26th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival

Program

After the death of her best friend, Adela embarks on a journey through time to a distant autumn, where Elena eagerly awaits with detective novels and the warmth of a crackling fire. In this tale of timeless sisterhood, Adela must confront her grief and unravel the mysteries that still bind them—across memory, love, and loss. Between the absurdity of the present and the clarity of the past, she finds a space where their friendship lives on. Through magical echoes and remembered joy, Adela searches not only for Elena, but for herself.

The Felpetos have run a clandestine lottery operation for decades, quietly embedded in a modest housing development. Maribel leads a crew of clerks who record bets from her living room, while her mother Alejandra oversees the books from an identical house just a few meters away. Lately, the neighborhood has taken a tense turn—some lottery bankers have been raided, and whispers of police shakeups and suspicious money flows are everywhere. But no one knows what’s true and what’s just rumor or media speculation.

A secret society of giant hot air balloon makers in Brazil's favelas risk everything to create and fly their illegal masterpieces. Dubbed as delinquents, these 'baloeiros' operate underground like street artists, bringing joy to their communities while evading government threats and bounty hunters. Director Sissel shares her initiation into the balloon brotherhood, where launching silk paper creations becomes an act of social redemption and collective dreaming.