30 YEARS OF LATINO LIFE
FILM FESTIVAL, RUNNING THROUGH MARCH 19, CELEBRATES THREE DECADES OF SHOWCASING LATINO ARTS AND CULTURE IN SAN DIEGO
The San Diego Latino Film Festival has returned this week for its 30th anniversary. What started as a small-scale student film festival in 1994 has evolve into a renowned 11-day event that remains true to its mission of celebrating the arts and culture, as well as highlighting the filmmakers, actors and artists who bring the Latino experience to the screen.
Founder Ethan van Thillo remembers how it started, with around 300 people and 30 movies. For its latest edition — which opened Thursday and continues through March 19 at the Westfield Mission Valley AMC Theatre — they are expecting around 15,000 people and will show more than 160 films.
Young talents who became great filmmakers were part of the early years of the festival, Van Thillo said. Among them were cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (“Babel”) and directors Carlos Carrera (“El Crimen del Padre Amaro”) and Carlos Ávila (“Price of Glory”).
Ávila, then a UCLA graduate student, presented his thesis film “Distant Water” during the festival’s first edition.
“You are always looking to find ways to exhibit your work, and there was the opportunity to show it at the film festival in San Diego,” Ávila recalled in a phone interview.
The director, who in his career has directed movies, TV and commercials, will return for the festival’s 30th anniversary to show his short film “The Kill Floor,” which explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latino workers. The film will be presented on March 18 as part of the festival’s “Hecho en USA” showcase.
“To see what Ethan (Van Thillo) has done with this festival, which has become not just a film festival but also a celebration of Latino culture ... I’m so proud to be a part of that,” said Ávila.
During its three-decade run, the festival has welcomed many Latino film stars, including Alfonso Cuarón, Edward James Olmos, Demián Bichir, Kate del Castillo, Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna.
This year’s special guests include actors Joaquín Cosío, Juan Manuel Bernal, Roberto Quijano and Diana Bovio.
The festival will showcase short and feature-length films of all genres. It will also promote young filmmakers.
“It is important to keep that balance because, at the end of the day, the film festival is really about supporting emerging talent and filmmakers,” said Van Thillo. “You never know who is going to be the next Alfonso Cuarón.”
The festival began with the mission to challenge negative Latino stereotypes in films. Van Thillo recognizes the progress that has been made over the years but said there is still a lot of work to do — and how better to do it than through the arts?
“It’s definitely a challenge,” he said. “There has been progress for sure.”
He cites as examples new Latino actors and filmmakers in Hollywood and great achievements by Oscar-winning directors Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu.
“There’s dialogue about stereotypes, and things we really didn’t talk about 30 years ago. I believe the festival helped push that dialogue into the forefront and really helped celebrate and support Latino filmmakers,” he added.
Van Thillo sees the creation of nonprofit Media Arts San Diego in 1999 as one of the festival’s biggest accomplishments. Media Arts Center San Diego offers educational programs and services.
The festival’s ticket-holders can also enjoy live music, a Latino arts market and a food festival, among other activities. The event’s final evening event at 7 p.m. March 18 will include a concert by La Sonora Dinamita at The Forum by UC San Diego Park & Market at 1100 Market St., San Diego.