Program

Close out the festival at our Closing Night Party at Lima Criolla! This warm and spirited Peruvian spot sets the perfect scene for one last night of connection and celebration. Enjoy bold flavors, festive sounds, and great company as we toast to the stories, artists, and memories that made the 27th annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival unforgettable!

Hecho en Tejas is a beloved showcase celebrating films produced right here in Texas. This year’s program kicks off with a red carpet and special screening of the feature film Duranguito, followed by a spirited intermission with drinks and conversation, then the Hecho en Tejas Shorts Competition. The short films in competition are eligible for both an Audience Award and a Jury Award, presented in partnership with the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI). Celebrate Texas filmmaking with directors in attendance and a lively reception to close out the night!

Today, artists like Peso Pluma and Grupo Frontera dominate the airwaves. The meteoric rise of Tejano and Regional Mexican music can arguably be traced to one man: Johnny Canales, whose syndicated music variety show was appointment viewing in millions of households across North America and launched the careers of legendary musicians like Selena, Ramon Ayala, and Intocable. Through deep archival footage and interviews, TAKE IT AWAY explores the rise and fall not just of Canales, but the evolution of the genre itself.

After years undercover within the Abertzale left, posing as a young ETA sympathizer, a police officer finally gets the break she’s been waiting for: ETA contacts her. They need to use her apartment as a safe house for two members preparing multiple attacks. Her most dangerous mission begins—cohabitating with terrorists who would kill her instantly if they suspect her true identity. As the pressure mounts, she must secretly report to her superiors while maintaining her cover in a deadly game of deception.

¡Videos Musicales! A music video showcase + party. Artists, directors, and producers have the opportunity to screen their music videos for a festival audience. Videos in competition are eligibile for a Jury and Audience award which includes a cash prize! This program is a unique opportunity to see the latest and best of Latinx, Latin America, Spanish, Portuguese, and Indigenous of the Americas creativity, style, and sound.

When a young Mexican politician loses his presidential bid, he retreats with his wife to their countryside estate. There, their lust for power festers, and they reinvent themselves as monarchs; ruling over their employees with cruelty, delusion, and decadence

An auteur emerges from America’s underclass: from migrant farmworker to revolutionary artist, Luis Valdez changed American culture. In the 1960s, his El Teatro Campesino performed on flatbed trucks and helped mobilize workers to win the first farmworker union contract. His production Zoot Suit was the first Chicano play on Broadway. Despite critical rejection that killed the show, he persevered, creating La Bamba—a breakout blockbuster that authentically depicted Mexican-American life to the world. Now in its 60th year, El Teatro continues to be a beacon for Latino/a creators. This is the story of an artist who gave voice to the overlooked and opened pathways for generations.

¡Videos Musicales! celebrates the cinematic artistry of Latine/x and Indigenous musicians and filmmakers who use the form to tell stories, preserve culture, and push creative boundaries. Spanning Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela and the United States with sounds ranging from Latin Alternative and Cumbia to Zydeco and Folk, sung in English, Spanish, and French. Latin Grammy nominee Gina Chavez curates this year's selection. Watch, dance, vote, and stay for the party.

This year's Hecho en Tejas Competition celebrates Texas filmmakers capturing lives rarely seen on screen. Intimate, urgent, and rooted in real communities, these films ask what it means to survive, remember, and resist. The films in this showcase are eligible for both an Audience Award and a Jury Award, presented in partnership with the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI). Meet the directors, cast your vote, and stay for the party!