Ana Casasola, a journalist, is investigating a terrorist attack that occurred 40 years ago on the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, in which her father, also a journalist, was killed. During the investigation, she faces a series of obstacles that prevent her from proceeding as she had hoped.

Preceded by:
NEA (Colombia, 21 mins. 2024)

In the Peruvian Andes, Margarita, an Andean shepherdess, finds Lautaro, a dying Chilean soldier who has managed to flee from a battle. She decides to take him to her home and care for him. When her father finds out, he agrees to hide Lautaro, putting his family at risk, with the only condition being that he must leave once he recovers. Over time, and despite their linguistic differences, the shepherdess and the soldier begin to develop an intimate relationship. When Lautaro is discovered, he is taken prisoner, but his life is spared when it is revealed that the shepherdess is expecting his child.

Preceded by:
Remember Us / Recuérdanos (USA, 13 mins. 2023)

After the assassination of a resident of an old condo, an extensive investigation holds a group of seven tenants in an interrogation room, all of whom are suspects in the crime.

Preceded by:
Mala Facha (Uruguay, 20 mins. 2023)

Miguel, a 7-year-old boy, lives with three generations of estranged women in an old house. Among them is his mother, who, adrift with the trauma of her divorce, distances herself from the boy. Miguel takes refuge in Carmen, an enigmatic Venezuelan immigrant who works as a maid for the Brazilian family. Carmen becomes an ambiguous mother figure for Miguel, who develops an intimate and unusual bond with her. This connection triggers his inner world and introduces him to a universe where the real and the imaginary intertwine.

Preceded by:
Mara Has Three Jobs in San Juan, Puerto Rico (USA, 11 mins. 2023)

SLFF is proud to present a captivating selection of short documentaries as part of our Official Selection and Competition lineup. These films, showcasing diverse stories and perspectives from across the Spanish-speaking world, are a highlight of our free educational program celebrating Spanish Language Day.

The Broken Goddess (Venezuela, 20 mins. 2023)
Emilia (Spain, 19 mins. 2024)
Distance (Honduras, 25 mins. 2023)
Illegal Alien(United Arab Emirates, 25 mins. 2023)

FREE EDUCATIONAL SCREENING

The SLFF section featuring these short films presents a diverse array of narratives and styles from across the Americas. The collection showcases the rich storytelling traditions and unique cultural perspectives of Guatemala, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Ecuador, Chile, and the USA. Each film offers a distinct glimpse into the varied experiences and creative voices shaping contemporary cinema.

The City We Occupy (Guatemala, 15 mins. 2023)
Lupe Q and the Galactic Corn Cake (Canada, 5 mins. 2024)
Eu amo ver você / I loved to see you (Brazil, 19 mins. 2023)
Lion's Tail (Colombia, 17 mins. 2024)
Sara (Peru, 14 mins. 2023)
Miami (Uruguay, 26 mins 2023)
Lonesome George (Ecuador, 8 mins. 2023)
Pick One (USA, 6 mins. 2024)

The Iberoamerican Short Film in Competition program features diverse short films from Costa Rica, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Chile, and Uruguay, showcasing a rich tapestry of storytelling from across the Iberoamerican region.

Mosquitoes (Costa Rica, 14 mins. 2024)
On the Rails (Argentina, 19 mins. 2024)
The Smell of the Flowers (Chile, 25 mins. 2023)
The treasure (Mexico, 21 mins. 2023)
New York (Uruguay, 25 mins. 2023)
Thursday in March (Spain, 17 mins. 2024)
Little Haiti, Miami (USA, 8 mins. 2024)

A teacher arrives at a humble school in the Buenos Aires suburbs to serve as a substitute. There he meets Sofía, a gifted 7-year-old girl. The teacher quickly notices that Sofía may be a case of hidden talent in that environment and decides to do something to help her. He will find a lot of obstacles from a society that is not prepared and will undertake a quixotic fight to achieve his goal: That Sofía's intelligence is not wasted.

Preceded by:
Floodplain (USA, 16 mins. 2024)

The odyssey of survival of an undocumented New York city chef and a young girl from El Salvador, after they get stranded in the deserts of southern Arizona.

Free Educational Screening

(In)visibles follows the stories of six refugees who have resettled in three countries in Central America and the Caribbean. In their own words, they guide the audience from their past to their present and their expectations for the future. Their tales of violence and instability coexist with their struggle to rebuild their lives in exile and the dreams that endure despite uncertainty. Their stories resonate with the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are forced to flee their homelands each year.

Preceded by:
DelMar (USA / El Salvador, 19 mins. 2023)

All I Ever Wanted is a riveting seven-year journey through the high-stakes world of professional basketball, showcasing NBA icons like Kevin Durant, Kyle Lowry, and Manu Ginobili. This deeply personal documentary unveils the untold story of Greivis Vasquez, former star of the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets, as he confronts the challenges of a sudden, career-ending injury. The film reveals the emotional, physical, and financial difficulties that emerge when an athletes worst fear comes true.

Preceded by:
Exodus / Éxodo (USA, 13 mins. 2023)

Filmmaker and former punk artist Mabel Valdiviezo reunites with her family in Peru after 16 years of silence, confronting haunting childhood memories and a troubled past as an undocumented immigrant in the United States.
Offering intimate access to the artist and her vibrant photo-paintings of the family, Prodigal Daughter is a cinematic exploration of family bonds, identity, belonging, and the transformative power of art through the narrative of human rights, gender, and immigration.

Preceded by:
Rooted In Cuba (USA, 14 mins. 2024)

A mothers search for her son accelerates the defeat of a dictatorship and inspires a new global generation of women fighting for their freedoms.

Preceded by:
The Welder / El Soldador (USA, 10 mins. 2023)

A fascinating journey through Mexican culture and spirituality in search of the origins of the Virgin of Guadalupe, an icon that emerged after the shocking clash between Europe and the Mesoamerican peoples. With all its lights and shadows, this brown skinned virgin is the first and most important sign of Mexican identity.

Preceded by:
Echoes of the Rio / Ecos del Río (USA, 8 mins. 2023)

FREE EVENT

The Ibero-American Animation Short Film Competition features a diverse selection of animated short films that showcase the creativity and storytelling prowess of animators from the Ibero-American region.

The Hardest Shapes (Colombia, 14 mins. 2023)
In Half (Spain, 24 mins, 2023)
Monster Boy (Brazil, 9 mins. 2023)
The Strange Case of The Human Cannonball (Ecuador, 10 mins. 2023)
Wildflower (Portugal, 5 mins. 2024)
The Final Day (USA, 5 mins. 2024)

Roxii, a queer hopeless romantic, just wants to be loved and treated the way boys do girls. A string of boys and men inform Roxiis view of sex and identity in late aughts Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Preceded by
Degenere (Colombia, 19 mins. 2023)

Follows the life in the kitchen of a NYC restaurant where cultures from all over the world blend during the lunchtime rush.

In Buenos Aires, when the southern wind blows, nothing can stop it. The violent gusts agitate the citys shores, and the storm might last for days. For a time, nature is in control once again. Jorge "The Hound" Villafañez (65), a grumpy and cynical old private detective, is about to be hit by his own personal storm. Once Elvira Schulz appears as a secret force in Jorges life, there will be no wind that, when it blows, wont shake Jorges world.

Preceded by:
All Meat Diet / La Dieta de la Carne (USA, 5 mins. 2024)

A documentary traversing the three centuries that gave birth to Hispanic America, exploring the history, art, music, and religious syncretism that blossomed from the encounter of two worlds, creating a civilization vibrant and beautiful like no other.

Sponsored by Honorary Consul of Spain in Seattle & Acción Cultural Española. Director will be in attendance.

When Noelia goes blind, she must face the fear of being a mother without seeing, of forgetting the faces of her loved ones and of understanding the world without seeing it. Her vital impulse drives her to rehabilitate herself and there she meets love. Strengthened, she decides to repair the wounds of the past with her daughter, knowing that this is the only way she will be able to back to the light.

Preceded by:
Parole (Cuba, 25 mins. 2024)

This documentary covers the journey of Genie Milgrom and her decades
long quest for her Jewish lineage. Genie was born in Havana, Cuba and raised in Miami with a full Roman Catholic schooling from grade school through university level. She was always burdened with a deep-rooted feeling of not belonging in her Spanish Catholic environment.
Her story follows many twists and turns as she makes the difficult decision to convert to Judaism from the midst of a traditional Catholic family from Spain and chooses a traditional route for her future.
Her family and friends are shaken to the core while Genie becomes more and more convinced that her family was Jewish in the Iberian Peninsula, centuries before. Her chase for the “breadcrumbs” that were dropped by her ancestors led her to Medieval Archives and several countries in Europe to untangle the web of secrecy that her ancestors had created to protect themselves during very dark times in Europe.
Together with her husband Michael, an Ashkenaz of Romanian origins, she finally reaches the truth of her family in an engaging film, spanning the globe that is not to be missed.

It is an intimate and generational drama, told from the point of view of three female leads. 'Amanece' is a family constellation and a intimate film that talks about themes that have been present in all his projects: the return home, the relationships between parents and children and the conflict experienced by those people who are halfway between hometown and the city where they develop their professional activity.

Preceded by:
The Paradise Road Via/ Al Paraiso (USA, 25 mins. 2023)

The Women Directors showcase female-driven narratives and talent. This program includes the Mexican short film 52 Minutes and the Chilean feature film Outsider Girls, highlighting diverse and powerful stories directed by a couple of young Latin American women filmmakers.

Las Demas / Outsider Girls (Chile, 81 mins. 2023)
Rafaela (20) and Gabriela (21) are best, best friends. Rafa's unexpected pregnancy threatens the pink and extravagant oasis they have built. Abortion in Chile is illegal, but not impossible, and together they must face the hostility of the system to have the procedure done without bursting their precious bubble and their relationship.

Preceded by:
52 Minutes (Mexico, 10 mins. 2024)

Lola is a teenager immersed in an unstable family context due to her elder sister’s mental disorder. She has the opportunity to make a study trip to Germany and will find the way to make this journey happen to escape from the strenuous family dynamics.

Preceded by:
My Independence Day / El Día de mi Independencia (Chile, 18 mins. 2024)

Chef David Yárnoz returns to Taiwan 3 years later to face the problems of bringing Spanish cuisine to the other side of the world, where local chef, Kai Ho , tirelessly searches for influences to combine the produce of his land.

Inspired by a true story this intimate tale follows Cajita an immigrant laborer with a murky past who fled his country by shipping himself in a crate to the US. Cajita now lives off the grid performing odd jobs for an upper-class family. After an unforeseen event forces Cajita into a chancy situation, his best friend lays out a risky plan to help free Cajita from his dangerous dilemma.

Preceded by:
72 (USA, 15 min. 2023)

OPENING NIGHT

6:00 PM: Doors Open - Guests are welcomed with light refreshments.
7:15 PM: Welcome Remarks - Acknowledgment of sponsors followed by the Keynote Speaker's address.
7:30 PM: Welcome Speech - The Festival Founder and Chief Programmer greets attendees.
7:33 PM: Opening Act - The event officially begins with an enchanting performance by Panama Folclore.
8:00 PM: Opening Screening - The Shadow of the Sun.

Set in rural Venezuela, when a deaf young man asks his estranged older brother to join him in a musical contest, this salt-of-the-earth blue collar worker must dust off his musical chops in order to be his little brother's voice, so that the world can finally hear him.

Preceded by:
Development (USA, 10 min. 2023)

Three Patagonic brothers battle with their issues in a hermetic and violent way. The Younger it’s attracted to a jiu-jitsu male partner.The Middle one has testicular cancer. The Oldest is hooked on cocaine. Meanwhile, the river threatens with a big flood that can ruin their ranch.

Preceded by:
The Siege (Argentina, 17 min. 2022)

Felipe is a teenager who spends his days riding a bike with friends along the empty streets of the beach town where they live, rapping freestyle and taking acting classes behind his mother’s back. Faced with the chance to audition for a film, he escapes to the capital city and meets his paternal grandmother after not seeing her since his father’s death, and puts together the pieces of his past.

A brother and sister return to Argentina, country of their birth, for the first time in their adult lives. Against the backdrop of glamorous tango clubs of Buenos Aires, they uncover dark family secrets and the reason for their parents' emigration to Canada.

Preceded by:
Why do we dance? (Germany, 9 min, 2022)