The annual festival will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by screening films from Mexican filmmakers
Hola México Film Festival announced selections for its annual cinematic celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which will take place across Los Angeles County starting Friday through Oct. 3.
The festival was founded in 2008, and it is the largest Mexican film festival outside of Mexico. The festival will showcase more than 20 acclaimed Mexican feature films, with many having their United States or West Coast premieres. The festival will also screen 20 short films from its nonprofit initiative, Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today, which aims to provide the next generation of Latino filmmakers with professional development and mentorship opportunities.
“18 years of celebrating Mexican cinema in L.A. is a strong statement about the community and their love for Mexican films,” Samuel Douek, the founder and director of HMFF said in a statement. “At the same time, we’re happy to continue celebrating Mexico’s cinematic achievements worldwide. Los Angeles and Mexico are connected in many ways, but cinema holds the strongest bond.”
This year’s schedule of screenings includes films from many different genres broken up into four different sections. “México Ahora” features the best of Mexican films released recently, “Documental” includes non-fiction films, “Hola Niños” is family entertainment and the “Nocturno” section features horror films.
The festival will kick off on Friday with an opening night red-carpet and screening of “Loco México Magico” directed by Carlos Santos at The Montalbán in Hollywood. On Saturday, The Montalbán will see the L.A. premiere of “Zoé: Memorex + Rexsexex y Más,” the concert-film featuring Mexican rock stars Zoé, directed by Rodrigo Guardiola and produced by Olmo Guerra.
The Culver Theater will screen episodes of the Amazon series “El Juicio,” which stars Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez, and “Prefiero La Muerte,” directed by Sebastián Sariñana, on Sunday. The special presentation will include conversations with the shows’ creators.
At Regal Cinemas L.A. Live, the festival will screen a special showcase of “Los Olvidados: Remastered Edition,” Luis Buñuel’s landmark 1950 film, on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2. The day before each screening, Regal Cinemas will also screen “Memoria de Los Olvidados,” a documentary directed by Javier Espada exploring the making of the film and its cultural relevance today.
This year’s festival is presented by Toyota All-Electric Family, which collaborated with Andrea Porras Madero, a previous participant in the Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today program, on an original short sci-fi thriller, featuring two of Toyota’s all-electric family of vehicles.
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“Film has the power to connect people and inspire new perspectives across generations and communities,” said Lorenzo Harris, manager of communities media at Toyota Marketing, in a statement. “We’re proud to continue our support of the Hola México Film Festival during Hispanic Heritage Month and the storytellers who are shaping the future of cinema through fresh ideas and authentic voices. As one of the premier showcases of Mexican film in the U.S., the festival honors a rich cinematic legacy while creating opportunities for emerging talent to share stories that resonate far beyond the screen.”