The 33rd annual San Diego Latino Film Festival will show 140 films from March 18 to 22 at downtown San Diego’s Digital Gym Theatre (one of the last remaining art-house venues in the region) and AMC Mission Valley.
Executive Director Ethan van Thillo opened the LFF’s kickoff party with powerful words.
“Nuestra frontera es increíble [Our border is incredible],” he said, to applause. “Let’s celebrate our border. We should be tearing down walls, not building new walls.”
The LFF got its start as a student film showcase, run by van Thillo, then a UC Santa Cruz student. It quickly exploded in popularity, attracting celebrity special guests and corporate sponsorships. That prompted van Thillo to found the Media Arts Center to promote Latino art year-round.
Ahuatl Amaro, a queer, Indigenous filmmaker of a working-class immigrant background will be featured. He directed Mean Goals (2025), a sports comedy about a gay Latino soccer player.
“This film is inspired by my family’s obsession with soccer, and by the out and proud LGBTQ athletes winning World Cups, gold medals at the Olympics, and at the Gay Games,” Amaro said.
Though the struggles of the Latino community have always been featured at the festival, it especially hangs in the air this year.
Amaro helped advocate for the ¡Somos! Cine LGBTQ+ Showcase on March 21. He spoke of the need for safe spaces for queer Latinos in San Diego.
“People are scared to go outside,” he said. “My nieces and nephews are not allowed to even go to Walmart because young Latino people of color are being kidnapped by the federal government. It happened in our own backyard in Pico Rivera, where my sister lives.”
The festival will feature the documentary American Pachuo: The Legend of Luis Valdez (2026), celebrating the life of the father of Chicano film. Tickets for the March 21 show are sold out, but the documentary will play at Southwestern College Performing Arts Center on March 22.
Look out for Josefina Lopez, screenwriter of the iconic film Real Women Have Curves (2002). She will be continuing her body positivity work with 20 Pounds to Happiness, showing on March 18.
Neil Kendricks is another multimedia artist whose surreal short film, Book of Skin (2025), will be featured as part of the Frontera Filmmakers Showcase. Besides art, Kendricks also teaches film at Grossmont College and San Diego State University.
Film is a tough business – Book of Skin is the result of decades of work, extended by Kendricks’ attention to detail and interrupted by the COVID pandemic. The film will premiere at AMC Mission Valley on March 19.
Other showcases include: ¡Cine mujer!, highlighting female directors, ¡Hay que reírse!, featuring comedies, and Hecho en USA, a look at Latino American films.
Among the many sponsors for the festival is Syucan Casino Resort, which has supported the festival since 2017.
“The Sycuan Tribe has thousands of years of history in our region,” Chairman Cody Martinez said. “And we know firsthand how vital it is to protect cultural identity and ensure that future generations can see their histories, experiences and perspectives represented.”
The LFF recently welcomed Diana Cervera to its team. When she isn’t producing films about migration and motherhood, the Tijuana-based artist is engaging with the San Diego film community, including students at City College. She organized the “Para Toda La Familia” showcase of films for all-ages audiences on March 22.
Movie theatre attendance has recovered from the COVID pandemic, but van Thillo hopes that even more people will be motivated to engage with Latino films in-person. Beyond the movies, attendees can expect live music, immersive art exhibitions and food. Attendees can also participate in Q&A sessions with the filmmakers.
“There’s so much division in our world right now, especially [since] you could feel isolated being at home,” van Thillo said. “We need people to come together, and the festival’s a safe place to come celebrate.”
For more information, go to: San Diego Latino Film Festival. SDSun
