The selected films have been chosen for their fascinating, and funny, exploration of themes surrounding gender, politics and immigration.
“I-d-e-n-t-i-t-i-e-s” film programme will pay tribute to LATINX WOMEN. Celebrating the filmmakers and storytellers executing related narratives on-screen, with themes touching on immigration and divided political structures.

The competition will showcase trail-blazing Latin American short films, exploring the representation of individuals and different cultures, to illustrate how the Latino Community has made such a vast impact on global society.

The newly selected films come from a host of award-winning directors from all over Latin America. Wings is an awe-inspiring short film about a woman’s strength, voice, and innate ability to fly and be free. Directed by London Italo Brazilian Director Tiago Di Mauro, who is currently working on his first feature as a writer-director. Bricherxs is a comedy directed by Peruvian filmmakers Vanessa Geldres & Ian Ilbert. It tells the story of two shop workers who attempt to charm a British tourist to access his sweet Visa-free passport! Created by, and starring, Peruvian actor Pepa Duarte, drama facilitator at the Old Vic and director of Southwark Playhouse’s Youth Company. Ebony Bailey, a “Blaxican” filmmaker and photographer from Central California, presents Jamaica & Tamarindo. Her work explores cultural intersections and diaspora. This film examines her identity as a black Mexican filmmaker. Bailey’s photographs have appeared in NPR, LA Times and Remezcla. Her shorts have screened at film festivals in the US, Mexico and Europe. Oda a los Frijoles or Ode to the Beans is a film by Karolina Esqueda from Mexico. It’s a literal and visual rendition to beans… which is just as intriguing as it sounds! This experimental short merges a recipe with archival footage of immigrants and fieldworkers. Karolina graduated from Berkeley and has since been heavily involved with the Women in Media forums in the US.

South Social Festival Director, Paola Melli, said: “We were amazed at the variety and diversity of each short film submitted – we received 351 from all over the world. Our main criteria was to choose films that could tell powerful and little known stories deeply rooted in each country. We found ourselves immersed in tales of bootleg ‘pulche’, a famous Mexican drink, and Peruvian restorative plant-based therapies. But also a very creative range of comedies, political and immigration documentaries that express the liveliness and topical aspects of each filmmaker.”

Director of Jamaican & Tamarindo, Ebony Bailey, said: “I made this film as a way to reaffirm my own identity as a Black-Mexican-American, or as I like to say, a “Blaxican.” My mother is Mexican-American and my father is African-American. All of my life my Mexican side was negated, because of my Black features. “A Black girl cannot be Mexican,” they would tell me. These words have caused me to reflect on the role that Blackness plays in Mexican identity. What does it mean to be Mexican?”

This programme presents a valuable opportunity for cinemagoers in London to explore the exciting world of short films on the big screen at a pop-up cinema. And for Latino filmmakers based in the UK to discuss their motivation and inspirations for making these films. Festival screenings are a vital step to continue driving change within the industry and inspire the next generation of filmmakers, particularly those who identify as women from the Latino community.

The pop-up cinema will also screen a selection of films from the FEMME FRONTERA SHOWCASE. This includes short films made by female-identifying Latinx filmmakers from the Border of the United States and Mexico. These films challenge existing narratives surrounding gender roles, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, BIPOC, and other marginalised communities.