Pa'lante Theater is proud to present the 2nd Annual Afro Latino Film Festival, a vibrant celebration dedicated to amplifying the voices and stories of Black, Latine, Puerto Rican, and Afro-Caribbean communities worldwide. This festival is a platform for cinematic works that reflect the rich diversity, resilience, and creativity of the Afro Latino diaspora.

As part of a multi-city tour, the festival will showcase a dynamic selection of films that explore the histories, cultures, and lived experiences of our global community. From compelling narratives to insightful documentaries, these films will spotlight the triumphs, challenges, and unique identities that shape the Afro Latino world.

Join us in honoring the artistry and heritage of Afro Latino storytellers, connecting audiences across borders, and fostering a deeper appreciation for the intersections of Black and Latino identities. This celebration of culture promises to be a transformative experience for all who attend.

Schedule of Events:

January 17, 2025

My Dreams Are Who I Am - World Premiere
Victor Ilyukhin, Olga Lvoff &  Rick Guidotti, United States,2024
This short film celebrates resilience, identity, and the comforting power of food to reconnect us with our roots.
 
I Left god
Johnathan Fernandez, 2024, United States
A patient gets intimate with her therapist in unprecedented fashion.
 
Super Latina - World Premiere
Cristina Sasso, 2024, United States
Julieta and her best friends, Lety and Del Mar, are excited to audition for "Super Latina," a local competition to represent the Latino community. When Julieta finds out what the judges really think of her... she and her friends decide to take matters into their own hands.
 
Be Mine - Connecticut Filmmaker
Jon Cruz, 2023, United States
Be Mine is a horror short that follows the story of a young girl named Emily who encounters a young man named Edward. Despite her attempts to befriend him, she soon finds herself uncovering the malevolent forces that lie beneath the surface.
 
Puerta De Tierra: a neighborhood facing gentrification
Héctor Manuel Pérez-Hernández, 2023, Puerto Rico
This film focuses on the recent urban gentrification intiatives impacting the community of Puerta de Tierra in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and how these interact with the daily lives of the residents and commerce activities in the area.
 
Through the Earth - FEATURE FILM
Malena Bystrowicz & Loreley Unamuno, 2024, Argentina
This feature-length documentary follows Blanca and Patzi, two women who have migrated from Bolivia to Argentina in search of better living conditions. They carry with them the lore of ancient history of their homeland. When they arrive, they are confronted by the challenges faced when migrants, collectives, native communities and cultural issues cross more than just territorial borders

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January 18, 2025

Dual Citizen - World Premiere
George W. Campbell, 2024, United States
Three Nicaraguan-American artists from the Washington D.C. Metro area discuss growing up in two cultures and how it influences their art.
 
Street Photographer (English Version)
Zoum Domínguez Blanco, 2022, Venezuela
This documentary highlights the photographic journey of Juancho Domínguez, who due to different circumstances discovers, at the age of 70, photography as a means of expression and that little by little leads him to the rebirth of his own being, and to the reinvention of his artistic path.
 
Bronx River
Zach Uthman, 2022, United States
On Christmas Eve, 1979, during the birth of Hip Hop, a group of teenagers growing up in the South Bronx experience a chain of catastrophic events that would forever alter their lives.
 
Bajudh
Carlos Matienzo Serment, 2022, Mexico
The vision, the struggle and the resistance of a Tének girl to be the first flying woman of the dance "Bixom T'iw or Dance of the Sparrowhawk" in a world where only men can fly.
 
No Cop Academy - The Documentary - Feature film
Caullen Hudson, 2023, United States
From 2017-2019, Chicago BIPOC youth organized and led a powerful effort against the construction of a $95 million cop academy, and demanded the city of Chicago fund youth and communities instead. This one-hour documentary chronicles their explosiv

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January 19, 2025

Vecino - World Premiere
Rolando Meléndez, 2023, Puerto Rico
This short film narrates the story of Javi Vecino, a local muralist who paints murals of native houses that identify the Puerto Rican community and are in danger of disappearing due to gentrification.
 
Eight Years and Ninety Miles - World Premiere
Luca David Higonnet-Faithfull, 2024, United States
Ocho Años y Noventa Millas is a documentary film that follows professional soccer player Bruno Rendon, after he chooses to defect from his home country of Cuba to attempt to start a professional career in the United States.
 
Bicycle Island (A donde nos lleva) - World Premiere
Director Mitra Elena Ghaffari, 2023, Cuba
A contemporary mosaic of Havana explores the bicycle as a reclaimed mobility tool and critical resource for the future of the island.
 
Si Se Puede! - Trade Union Action in Colombia
Pieter De Vos, 2023, Colombia
This documentary sheds a shocking light on the reality of Colombia, considered the most dangerous country in the world for activists. This film follows the story of an oil worker in Barrancabermeja and domestic workers in Cartagena.
 
Black is Beautiful - World Premiere
Marco Antonio Ortega, 2023, United States
This short documentary film tells the story of the head brewer of Weathered Souls Brewing Co. who wanted to shed light on the growing problem of inequality and police brutality via his "Black is Beautiful" project. We follow the impact of the initiative and where it is today.
 
The Orchestra Chuck Built
Christopher Stoudt, 2023, United States
In 2016, the League of American Orchestras conducted a study that revealed a shocking statistic: only 1.8% of the professional orchestra workforce in the U.S. is Black. From the Los Angeles inner city, former lawyer-turned-conductor Chuck Dickerson is on a mission to change that

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Date: January 17 - 19, 2025

Time: 6:00pm

Location: The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106

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