EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — Movie lovers will have another chance to catch independent films and support local talent as the 26th annual Binational Independent Film Festival returns this week.

According to organizers, the festival is dedicated to showcasing local talent through independent filmmaking, an art they say is on the decline.

“We’re very excited to continue promoting independent filmmaking,” said Cesar Alejandro, executive director of the Binational Independent Film Festival. “It’s sort of like a dying breed.” He added, “We are one of the last film festivals dedicated to independence.”

As the festival is set to bring a slate of films from both sides of the border, Alejandro encouraged attendance from both sides of the border, stating, “I invite the whole El Paso and Juarez community…For me, this dialogue between American independence and Mexican independence, it’s a direct dialogue between the two countries. Cinematically.

Organizers also said the festival will open with a tribute to a longtime El Paso figure in the film industry, George LeBreton.

“George LeBreton was one of the first friends and people that supported my quest to do this festival, and then he’s also in almost all of my movies. I produced and filmed 21 movies in El Paso. He’s an actor in all of them, and he was very supportive, a wonderful person, but also a personality in El Paso,” Alejandro said.

The film festival kicks off Thursday, July 23rd, and runs through July 26. It will be held at the La Fe Culture and Technology Center in Segundo Barrio and is free to attend.

Festival schedule:

Thursday, July 23, 2026, 7 p.m.: Movie presentation of “El Ultimo Cartucho,” followed by a talk with the movie’s director.Friday, July 24, 2026, 7 p.m.: Documentary presentation of “My Brother’s Killer,” followed by a talk with the documentary’s director. Saturday, July 25, 2026, 6 p.m.: Documentary presentation of “Obispo Rojo (Part II),” followed by a talk with the documentary’s director.Sunday, July 26, 2026, 7 p.m.: Movie presentation of “Time of Death,” followed by a talk with the movie’s director.

RECOMMENDED: Plaza Classic Film Festival returns July 16, bringing classics back to El Paso’s Plaza

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