Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival submissions open, virtual event to run in June

Submissions open today and will be open until Friday, March 12

Academy Award-nominated actor Edward James Olmos, founder of the Latino Film Institute, announced today that the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) will host a virtual festival for the 2021 edition that will run Wednesday, June 2 through Sunday, June 6.

This year’s program will be comprised of feature films, episodics, music, XR projects and short films, including those from LALIFF’s inaugural Latinx Inclusion Fellowship Series. The fellowship, created to develop extensive and inclusive opportunities for underrepresented groups within the Latinx community, selected five visionary Afro Latino directors (award-winning filmmaker Lorena Durán; writer and director Justin Floyd; award-winning filmmaker Kase Peña; director Monica Suriyage and artist, director Tamara Shogaolu).

“As one of the first film festivals in the world to fully produce a virtual festival in 2020, we were overwhelmed by the support from the film industry and community for LALIFF and more importantly for our filmmakers,” said Edward James Olmos, co-founder of LALIFF. “We are committed to offer a platform to showcase the remarkable and diverse work of Latino voices, despite the current pandemic. We want to ensure that these voices are heard, that we create safe spaces online and in-person, and that our next generation of storytellers are inspired.”

The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) is a premiere international event dedicated to showcasing the entirety of human experience from the Latino perspective, whether through film, television, digital, music, art, or any other vehicle, regardless of platform. LALIFF is presented by the Latino Film Institute (LFI), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to showcase, strengthen, and celebrate the richness of Latino lives through the audio-visual event. LFI develops, activates, and supports artists, creators, and executives through pathways and platforms for the expression and appreciation of their work.

Diana Cadavid, LALIFF’s Artistic Director says, “We are looking forward to seeing what new content has been created this past year, as it definitely has been a period where filmmakers, musicians and artists have had to challenge themselves creatively to produce and complete their work. Like every aspect of society, the pandemic dramatically changed the way the film industry worked, and we believe it is important to be a platform that addresses this historic moment in time.

Submissions open today and will be open until Friday, March 12. For more details, you can visit LALIFF’s website.

The program and complete schedule of events will be announced in early May.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

Erik Anderson

Erik is the founder/owner and Editor-In-Chief of AwardsWatch and thanks his mother for his love of all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards together since he was in the single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS) and The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA).

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