This year’s festival, taking place at Regal Cinemas LA Live and at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, kicks off with Jorge Michel Grau’s sleek thriller Perdida, Other highlights include Alexis Gambis’ Son of Monarchs, Fernanda Valadez’s Identifying Features, and Samuel Kishi Leopo’s Los Lobos.
OLA LATINO FILM FESTIVAL OF THE HAMPTONS
September 17 - 18
OLA (Organización Latino Americana) brings the 18th annual Latino Film Festival of the Hamptons to the East End on September 17-18, and this year will be presenting award-winning films from Guatemala, Colombia and the United States. Screenings will be held at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill and the Sag Harbor Cinema.
This year’s featured films are Jayro Bustamante’s La Llorona, Catalina Arroyave’s Days of the Whale, and Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra’s The Infiltrators.
CINEMA TUCSÓN
Sunday, September 19
Cinema Tropical and the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona have announced the launch of Cinema Tucsón, a new cultural initiative featuring monthly screenings of Mexican films at the historic Fox Tucson Theatre, programmed by Carlos A. Gutiérrez and Vicky Westover.
The series is scheduled to start on Sunday, September 19 with the Arizona premiere of Polvo, the directorial debut by acclaimed actor José María Yazpik (Narcos, I’m So Excited). An engrossing and finely written comedy with a knockout cast, Polvo was nominated for ten Ariel Awards presented by the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences. This inaugural screening will be followed by a free after party at the Borderlands Brewery.
BOSTON LATINO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
September 24 - October 3
The 2021 edition of the Boston Latino International Film Festival (BLIFF) will take place online for a second year in a row. Since its inception in 2001, BLIFF has been committed to using the power of film to break stereotypes, bring cultures and communities together and reveal the complex issues that affect the Latinx community in the United States, Latin America and Spain.
The 2021 virtual edition of BLIFF will be presenting nine feature films including Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It by Mariem Pérez Riera, My Darling Supermarket by Tali Yankelevich, Fruits of Labor by Emily Cohen Ibañez, and Perfume de Gardenias by Macha Colón.
AFI LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
September 23 - October 13
In its 32nd edition, the American Film Institute (AFI) Latin American Film Festival presented by the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is making a long-anticipated return to the big screen, cementing its reputation as one of the largest and long-running showcases of Latin American cinema in the United States, dedicated to presenting Latin America's prolific and versatile talent during National Hispanic Heritage Month. This year's wide-ranging selection of 49 films spans international festival favorites and award winners, local box-office hits and dynamic debuts from a new generation of Latin American filmmakers.
The Festival opens with Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios' Berlin-debuted A Cop Movie. Other Festival highlights include the U.S. premieres of several highly anticipated new works from up-and-coming and established Latin American auteurs, including Oscar-nominated Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa's haunting eco-thriller Fever Dream; 7 Prisoners, Brazilian director Alexandre Moratto's powerful sophomore feature; and Costa Rican-Swedish director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén's buzzy, Cannes-premiered feature debut Clara Sola.
