2020 OC FILM FIESTA LINE-UP
This year’s festival includes films featuring JOHN LEGUIZAMO, CULTURE CLASH, JESSE BORREGO, KRISTINA WONG, NATALIA DYER (Stranger Things), Almodóvar muse ROSSY DE PALMA, OC film legend PEPE SERNA, the late great JOSÉ JOSÉ and PATRICK HARDER, acclaimed director of music videos by artists such as Prince, Foo Fighters, Hillary Duff and The Afghan Whigs.
Scroll below and click on film icons in our interactive festival listings to buy tickets to individual feature films and short film program blocks! Schedule subject to change.
CLICK LINKS BELOW TO BUY TICKETS
FEATURE FILMS
Critical Thinking
Directed By: John Leguizamo
Starring: John Leguizamo, Rachel Bay Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams, Corwin C. Tuggles, Jorge Lendeborg Jr, Angel Bismarck Curiel
117 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
Set in 1998, Critical Thinking tells the true story of Cuban-American teacher Mario Martinez and his national championship winning chess team at Miami Jackson High School. Mario Martinez (John Leguizamo) finds himself working as an elective chess teacher with students who were either people of color or minority. The true story of the Miami Jackson High School chess team which was the first inner city team to win the U.S. National Chess Championship.
Functional / Web Series
Directed By: Cheska Bacaltos
Starring: Daniel Luna, Lys Perez, Inés Ware, Jacob Barnes, Demeé Pillar
135 min., United States, 2019
Language: English
Premiere: Orange County Premiere
Synopsis
Guillermo and Jazmyne are two best friends looking to find success and acceptance with the little resources (and sobriety) they have. Functional is a new web series that focuses on topics within the LGBTQ+ and Latinx community highlighting the highs and lows that the modern world has to offer. Functional sets to prove how better the world can thrive when we embrace our individuality and backgrounds.
Part of the Denver Spotlight presented in association with Su Teatro Cultural Center and Denver Film Fest.
Going Rogue
Directed By: Leon Rodriguez
Starring: Pepe Serna, Fabian Carrillo, Daniel Baldwin, Evelina Fernandez, Rene Santoni, John Farley and José José
120 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
A fast paced action/comedy starring Pepe Serna, Fabian Carrillo, Daniel Baldwin, Rene Santoni, and José José.
Hometown Proud
Directed By: Naida Osline & Tyler Stallings
Starring: Archer Altstaetter, Michael Altstaetter, Michelle Altstaetter, Crystal Altstaetter, Ruth Altstaetter, Madison Wagner
60 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Premiere: Orange County Premiere
Synopsis
After 30 years of living openly gay in California, Archer returns to his small hometown of Botkins, Ohio, as he resolves to enhance Botkins’ annual summer festival with a dash of rainbow pride.
Illegal
Directed By: Nick Alexander
Starring: Lazaro Ayala, Robert Vaca, Marina Bernal, Mike Naumes, Robert Boggess, Tom Cole, Linda Schott, Luis Ayala
79 min., El Salvador, Mexico, United States, 2019
Language: English, Spanish
Premiere: Orange County Premiere
Synopsis
llegal is a feature-length documentary about the miraculous journey of Salvadoran immigrant Laz Ayala’s life or death path to U.S. citizenship, the challenges of present-day immigration, and his mission to humanize immigrants and reform immigration for the benefit of all.One immigrant’s life or death journey to the American dream.
In the Defense Against Tyranny
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Directed By: Felix Ramos
Starring: Randy Vasquez, Rick Ravanello (Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives), Marilyn Sanabria, Fernanda Moya, Dina Cataldi
85 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
A Political drama that deals with the fictitious presidential election between arch-conservative Edward Ashe and progressive female candidate Meredith Grace. The plot centers around Frank Suarez, the TV host of a political talk show “The Patriot;’ who secures an interview with Edward Ashe just days before the election. Frank’s personal life is in shambles with the loss of his wife, and the estrangement of his daughter.
La Llorona
Directed By: Jayro Bustamante
Starring: María Mercedes Coroy, Sabrina De La Hoz, Margarita Kenéfic, Julio Diaz
97 min., Guatemala, 2019
Language: Spanish with Subttles
Synopsis
Thirty years after massacres by the military in Guatemala, a criminal case is brought against Enrique, a retired General who oversaw the genocide. But he’s acquitted through a mistrial and the spirit of La Llorona is unleashed to wander the world like a lost soul amongst the living. At night, Enrique starts to hear her wailing. His wife and daughter believe he’s having bouts of Alzheimer’s-related dementia, but could it be something more refusing to fade from memory? Acclaimed new horror film from the director of IXCANUL.
Linda and the Mockingbirds
Directed By: James Keach
Starring: Linda Ronstadt, Los Cenzontles, Jackson Browne, James Keach
40 min., USA, 2020
Language: Spanish with Subttles
Synopsis
Linda and the Mockingbirds is a road movie with music — a song-soaked, foot-stomping trip straight to the heart of what it means to be Mexican, and to be American, and the complex joy of being both at the same time.
Linda is Linda Ronstadt and The Mockingbirds are Los Cenzontles (“mockingbirds” in the Nahuatl language), a band and a music academy for young people in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this documentary by award-winning director and producer James Keach, we ride with Ronstadt, musician Jackson Browne, and a busload of Cenzontles from Arizona to the little town of Banámichi in Sonora, Mexico, where Ronstadt’s grandfather was born.
On the way we learn of Ronstadt’s long friendship with Eugene Rodriguez, a third-generation Mexican-American and musician who founded the Cenzontles 30 years ago to reconnect working-class kids with the dignity and beauty of their ancestral music and culture. It worked so well, and the Cenzontles became musicians of such skill and heart, that they drew admirers and collaborators like Ronstadt, Browne and Los Lobos.
Phoenix, Oregon
Directed By: Gary Lundgren
Starring: James Le Gros (Drugstore Cowboy, Living in Oblivion), Jesse Borrego (Fame, Blood In Blood Out) Lisa Edelstein (Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, House), , Reynaldo Gallegos (Triple Frontier, American Sniper), Diedrich Bader (Napoleon Dynamite, Office Space, Veep), and Kevin Corrigan (The Departed, Pineapple Express, True Romance)
108 min., United States, 2019
Language: English
Synopsis
A funny and bittersweet story about two friends, a graphic novelist and a chef, who seize an unlikely opportunity to reinvest their lives, quitting their service industry jobs to restore an old bowling center and serve the “world’s greatest pizza.”
Sound Of Justice
Directed By: Madeline Tello, Olivia Marquez, Isabella Cousineau
Starring: John (Thomas) Chon, Christina Flesher Forminaya, Hana Abdul-Cater, Olivia Ferris, Myriam Gurba, Lark Sontag, Vuk Merrel, Alvin Irby, Dr. Angela Sadler Williamson
44 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
“Sound of Justice” is a glimpse of social justice in America today told from the perspectives of university professors, intellectuals, culture influencers, philosophers, and everyday people.
The Horror Crowd
Directed By: Ruben Pla
Starring: Lin Shaye, Greg Grunberg, Oren Peli, Russell Mulcahy, Adam Robitel, Ryan Turek, Chelsea Stardust, Mike Mendez, Darren Lynn Bousman
92 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
Revealing, intimate documentary spotlighting the Hollywood horror community, covering such wide-ranging topics as Being The Weird Kid, Sparking The Imagination, Women In Horror, Race Relations, Helping Each Other, Film Festivals, and The Dark Side.
Tu Me Manques
Directed By: Rodrigo Bellott
Starring: Rossy de Palma, Oscar Martinez, Fernando Barbosa, Rick Cosnett, Ana Asensio, Dominic Colón, Jose Duran, Ben Lukovski
105 min., USA/Bolivia, 2019
Language: English, Spanish
Synopsis
Following his son Gabriel’s death, Jorge travels from conservative Bolivia to New York City to confront Gabriel’s boyfriend Sebastian. Bolivia’s official entry into the Academy Awards.
Tuscaloosa
Directed By: Philip Harder
Starring: Devon Bostick, Natalia Dyer, Marchant Davis, Tate Donovan, YG
101 min., United States, 2019
Language: English
Synopsis
1972. Vietnam war protests and racial tension is sizzling in the late summer heat of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Billy Mitchell (Devon Bostick, Diary of a Wimpy Kid), a recent college graduate, spends the summer working on the lush grounds of an old world mental institution run by his psychiatrist father (Tate Donovan, Rocketman). Billy falls in love with Virginia (Natalia Dyer, Velvet Buzzsaw, Stranger Things), a patient who is possibly crazy, or perhaps she is the only sane person Billy has in his world. Billy’s best friend Nigel (Marchánt Davis) becomes involved with a radical civil rights activist (YG) against Tuscaloosa’s power elite, which includes Billy’s father. Billy is torn between Nigel, his father and his cronies, and Virginia who is planning her escape with or without Billy.
SHORT FILMS
ASIAN AMERICAN STORIES
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Atomic Café: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town
Directed By: Akira Boch, Tadashi Nakamura
10 min., United States, 2020
Language: English, Japanese
Synopsis
On the corner of 1st Street and Alameda in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo, the album cover-clad Atomic Cafe attracted punk rockers, musicians, and locals alike throughout the ’70s and ’80s. The heart and soul of the cafe was Atomic Nancy, the fun-loving, welcoming, and effortlessly cool owner of this restaurant known for its vibrant nightlife where everyone gathered with one goal in mind: to just have fun.
Our Man in Tokyo (The Ballad of Shin Miyata)
Directed By: Akira Boch
Starring: Shin Mayata, Chicano Batman, Quetzal, Joe Bataan, El Haru Kuroi
18 min., United States, 2018
Language: English, Japanese
Synopsis
Our Man in Tokyo (The Ballad of Shin Miyata) is a short documentary about the struggles and obsessions of Shin Miyata, a Tokyo-based record label owner and promoter who specializes in the difficult task of distributing Chicano music in Japan.
We Are New
Directed By: Cameron Yen Marsden
Starring: Zhen Yao, Nobuaki Shimamoto, Sadie Chen
15 min., United States, 2020
Language: Chinese, English, Japanese
Synopsis
On the day of the Nanjing Massacre, a Japanese bartender and Japanese man brood about the past, until a young Chinese boy comes and tells a story of his ancestor’s past.
LATINO STORIES
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Belmont or These Kinds of Dreams
Directed By: Susana Plotts-Pineda Plotts-Pineda
Starring: Adela Pineda
9 min., United States, 2020
Language: English, Spanish
Synopsis
Through a meandering examination of the town where the artist grew up, but is not from, and a series of interviews with the artist’s mother, this film probes into questions about cultural alienation, the American dream, and the possibility of revolutionary change.
Boojalé Presents
Directed By: Robert B. Gonzales
Starring: Valentina Latyna, Jose Rosete, Cami Storm, Carolina Catalino
20 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
South Texas culture is celebrated in this hilarious collection of short South Park-esque animations dealing with such realities as living next to a barbecue joint, gun workshops for teachers, a Chicano TED talk, breakfast tacos and when your bar gets gentrified. Part of the San Antonio Spotlight presented in Association with the San Antonio Film Society and Alamo City Studios.
Defenseless
Directed By: Javier Augusto Nunez
Starring: Valentina Latyna, Jose Rosete, Cami Storm, Carolina Catalino
16 min., United States, 2020
Language: English and Spanish
Premiere: World Premiere
Synopsis
This film is about a female who suffered years of abuses by the hands of her husband, a police officer. She, finally, gathers the courage to conquer her fears.
Luchadores
Directed By: Jose Emmanuel Varela
Starring: Robert Vasquez
9 min., United States, 2017
Language: English
Premiere: Orange County Premiere
Synopsis
A rookie reporter follows a masked Luchador around in an attempt to capture a Luchador’s everyday life outside of the ring.
Pretty
Directed By: Dani Ramirez
Starring: A meditation on what makes someone pretty.
2 min., United States, 2019
Language: English
Synopsis
A meditation on what it means to be pretty.
Two Feet In
Directed By: Creator/Executive Producer-Marissa Herrera, Director- Patrick Perez
Starring: Marissa Herrera, Marabina Jaimes, Lilly Melgar, Erik Fellows, Isaiah Morgan, Julia Cho, Kristofer Gordon, Raven Alanes, Carolyn Diloreto, Martin Reyes
30 min., United States, 2018
Language: English
Synopsis
A Latina choreographer seeks rhythm in her life and family, while inspiring her young dance students, in the City of Angels. In the choreography of life, what comes next?
Rinse & Repeat
Directed By: Jacob Ehrlich
Starring: Arisael Rivera, James Lindberg, Johnny Tirado, Ernest Anemone, Jacquie Bonnet
17 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
An immigrant restaurant worker, Tomás, shares his plan to transport his family across the border with a wealthy college student, Jonah, yet the plan is complicated by Tomás’ drug-addicted and abusive roommate, Julio.
Sin Cielo
Directed By: Jianna Maarten
25 min., United States, 2019
Language: Spanish
Synopsis
A young boy in a Mexican border town hustles any way he can to help his family but learns some very cruel realities when the girl he likes gets ‘disappeared’. Based on trues stories from La Frontera.
Sin Reino (Without A Kingdom)
Directed By: Kenzo Le
Starring: Cynthia Ordiano, Victor Ordiano
6 min., United States, 2020
Language: English, Spanish
Synopsis
A bittersweet modern fairytale through the eyes of a young child, recounting the fleeting moments with her father, where not all is as it seems.
MIDDLE EASTERN STORIES
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Echo
Directed By: Barzan Rostami
7 min., Iran, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
The story of echo is about understanding and perception of wildlife and environmental abuse and its consequences on human race.
Fireworks Wednesday
Directed By: Rezamouri
Starring: Amirreza Faramarzi, Uones Molaei
15 min., Iran, 2017
Language: Persian
Synopsis
A teenage boy who lives in an oil town in Khuzestan province, discusses with his friend, threatens to burn his house. The boy does not know that the night is a fireworks game. He does not sleep the night, so he will protect his friend’s house, built on gas pipes.
Life is Beautiful
Directed By: Mostafa Rahimi
7 min., Iran, 2019
Language: Persian
Synopsis
Woman is pregnant. She has hesitate.
Mermaid
Directed By: Saber Mostafapour
Starring: Mehrali Ghazvini
15 min., Iran, 2019
Language: Persian
Premiere: California Premiere
Synopsis
A few rapist classmates chased after Milad (Boy’s name) to ruins. Through a fighting, She hits one of them and runs away wearing feminine suit.
Sub Zero
Directed By: Kiumars sarshar
Starring: Kiumars sarshar
15 min., Iran, 2020
Language: Persian
Synopsis
Teacher’s effort in a remote village in the mountains.
The Rotation
Directed By: Hazhir As’adi
7 min., Iran, 2020
Language: Silent
Synopsis
There is a war between two tribes on claiming the sun in the sky. As a result to that war, sun annihilates and the volcano erupts. Those two tribes now are dead and a new sun is made, both by that lava. Several century will pass and the humans are still in a war to claim the sun in the sky.
The Weapon
Directed By: Sediq Haci Xalid
Starring: Mother
18 min., Iraq, 2020
Language: Kurdish
Synopsis
Although weapons have been the cause of many tragic events, but many people
because of their national language and culture obliged to take guns.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES
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The Abjurants
Directed By: Antonio De Palo
Starring: Valeria Solarino, Claudia Potenza, Antonio De Matteo, Michelangelo Dalisi
15 min., Italy, 2019
Language: Italian
Synopsis
The year is 2087. Vera and Roberta are two “Abjurants”, meaning women who refused to adhere to the Eugenics Programme imposed by the Government and who have been consequently confined to an unknown location and used as test subjects. Their only purpose in life is recalling to mind their lovers’ facets.
Da Yie
Directed By: Anthony Nti
20 min., Ghana, 2019
Language:
Synopsis
A foreigner in Ghana gets an assignment from his gang to find kids for a risky job that will take place later that evening. While spending the day with two energetic children, Prince and Matilda, he starts to question his decision and how it will affect their lives.
Feel India
Directed By: Ion Sova
12 min., India, 2020
Language: No Dialogue
Synopsis
The only people who see the whole picture are the ones who step out of the frame. – Salman Rushdie.
Rehearsal
Directed By: Omar Aziz
Starring: Barry Saad
8 min., Egypt, 2020
Language: Arabic
Synopsis
An actor trying to find his self.
Sticker
Directed By: Georgi M. Unkovski
Starring: Sashko Kocev
19 min., Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of, 2020
Language: Macedonian
Synopsis
After an unsuccessful attempt to renew his car registration, Dejan falls in a bureaucratic trap that tests his determination to be a responsible father.
ONE STEP BEYOND
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Consent
Directed By: Andrew Cervantes
Starring: Brandon English, Cesar Carmona
1 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
Sometimes it takes a big gesture to break the apathy of a relationship in a rut. CONSENT is a funny story about love and consent in a relationship…and the shower.
El Pájaro Nacional/The National Bird
Directed By: Arturo Herrera
Starring: Arturo Herrera, Juri Bizzotto
3 min., Italy, 2020
Language: English
Premiere: World Premiere
Synopsis
El Pájaro Nacional/The National Bird, an evolving, experimental performance about national emblems and immigration. The series uses physical masks and bodies to tell the stories of four migratory animals.
Expiration Point
Directed By: Lucia Grossberger Morales
2 min., United States, 2016
Synopsis
When will I take my last breath. When will I expire. Moving painting computer generated.
For A Living
Directed By: Bryan Suarez
Starring: Eric EC Cluassen, Cliff Folds, Mother, Opponent
10 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
To save his ill mother, an upcoming politician succumbs to the will of a crime lord. Now he must fight to save his mother… and himself.
Lost Treasure of the Valley
Directed By: Robert Husted
Starring: Lori Beth Denberg, Everardo Barriga, Greg Lee, Brad Gilmore
26 min., United States, 2019
Language: English
Premiere: Orange County Premiere
Synopsis
A photographer and an adventurer discover that all of the abandoned shopping carts in LA’s San Fernando Valley lead to a secret treasure – guarded by a dragon!
Luminous
Directed By: Than Niles
Starring: Jesse Borrego, Desiree Segura, Jonathan Flanders, Jaxie Niles Arguello, Kacie Lacomb
11 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Premiere: California Premiere
Synopsis
In our near dystopian future, Luminous Labs is the premiere facility for new energy and technology research. In one of its endless corridors, we find Lou (Jesse Borrego), a security guard with a chip on his shoulder and a problem: He cannot keep the lights on over his head. To make matters worse, Jaxie (Jaxie Niles Arguello), the Luminous Labs artificial intelligence is struggling to hear his commands.
Little does Lou know that the beautiful and mysterious scientist, Dr. Sharp (Desiree Segura), is on her way to his sector of the lab to complicate his world further. There are defining moments in our lives that we have no choice but to face in the moment. Today is Lou’s turn.
Featuring visual effects by Emmy award winning artist, Jarrod Davis (Firefly, Battlestar Galactica). Part of the San Antonio Spotlight presented in Association with the San Antonio Film Society and Alamo City Studios.
Renaissance
Directed By: Justin Bernard Head
Starring: Mandy Williams, Mariko Van Kampen, Dean Scofield, Matthew Lewis
19 min., United States, 2015
Language: English
Synopsis
A fashion model is losing her mind and having strange hallucinations about her skin falling apart.
Sins in the Synth
Directed By: Mario Ronaldo Garcia
Starring: Vivianne Salcedo, Mario Ruvio, Paula Salvador
9 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Premiere: Orange County Premiere
Synopsis
A synthetic human wants to learn how to smile.
Three Rooms
Directed By: Andrés Klimek
Starring: Ignacio Tapia, Hasiff Fadul, Ariana Nava, Alfonso Mort, Juan Pablo Hernández
16 min., Mexico, 2020
Language: Spanish with Subtitles
Synopsis
By crossing through three rooms AVE will pour sounds and ink into the VOID giving it back the essential content which will transform it into ADAM and AVE into EVE. A mutation generating the force to break the circle which allows both lovers to fly into the endless spiral. Three rooms was part of ÉCU’s 2017 official selection and won the prize as the best edited film. Spanish with English subtitles.
SPOTLIGHT ON DEMOCRACY
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A Cure for Democracy
Directed By: Shiroma Silva
Starring: Carl Miller and Audrey Tang
8 min., Taiwan, 2019
Language: English
Synopsis
Is democracy real? Many question whether voting enables citizens to determine decisions. But look to Taiwan, advanced algorithms and the world’s first transgender cabinet minister and you’ll get some answers.
Caged
Directed By: Vincent Morales
Starring: Graciela Campos
14 min., United States, 2019
Language: English, Spanish
Synopsis
A young woman is harassed for wearing a shirt reading “Sorry About Our President”.
Food Medicine
Directed By: Lani Cupchoy
Starring: Eva Cupchoy, Lani Cupchoy, Alize Ruiz, Nathan Ruiz, Guadalupe Ruiz, Ramon Guevara, Rosalba Vallejo
4 min., United States, 2020
Language: English, Spanish
Premiere: Orange County Premiere
Synopsis
Deep in the suburbs of Los Angeles, CA during the COVID-19 pandemic, mother and daughter use undervalued home garden methods to grow, share and deliver fresh healthy abundant produce with family, neighbors, and friends.
In Loving Memory of 10
Directed By: Dawn Nguyen Spranger
Starring: Nazaneen Colton and Frances Azze
9 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Premiere: World Premiere
Synopsis
A middle school Muslim girl navigates the 10th anniversary of 9/11. She finds herself on a personal journey in her home and school life.
Radical Cram School
Directed By: Jenesssa Joffe
Starring: Kristina Wong
20 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
An award winning digital series by acclaimed performance artist Kristina Wong where Asian American kids ages 6-12 explore the power of their identities, revolution, and social justice through puppets, community storytelling, and comedy.
Status Pending
Directed By: Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz
Starring: Alma D. Puente, Araceli G. Guerrero, Elizabeth P. Uribe, Gladdys J. Uribe, Jose Osorio
26 min., United States, 2020
Language: English, Spanish
Premiere: Orange County Premiere
Synopsis
With Immigration Law under attack, five Mexican-American Immigration lawyers form a support group as they strive to help their clients obtain safety and status in the United States.
The American Dream
Directed By: Baldev Sandhu
Starring: Fernando A. Funes, Alejandro Garcia, Giuseppe Restrepo, Mike Hughes
6 min., United States, 2020
Language: English, Spanish
Synopsis
Three immigrants about to cross the border sit around a fire and discuss what “The American Dream” means to them. *Contains adult language.
The War of Words
Directed By: Shiroma Silva
Starring: Carl Miller and Wikipedia Editors
8 min., Taiwan, United Kingdom, 2019
Language: English
Synopsis
Wikipedia holds dear in our digital psyches, with knowledge exchanged freely for the greater good. But as this film reveals, it’s a different narrative pertaining to the Chinese language site.
Totally Fake Latino News
Directed By: Culture Clash
Starring: Richard Montoya, Herbert Sigüenza, Ric Salinas
20 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
The iconic Culture Clash offers 10-minute doses of levity, poetics and payasadas (clowning), from their homes and streets of SoCal and beyond, courtesy of the Chicano/Latinx Performance Trio, Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza.
Video Cortaditos & Picante Performance Poems
Directed By: Jose Tórres-Tama
Starring: Jose Tórres-Tama
20 min., United States, 2020
Language: English, Spanish
Synopsis
VIDEO CORTADITOS & Picante Performance Poems is an audio visual series of provocative YouTube shorts created by performance activist José Torres-Tama that are informed by his politically charged spoken word poems.
FREE FILMS
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Functional / Web Series
Directed By: Cheska Bacaltos
Starring: Daniel Luna, Lys Perez, Inés Ware, Jacob Barnes, Demeé Pillar
135 min., United States, 2019
Language: English
Premiere: Orange County Premiere
Synopsis
Guillermo and Jazmyne are two best friends looking to find success and acceptance with the little resources (and sobriety) they have. Functional is a new web series that focuses on topics within the LGBTQ+ and Latinx community highlighting the highs and lows that the modern world has to offer. Functional sets to prove how better the world can thrive when we embrace our individuality and backgrounds.
Part of the Denver Spotlight presented in association with Su Teatro Cultural Center and Denver Film Fest.
Radical Cram School
Directed By: Jenesssa Joffe
Starring: Kristina Wong
20 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
An award winning digital series by acclaimed performance artist Kristina Wong where Asian American kids ages 6-12 explore the power of their identities, revolution, and social justice through puppets, community storytelling, and comedy.
The American Dream
Directed By: Baldev Sandhu
Starring: Fernando A. Funes, Alejandro Garcia, Giuseppe Restrepo, Mike Hughes
6 min., United States, 2020
Language: English, Spanish
Synopsis
Three immigrants about to cross the border sit around a fire and discuss what “The American Dream” means to them. *Contains adult language.
Sound Of Justice
Directed By: Madeline Tello, Olivia Marquez, Isabella Cousineau
Starring: John (Thomas) Chon, Christina Flesher Forminaya, Hana Abdul-Cater, Olivia Ferris, Myriam Gurba, Lark Sontag, Vuk Merrel, Alvin Irby, Dr. Angela Sadler Williamson
44 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
“Sound of Justice” is a glimpse of social justice in America today told from the perspectives of university professors, intellectuals, culture influencers, philosophers, and everyday people.
Totally Fake Latino News
Directed By: Culture Clash
Starring: Richard Montoya, Herbert Sigüenza, Ric Salinas
20 min., United States, 2020
Language: English
Synopsis
The iconic Culture Clash offers 10-minute doses of levity, poetics and payasadas (clowning), from their homes and streets of SoCal and beyond, courtesy of the Chicano/Latinx Performance Trio, Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza.
Video Cortaditos & Picante Performance Poems
Directed By: Jose Tórres-Tama
Starring: Jose Tórres-Tama
20 min., United States, 2020
Language: English, Spanish
Synopsis
VIDEO CORTADITOS & Picante Performance Poems is an audio visual series of provocative YouTube shorts created by performance activist José Torres-Tama that are informed by his politically charged spoken word poems.