The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival kicks off May 29, featuring five days of programming that will pay tribute to women filmmakers and below-the-line talent. New ventures this year include a film market — a curated set of movies that are available to be bought for distribution — and a venue expansion into downtown's Regal L.A. Live to accompany programming at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
, said a continual goal for the festival is to represent all the contours of what it means to be Latinx. 'You can come to our festival and see yourself no matter who you are,' she said. This year's opener is 'In the Summers,' a semi-autobiographical drama directed by Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio — her feature debut — that was awarded the U.S. grand jury prize in the dramatic competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
will also host screenings of documentaries 'Prodigal Daughter' and 'Paper Butterfly,' comedy 'Sisters' and popcorn flick 'The Unexpecteds.' The closing film, 'Grassland,' is a tense drama that follows a single Latina mother at risk of losing her illegal marijuana business when her son befriends new neighbors. It is set to explore the 'failures of the criminal justice system.' This interview has been edited for length and clarity.