Philadelphia Latino Film Festival – May 3O – June 6, 2O21

This will be the 10th Annual Philadelphia Latino Film Festival (PHLAFF) running May 30th – June 6th. Philadelphia’s only festival showcasing the extraordinary and innovative work of emerging and established Latino and Latinx creatives and filmmakers from the U.S. and Latin America. A decade after its founding, PHLAFF has evolved into an international film festival that brings the best Latino and Latinx stories to a broad audience. For 2021, the festival has expanded—from four days last year to eight this year—to include over 150 films as part of its lineup. Among them, 26 world premieres, 3 International premieres, 11 U.S. premieres, 27 East Coast premieres, 59 Philadelphia premieres, and 6 LOLA Award-winning films. 

This year’s programming focuses on celebrating and telling the stories of women and womxn.

In addition to films the fest will feature:
Q&A Greenroom Sessions
Work-in-Progress Lab
Youth Salon
PHLAFF Virtual Streaming Platform will be EVENTIVE

This year’s festival highlights include:

● Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It, a documentary about the trailblazer in Latina
representation who defied both her humble upbringing and relentless racism to become one of the
most celebrated actresses of our times and EGOT-winning star.

● La Madrina: The (Savage) Life of Lorine Padilla, a documentary about the beloved South Bronx
matriarch and former “First Lady” of the Savage Skulls gang in 1970s New York City, capturing five
decades of Bronx history and resilience in La Madrina’s own words.

● Nuevo Rico, a short musical animated film by Kristian Mercado Figueroa about a brother and sister
who stumble upon a celestial secret that changes their lives forever and propels them into reggaeton
stardom, but soon discover that their newfound fame comes at a high price.

The world premieres of:

● Calle de la Resistencia, an experimental film shot in Puerto Rico over three days during the
pandemic, that blends real-life footage and staged musical production, and takes an emotional look at
the struggle of boricuas to regain their dignity after hurricane Maria.

● La Voz de Lupe (The Voice of Lupe), a documentary about Chicano muralists in California who have
been community storytellers for over 60 years, that addresses racism and violence against women.● Rios de Ceniza (Rivers of Ash), an Argentinian/Colombian feature film about a man who jumps off a
bridge to end his life and is transported to a dream universe where he embarks on a purgatory journey
in which he faces his past and his insecurities.

The international premieres of:

● La Casa de Mama Icha (The House of Mama Icha), a documentary about a 93-year-old immigrant
who has lived in Philadelphia for decades, and heroically returns to Colombia to the house that she
built during years of absence with the money she sent from abroad.

● Laberinto (Labyrinth) an Uruguayan short film about a man with OCD who starts confusing
obsessions for reality after his wife tells him of a dream in which she is sexually asphyxiated by
another man.

● Papi, a surreal feature film about a precocious 8-year-old girl with a vibrant imagination, whose
flashbacks shed light on her relationship with her father, the elusive “Papi.” Based on the novel of the
same title by Dominican writer and singer-songwriter Rita Indiana.

The U.S. premieres of:

● Niña Mama (Mother-Child), a documentary shot in the intimacy of an Argentine public health clinic,
about pregnant teenagers who have been subject to violence, misogyny, and repression, and have to
decide whether or not to proceed with their pregnancy.

● Matar a Pinochet (Kill Pinochet), a feature film about a group of young men and women who, in the
spring of 1986, had in their hands the opportunity to change the destiny of Chile: to end the Pinochet
dictatorship.

The East Coast premiere of:

● Fruits of Labor, a documentary about a high school senior and second-generation Mexican American
in an agricultural town in California, who must divide her time between school and supporting her
undocumented family by working in the strawberry fields.

● El Murmullo de la Marimba (The Whisper of the Marimba), a documentary about the musical
instrument that connects the present-day life on the Ecuadorian coast with its African roots, and tells
the story of the centuries-old musical resistance of this Afro-Latino community.

View Schedule By Dates:

May 30th – June 1st
June 1st – June 3rd
June 4th  – 6th

MORE INFO / TICKETS

#PHLAFF2O21 – Twitter at @PHLatinFilmFest, on Instagram at @PHLatinFilmFestival, Facebook.com/PHLAFF

IN THE HEIGHTS IS A SPONSOR OF #PHLAFF2021.  Check out our #MiniMovieReview of the movie to hit theaters and HBO Max June 11th

ABOUT PHLAFF :The Philadelphia Latino Film Festival (PHLAFF) was established in 2012 and has become the Greater Philadelphia region’s only festival showcasing the extraordinary and innovative work of emerging and established Latino and Latinx filmmakers. Each year, the Festival includes film screenings of groundbreaking works of all genres. Festival programs attract a diverse audience, developing a new space in the Philadelphia region where filmmakers, actors, and producers can meet with other artists, engage with audiences, and present and discuss innovative work. PHLAFF’s mission is to nurture emerging and established Latino and Latinx creatives and filmmakers by celebrating the richness and diversity of our cultures and experiences while fostering cross-cultural understanding and dialogue.