The 44th edition of CineFestival will take place July 11-16 at the historic Guadalupe Theater. San Antonio's original Latino film festival will feature 114 films, including 38 from the Alamo City and 40 from Texas.
"The amount of work being done by local and regional Latinx and Indigenous filmmakers is staggering," CineFestival Programmer Eugenio del Bosque said in a statement. "It is very encouraging to see young and veteran filmmakers in San Antonio and Texas are hard at work. We look forward to being a part of bringing an audience to these films and helping some of these voices mature, now and in the years to come."
CineFestival will open with a 30th-anniversary screening of the 1993 drama Blood In, Blood Out starring Damian Chapa, Benjamin Bratt and San Antonio's own Jesse Borrego, who will be in attendance to host the screening.
"CineFestival is an important vehicle to showcase the Latino narrative," Borrego said in a statement. "It offers the community a unique chance to see authentic Latino stories being told, from Latinx filmmakers, whose work may not easily be found at the movie theater."
Below is a preview of some of the feature and short films that will screen at this year's festival. For a complete screening schedule, visit guadalupeculturalarts.org.
Conjunto Blues
Directed by Joel Settles, Conjunto Blues started life as a stage play and was adapted for the screen by local conjunto musician Nicolás Valdéz. The film explores the social and historical conditions that gave birth to the development of conjunto, the South Texas-born musical form. "We want to tell authentic stories with dynamic and nuanced characters that reflect our own community honestly," Valdéz told the Current. "I hope that we aid in the understanding of ourselves as a community of working-class, Mexican-Americans who are part of the fabric of this country, and that our numerous contributions to its rich cultural landscape need to be recognized and celebrated."
Sacred Mask
In director David Mendez's film, a luchador, or Mexican wrestler, forsakes his family name and the lucha libre mask to purse his own dreams. But can the luchador really stay out of the wrestling ring? "I grew up watching old Santos and Blue Demon lucha films and was influence by my dad who recently passed away," Mendez said. "I wanted to pay homage to him and those films. Hopefully, [Sacred Mask] will revive the love of those types of films with our heroes in them."
Regeneración: The Donkey Lady Show Presents Ricardo Flores Magón
Filmmaker Marisela Barrera said she wants to break down stereotypes and misinformation to reveal the true Tejana lore of the Donkey Lady by giving the creature a talk show. Her first guest: Mexican anarchist and social reform activist Ricardo Flores Magón. "If you don't know the legend of the Donkey Lady, you probably just moved here from Austin," Barrera said. "Regeneración is myth-making at its core."
Most Likely To
In Vanessa Lerma's six-part web series, the San Antonio-based filmmaker created a collection of narratives written from across the U.S. that explore virtual love stories during the pandemic. "Young love makes high schoolers do some crazy things," Lerma explained. "Oftentimes, Latinx TV is filled with stereotypes, so we avoided that as much as possible. We took a few slices of life out of modern-day San Antonio Latinx and LGBTQ teens trying to make it through school — sans any mention of a chancla."
I Am San Antonio
Robb S. Garcia's documentary short is all about what makes the Alamo City a special place. The film includes interviews with 14 San Antonians telling their personal stories. It also includes poetry from Anthony M. Flores. "[San Antonio] is a living, breathing being, alive with stories and rich in culture," Garcia said. "San Antonio would not be the San Antonio we love if it wasn't for the diverse, unique and vibrant people who call this place home."
Face the Music
Nick Rodriguez's film tells the story of a band on the verge of a breakout but whose members all have different visions of their future. "We wanted a human scenario of longtime friends at a crossroads dealing with tough choices and the raw emotion that comes out when faced with conflict," Rodriguez said. "I hope the people that watch the film feel the earnestness behind the message of trying to create art while also protecting your values and staying true to yourself."
Loteria
In Loteria, filmmaker Max Wright covers a topic with great personal resonance: immigration. Wright's loved ones have dealt with the effects of U.S. immigration policies, and he's tired of the "hateful and harmful rhetoric" that's spread across the country over the past few years. "I'm shocked that both federal and local Texas governments let policy and personal interest prevent them from seeing and treating asylum-seekers coming from Latin America as their sisters and brothers," Wright said. "It's a reflection of my feelings towards the subject."
$8-$40, various times July 11-18 ,Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St., (210) 271-3151, guadalupeculturalarts.org.
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