The NVISION Latino Film and Music Festival (formerly known as The Official Latino Film Festival) takes place October 10–12 in Palm Springs. 59 percent of the screening films are directed by women, and the program represents close to 20 percent of LGBTQA+ filmmakers, alongside numerous works from Afro-Latinx, disability, and Indigenous communities.
NVISION will open with the California premiere of Ponyboi, a groundbreaking film written by River Gallo and directed by Esteban Arango. This gripping neo-noir narrative tracks the harrowing journey of a young intersex sex worker in New Jersey who, following a botched Valentine’s Day drug deal, must flee from the mob.
The festival will conclude with the West Coast premiere of En la Caliente: Tales of a Reggaeton Warrior, directed by Fabien Pisani. This evocative documentary explores the life of Cuban artist Kandyman, a pivotal figure in the reggaeton movement, and offers a rare glimpse into Cuba’s turmoil in the 90s.
Additional screening highlights include:
- Hive, (United States, written and directed by Felipe Vargas) a short horror film from Felipe Vargas starring Marvel Cinematic Universe actress Xochitl Gomez, known for her role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
- Shut up and Fish (United States, directed by Raul Sanchez and Pasqual Gutierres) – From the visionary Mexican-American music video directors Pasqual Gutiérrez and Raúl “RJ” Sanchez, also known as CLIQUA, who recently directed the Ivan Cornejo short film for Apple 15, Shut up and Fish is a collection of vivid and daring coming-of-age stories inspired by current Los Angeles Latino youth culture that revolve around issues of social identification, belonging, and the creation of real character.
- All the words but the One (United States, written and directed by Emmy-nominated actress Nava Mau) A dinner with her partner’s new boss takes a tense turn when Maya realizes she’s also sitting across from someone from her past.
- Tuhaymani’chi Pal Waniqa (The Water Flows Always) (United States, directed by Gina Milanovich Nils Cowan) A father seeks to reconnect his daughter with her indigenous roots and the ancient springs of the Mojave Desert, just as a new water-mining project threatens their very existence.
- Iron Lung (United States, directed by Andrew Reid) When a storm knocks out the power to her iron lung, a polio survivor and her engineer sister find themselves in a race against time to find a new way for her to breathe.
- Split Decision (Canada, written and directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero) Crafted, filmed, and edited within just 48 hours, this short film tells the story of an aging boxing champion with dementia, grappling to remember the final moments of his most iconic fight.