25th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival

Program

Removed from their family home and forced into Canada’s residential school system, Cree musical prodigy Aline and her siblings are plunged into a struggle for survival. BONES OF CROWS is Aline's journey from child to matriarch, a moving multi-generational epic of resilience, survival and the pursuit of justice.

Set during the early days of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, Chile ‘76 builds from quiet character study to gripping suspense thriller as it explores one woman’s precarious flirtation with political engagement. Carmen (Aline Kuppenheim) leads a sheltered upper middle class existence. When the family priest asks her to take care of an injured young man he has been sheltering in secret, Carmen is inadvertently drawn into the world of the Chilean political opposition and must face real-world threats she is unprepared to handle.

Toast to 25 years and to 25 more, as we wind down the Festival at Knomad Bar!

Having known fame as a former boy band member, Billy now lives a monotonous existence as a married man in a suburban Mexican city. Yet, an encounter with an ex-fan will make him confront his life decisions.

Cine Las Americas presents five films representing the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and El Salvador. These shorts represent individual and community topics and concerns in their contemporary contexts. The works screened in this category are eligible for a Jury Award for Best Documentary Short.

In the tropical mountains of Costa Rica, widower Domingo owns a piece of land which is coveted to build a new highway. When the contractors send in thugs to intimidate the community, the neighbors leave one by one, but Domingo refuses to give in, especially as the land hides a special and mystical secret.

Ana is driving, her face serious and angry. Mateo, her husband, asks her to turn around, returning to the place in the forest where they have left their 7 seven-year-old son. It’s only been two minutes, but he’s gone.

In 1984, an unlikely meeting between Dr. Clyde Snow, a legendary American forensic scientist, and a group of Argentine students would ultimately change the course of forensic science and human rights forever.

Celebrate a special section of the Festival showcasing works by filmmakers 19 years or younger. The works screened in this category are eligible for an Audience Award for Best “Emergencia” Youth Film.

The 7th annual Femme Frontera Filmmaker Showcase features short films by women and non-binary filmmakers from the U.S.-Mexico border regions of El Paso, Texas, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua, México.

Badgeholders are invited to mix, mingle and most importantly, network at our exclusive Filmmaker Happy Hour!

Agos and Santi are stressed due to the pandemic and decide to rent a country house for a weekend. Upon arrival, the hosts inform them they will remain in the house and will treat them like a five star hotel would do, but they’re hiding second intentions.

Julia, aged 22 and mother of two children, falls in love with Óscar. They start an intense and tortuous relationship full of ups and downs. Soon, Julia begins to doubt Óscar's suitability as a male role model for her children. A violent incident will lead Julia to leave Óscar and look for a better future.

“Hecho en Tejas” is a series of films produced in Texas. The films are eligible for a Jury Award and Audience Award presented in partnership with the Texas Film Commission (TFC) and the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) and support from HEB.

After witnessing the murder of her friend, Kenya, a trans woman and sex worker, embarks on a path of struggle and search for justice that leads her to face the fear and pain of seeing herself reflected in that tragic ending.

Cielo’s teenage daughter, Laura, is kidnapped in Northern Mexico. Despite paying several ransoms, Laura is not returned. When the authorities offer no support in the search, Cielo takes matters into her own hands and transforms from housewife into vengeful militant.

Nicaragua, today. 11-year-old Maria lives with her mother Lilibeth at the edge of a garbage dump. Their future depends on selling a litter of purebred puppies to a local thug. When the deal falls through, Lilibeth must go to the city and drops Maria off at a recycling center where she must stay and work. But days pass and she doesn’t return. Maria feels lost, bewildered and angry. One night, Maria meets Tadeo, an imaginative new friend who is determined to help her to reunite with her mother.

Eliú, a country boy, is incarcerated in an experimental young offenders institution, deep in the heart of the Colombian tropical forest, for a crime he committed with his friend El Mono. Every day, the teenagers perform hard manual labour and endure intense group therapy, under the menacing gaze of the camp guard Godoy. One day, El Mono is transferred to the same center and with him comes the past that Eliú is trying to escape.

When Kiran Singh (Nardeep Khurmi), a 1st Gen Punjabi-American truck driver and expectant father, hears pounding coming from inside his truck’s trailer, he finds Elena (Caroline Valencia), a young Mexican-American girl stowed away onboard. Kiran’s already tumultuous life takes a drastic turn as he seeks to reunite her with her family. As the pair ride across the changing American landscape, Kiran faces what it means to be a father while Elena learns how to trust again. They connect through family, dreams of the future, and a healthy debate over God’s existence, all while the ghosts of the past, racially charged encounters, and the threat of I.C.E. linger over their journey.

Manuela, a Latin American immigrant, walks through the empty streets of Los Angeles, scouring the area for work. After getting a job as a nanny, Manuela meets Alma, who is initially resistant to her. While Alma's mother is gone on a business trip, Manuela and Alma swim in the pool, clean the house, and form a maternal bond. Manuela takes on more and more of a motherly role until one day she learns that her entire world as she knows it has just changed and she must make a huge decision.

Martinez, a lonely accountant who really prizes his daily monotony, is pushed by his hierarchy to retire. While his life stability is threatened, his neighbor, a woman of his age, is found dead in her home after several days. Although he has never met her, her death will make him realize that his life is still ahead of him.

Steeped in the long oral tradition of Waorani storytelling, Gange Yeti shares her own coming-of-age story as a young Waorani woman living deep within the Amazon rainforest. Following Gange and her community for over 11 years, the film captures her transition from a quiet teenager into a confident young mother at a critical turning point for her culture and rainforest. As the granddaughter of one of the last Waorani elders who lived in complete isolation before outside contact, Gange is determined to capture her grandmother’s unique experience while she still can -- balancing school, motherhood, and tradition along the way.

Cine Las Americas presents a selection of five narrative shorts representing six countries. The films are personal and each telling rich stories that will resonate with viewers. The works screened in this category are eligible for a Jury Award for Best Narrative Short.

Bego decided to decline her life plans to attend to household duties. She lives bored and afraid of being inconsequential, but this may change when the meditation group she attends announces a great cataclysm: 3 days of darkness.

Agatha (74) and Leonidas (36) maintain an absorbing mother-son relationship: Agatha never fell in love again and Leonidas does not dare to build a life outside the doors of the family home. One day, Agatha suddenly wakes up in the body of a little girl: as herself, but at the age of seven. The only possible solution after having cut off all ties with the outside world for fear of giving explanations, will be to call Elisa (38), Agatha's eldest daughter, who despite having become independent a long time ago, will return to the family home to repair wounds that remain open.

FLAMIN’ HOT is the inspiring true story of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia) who as a Frito-Lay janitor disrupted the food industry by channeling his Mexican-American heritage to turn Flamin’ Hot Cheetos from a snack into an iconic global pop culture phenomenon.

On a hot summer day, Paloma decides to fulfill her most cherished dream: a traditional wedding in a church with her boyfriend Zé. She is a devoted mother, a hard-working farmhand in a papaya plantation and has been saving to afford the celebration. The priest’s refusal to marry her and Zé will force Paloma to confront the rural society. She suffers violence, betrayal, prejudice and injustice but nothing shakes the faith and determination of this transgender woman.

A free showcase of short films not in competition, the Panorama Shorts Showcase is a selection of six films representing the United States and Mexico. The films include three documentaries, children's/fantasy short, and a western. Cine Las Americas considers this diverse array of important films as essential to share with central Texas audiences.

Three Latin American women share a common goal: Carolina, Bertha and Maxima are leading today's environmental fight against modern conquistadors. Whereas governments and corporations, trapped in a global race towards unlimited growth, need to get the cheapest raw materials, these three women tell us a story of tireless courage: how to keep fighting to protect nature when your life is at risk? When police repression, corporate harassment, injuries or even death threats are part of your daily routine?

Join us for screening and party at Nepantla, USA. The works screened in this category are eligible for an Audience Award for Best Music Video.