North Park nonprofit looks to entire region for this year’s Latino Film Festival

By Anthony King | SDUN Editor

The North Park-based nonprofit Media Arts Center San Diego crosses a milestone this year, with their 20th anniversary celebration of the San Diego Latino Film Festival March 7 – 17. What started as a small student film collective has grown into one of the leading festivals focusing on work by and about the Latino experience.

To help promote this year’s festival, Media Arts Center organizers held an official launch party Feb. 21 at Gang Kitchen restaurant in Downtown. Media Arts Center founder and Executive Director Ethan van Thillo, along with other staff, offered information on the festival and received a proclamation from Mayor Bob Filner’s office declaring the date Latino Film Festival Day in San Diego.

“Twenty years ago we started as a small student film festival, and now we’re expecting over 20,000 [attendees],” van Thillo said of this year’s anniversary. “We’re really excited.”

In honor of the festival’s 20 years, Media Arts Center will be screening their “top 10 groundbreaking and influential” Latino films from the past 20 years. “The selected films blur the line between reality and fantasy, explore ideas of love and friendship and delve into pertinent social and political topics such as poverty, memory and state violence,” organizers said.

The 10 films are “Nostalgia de la Luz” from Chile; “Cronos,” “Desperado,” “Amores Perros,” and “Y Tú Mamá También” from Mexico; “Fresa y Chocolate” from Cuba; “Abres los Ojos” and “Todo Sobre Mi Madre” from Spain; and “Central do Brasil” and “Ciudade de Deus” from Brazil.

Organizers are also screening another classic, “Selena,” in partnership with Full Moon Drive-In in Pacific Beach. The movie will show March 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the authentic drive-in, located at 1500 Felspar St. The movie’s director, Gregory Nava, will be in attendance.

“Looking back at our 20 year history, San Diego-born filmmaker Gregory Nava and acting legend, Lupe Ontiveros, have both attended numerous times and have been so important to the film festival,” van Thillo said. “So, in celebration of our 20th Anniversary and in tribute to the late Lupe Ontiveros, [we are] honored to present this audience favorite in a great new and exciting outdoor venue.”

Festival Special Events Producer Yolanda Walther-Meade hosted the event at Gang Kitchen, and helped introduce guest dignitaries including the Mexican Conusl General in San Diego and the mayor of Tijuana, Mexico, Carlos Bustamante.

Recognizing San Diego as part of a complex border region, Media Arts Center is looking to reach a wider audience. They will be screening a selection of films in Tijuana for this year’s festival, and will once again offer the Borders on Film program, featuring films that explore concepts of how borders affect a region.

“This year to commemorate our 20th anniversary, in an act which really highlights the importance of our cross-border region, we are exemplifying our spirit of regional unity,” Walther-Meade said.

In conjunction with the festival, the Media Arts Center is also accepting entries for “storefront video installations” at their North Park location, 2921 El Cajon Blvd. Selected rotating street-side videos will be shown in the windows of the Center, in part to offer yet another outlet for new work.

“We are excited to offer our storefront as a new venue for the voice of Latinos in and around San Diego, as well as bring a sense of place and awareness of new media formats to San Diego citizens” organizers said. For full submission guidelines, email Media Arts instructor Evan Apodaca at [email protected].

Co-presented by the San Ysidro Health Center, the SDLFF will one again be screening a collection of feature and short films in its Cine Gay showcase, highlighting recent films about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Latino culture. This is the eighth year of the LGBT-focused showcase.

“Challenging the historical exclusion of underrepresented communities in the media, the festival takes advantage of the opportunity of this showcase to highlight experiences of gay life in different corners of the world, underlining the universal experience as well as the unique expressions of the Latin LGBT community,” organizers said.

“It’s really all about you, our community here and on the other side of the border,” Walther-Meade said. “You are the reason that we at Media Arts Center San Diego and the San Diego Latino Film Festival are able to celebrate 20 healthy, vigorous, vibrant years.”

Most films screen at the Digiplex Mission Valley, formerly the UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas, located at 7510 Hazard Center Drive. General admission tickets are $10.50 per film, with discounts for students, seniors, military and Media Arts Center members. There are also special prices on passes and family tickets.

For the complete schedule and movie information – including the opening party, closing weekend party and centerpiece showcase – as well as to purchase tickets, visit sdlatinofilm.com or call 619-230-1938.