Festival Runs May 27–31, 2026, Featuring Nearly 250 Youth Cinema Project Films, Robust Feature Selections, And Expanded LALIFF Connect: Market & Creative Forum
LOS ANGELES, CA – TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2026 – The Latino Film Institute (LFI) today revealed the complete lineup for the milestone 25th edition of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), taking place May 27–31, 2026. Marking its 25th edition, this year’s festival brings together a dynamic selection of feature films, shorts, episodic content, animation, and student films from the Youth Cinema Project (YCP), alongside LALIFF Connect: Market & Creative Forum and a range of special screenings and events that reflect its continued growth.
The festival will open with Valentina, previously announced as Opening Night. Closing Night will screen TheyDream, written and directed by William D. Caballero. A deeply personal documentary, TheyDream blends animation and live action to explore the transformative nature of grief within the director’s Puerto Rican family. Drawing from a range of visual styles, Caballero interweaves new animation with archival and live action footage to create a formally distinctive and intimate reflection on memory, loss, and the creative process. The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim, receiving the NEXT Special Jury Award for Creative Expression. John Leguizamo and Ben DeJesus have recently joined the film as Executive Producers.
The festival’s Centerpiece selection is the adult animated series Circo Gómez, created by 3Pas Studios and F3 Media, marking an expansion of serialized storytelling within LALIFF’s programming. The series follows a chaotic and endearing circus family struggling to keep their operation afloat, led by an optimistic but flawed patriarch and supported by a cast of eccentric performers who also happen to be his own family. Following the screening, cast members Eugenio Derbez, Omar Chaparro, and Diana Bovio, and executive producer Jordan Rubio, will participate in an extended conversation exploring the creative process behind creation of the series.
In addition to the Opening, Centerpiece, and Closing Night selections, LALIFF 2026 presents a wide-ranging program of narrative and documentary features, shorts, episodic works, and animation from across the U.S., Latin America, and the Latino diaspora. Highlights include more than 20 feature films, and over 60 shorts, with 19 of them presenting their world premieres, reflecting the festival’s continued investment in both emerging and established storytellers as it reaches its 25th edition. The program also features nearly 250 short-form works from Youth Cinema Project (YCP) students, underscoring LFI’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of filmmakers and content creators.
“This year’s LALIFF program reflects the range and depth of storytelling across our diverse community,” said Diana Cadavid, Director of Industry Programs at LFI. “The 25th edition highlights the breadth of voices and approaches that have historically defined the festival, while also embracing new formats and perspectives as we continue to evolve with the times in a purposeful, forward-looking way.”
The feature lineup spans multiple countries and a wide range of storytelling approaches. Making its world premiere is Three Years Gone, directed by John Gutierrez (Sons of the Sea). The film follows 12-year-old Maria, who is kidnapped by her Afghan war veteran father and pulled into his increasingly unstable world. As they set out on the road in search of redemption, they confront the lasting effects of war and the emotional toll it leaves behind. The film stars Anthony Traina, Elizabeth Phoenix Caro, Joey Marie Urbina, Julia Vera, Julio Macias, Melinna Bobadilla, and Pepe Serna .
Also making its world premiere is Exodus Stories, directed by Ilse Fernandez, an intimate portrait of three Central American immigrants who join migrant caravans in search of safety and opportunity. The project previously participated in the LALIFF Market, where it received funds via Works in Progress finishing fund.
The festival will also present the U.S. premiere of Yellow Cake, directed by Tiago Melo (producer of Aquarius, Bacurau), which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Additional U.S. premieres include The Broken R, the first feature from Ecuadorian filmmaker Ricardo Ruales Eguiguren, which has screened at major festivals including IDFA and Sheffield DocFest, and Under Your Feet, directed by Cristian Bernard, featuring a standout performance by Maribel Verdú (Y tu mamá también, Pan’s Labyrinth).
Additional highlights include Milly, Queen of Merengue, directed by Leticia Tonos Paniagua; River Train, directed by Lorenzo Ferro and Lucas A. Vignale, which premiered earlier this year at the Berlin International Film Festival; and The Condor Daughter, directed by Álvaro Olmos Torrico, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and received awards at the Málaga Film Festival.
As part of its continued commitment to LGBTQIA+ storytelling, the festival will present Jaripeo, a hybrid documentary directed by Efraín Mojica and Rebecca Zweig, which explores queer identity within the world of traditional rodeo culture and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Also featured is Eva, the debut feature from William Reyes, which received the Best LGBTQIA+ Feature Award at the Rome Independent Film Festival.
The lineup also includes A Place of Absence (directed by Marialuisa Ernst), Aguadilla (directed by Alexander Zeke Musca and Tom Musca), Everything Seemed Possible (directed by Ramón Rivera Moret), Hangar Rojo (directed by Juan Pablo Sallato), How to Clean a House in 10 Easy Steps (directed by Carolina Gonzalez Valencia), Quince (directed by Jack Zagha & Yossy Zagha), and Traces of Home (directed by Colette Ghunim), among others.
Short films remain a central part of the LALIFF experience, with several features paired with shorts to create layered programs that showcase multiple creative perspectives within a single screening. Across the festival, curated shorts sections include Queer Cuts, Anímate: Animated Shorts Program, Los Raros Midnight Shorts, It’s Complicated, Offbeat, Brasil em Foco, and Strangers in a Strange Land, highlighting bold storytelling across genres, styles, and perspectives.
In addition to the Centerpiece selection, LALIFF 2026’s episodic programming includes a preview of Season 2 of Prime Video’s Nadie nos va a extrañar (No One Will Miss Us), presented through its first two episodes. The screening will include showrunner Silvana Aguirre Zegarra and cast members Virgilio Delgado, Camila Calonico, Nicolás Haza, and Macarena Oz in attendance. Episodic shorts further expand the category, showcasing new work from creators working in serialized storytelling.
“The 25th edition of LALIFF marks a milestone in a journey that began with a simple but urgent belief that our stories deserve to be seen, heard, and valued,” said Edward James Olmos, Co-Founder of LALIFF. “Along with Marlene Dermer, George Hernandez, and Kirk Whisler, we set out with a deep commitment to give voice to Latino filmmakers from the United States and across Iberoamerica. It has grown into a platform that now spans generations of artists who continue to expand what is possible in film and television. This year’s lineup reflects that ongoing evolution and the responsibility we carry forward.”
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
LALIFF 2026 will present a curated slate of special screenings and presentations that spotlight diverse formats, creative collaborations, and bold storytelling approaches.
Highlights include Suárez (directed by Mario Diaz and produced by Wilmer Valderrama’s WV Alternative and NASCAR Studios), set against NASCAR’s historic 2025 Mexico City race and following Daniel Suárez’s emotional homecoming as the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race, followed by an extended conversation with Suárez in attendance. The program also features No Translation Required: Love Has No Borders, a bilingual romantic comedy from Espectro MX Films, directed by Rafael Altamira, produced by Paloma Cinco, and starring Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso), Kelsie McDonald, and Michelle Rodríguez. Fernández also serves as Executive Producer and co-writer alongside McDonald. The film is presented in partnership with the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) and paired with the Jalisco-based short Radiestesia by Jacinto Velasco; Sin Fronteras: Partner Shorts, showcasing filmmakers supported by BAYCAT, The Undocumented Filmmakers Collective (UFC), and Nosotros, expanding LALIFF’s platform for emerging voices and cross-industry collaboration; and Netflix’s I Am Frankelda (directed by Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz), Mexico’s first stop-motion feature.
LALIFF will also present industry-focused screenings of the LFI Inclusion Fellowship and LFI Spark Animation Fellowship, supported by Netflix. This marks the second year these screenings will take place at the historic Egyptian Theatre.
Also featured is the Youth Cinema Project Alumni Fellowship film, Mami Está Aquí, supported by Amazon MGM Studios for the fourth consecutive year. The film highlights student filmmakers who develop their project through hands-on training and mentorship, shooting on a professional set and completing post-production in a professional environment, offering a fully immersive, real-world filmmaking experience.
For the first time, LALIFF will present an exhibition of virtual reality (VR) films at its hub cinema, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatre, featuring immersive 360° video projects from the LFI Futuro XR Fellowship, supported by Agog: The Immersive Media Institute, and highlighting innovative, community-led storytelling at the intersection of technology and culture.
YOUTH CINEMA PROJECT YCP@LALIFF
The Youth Cinema Project (YCP), one of LFI’s five programs, and at the heart of the organization, will once again play a central role in the festival, with nearly 250 student films and short-form content presented as part of YCP@LALIFF. This year’s program expands its LiveReads series to include two sessions across different days of the festival, alongside panels, workshops, and the Best of YCP Awards ceremony.
LALIFF CONNECT: MARKET & CREATIVE FORUM
LALIFF Connect: Market & Creative Forum returns under a new name as a central component of the festival through two complementary tracks: the LALIFF Market and the Creative Forum.
The LALIFF Market presents a curated slate of commercially viable projects in development and post-production, designed to support filmmakers in securing financing, distribution, and a clear path to market. Complementing this, the Creative Forum offers panels, masterclasses, and conversations focused on craft, industry trends, and creative collaboration. By connecting creative and business communities in one place, LALIFF Connect functions as a unified ecosystem where ideas meet investment and projects move from development toward market realization.
“This milestone 25th edition reflects the continued growth of LALIFF as a platform for storytellers across film, television, immersive media, and emerging formats,” added Axel Caballero, CEO of LFI. “LALIFF Connect: Market & Creative Forum builds on that foundation by bringing together filmmakers, producers, financiers, and industry leaders in a shared space focused on financing, co-production, distribution, and the craft of storytelling. Across the festival, we are focused on creating opportunities that help move work forward and strengthen the infrastructure that supports our community.”
As part of this year’s Creative Forum, programming unfolds across four themed days in the Unlocking series:
Unlocking the Deal features financing and equity workshops, an international co-production workshop, case studies, and conversations with film commissions from Baja California, Cali, Brazil, California, and CDMX.
Unlocking the Business includes panels from Roku and Peacock, featuring talent from Peacock’s new crime drama M.I.A., alongside sessions with Egeda and a spotlight on Women in the Industry.
Unlocking the Future explores animation, from boutique production to the state of the industry, alongside conversations on AI, a masterclass from William D. Caballero, and a panel on immersive storytelling presented by Agog.
Unlocking the Craft focuses on vertical storytelling, below-the-line talent, comedy, and creator-driven strategies for building brands and mining IP.
Additional programming and participants will be announced in the coming weeks via LALIFF’s social media channels.
ADDITIONAL FESTIVAL EVENTS
Beyond screenings, LALIFF 2026 will present a series of live events and convenings that bring together artists, educators, and industry professionals.
The festival will host its Comedy Night for a second year, featuring a lineup of performers and highlighting comedic voices as part of the broader festival experience.
LALIFF will also present the third annual Entertainment & Education Symposium, bringing together educators and administrators for conversations focused on the intersection of storytelling, education, and classroom engagement.
TICKETING AND ACCESS
Tickets for Opening Night, Centerpiece, Closing Night, and additional screenings are available now, along with ticket bundles and a range of pass options designed to support different ways of engaging with the festival.
The All Access Pass provides entry to screenings and festival events, including Opening and Closing Night, as well as full access to LALIFF Connect: Market & Creative Forum, networking events, and the Connect Lounge.
The Industry Pass is available for professionals working across film, television, music, and related fields, offering access to screenings, panels, and networking opportunities, along with full participation in LALIFF Connect.
The Student Pass is available to high school and post-secondary students, providing access to a curated selection of screenings and industry panels as part of the festival experience.
LALIFF 2026 SPONSORS
LALIFF 2026 is presented with generous support from its sponsors, including Non-Exclusive Presenting Sponsor Youth Cinema Project; Platinum Sponsor Los Angeles Times; Gold Sponsor Warner Bros. Discovery; and Silver Sponsor Comcast NBCU Telemundo. Bronze Sponsors include Disney Entertainment, Egeda US, High Performance Learning Environments, NASCAR Studios, Netflix, Ovation Hollywood, Roku, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Variety.
The future es Latino.
All ticket passes are now available here.
For the LALIFF 25th edition poster and artwork, download here.
Download LALIFF 25th edition film stills here.
About Latino Film Institute (LFI)
The Latino Film Institute (LFI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to empowering storytellers and creators and advancing innovation in the entertainment, tech, arts, and media industries. Through its signature programs, including the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), the Youth Cinema Project (YCP), LFI Scholar & Policy, LFI Spotlight, and LFI Fellowships. LFI provides transformative opportunities and resources to foster Latino talent and voices in media.
For more information on LFI, visit www.latinofilm.org.
About Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF)
The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) is an international event dedicated to excellence in filmmaking. Through film, television, music, and education, LALIFF offers a vibrant stage to celebrate the richness and diversity of Latino cinema through distinct directorial voices and culturally significant narratives.
For more information and updates on LALIFF visit www.laliff.org
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Media Contact:
Loraine Valverde – Latino Film Institute
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Mark Maynard – Latino Film Institute
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