PART 2: More Is More. 8000+ Attendees, Make New Friends & Learn

The New Global Screen Economy Summit — Opening day, Nov 10

Whether you are seeking financing, representation, creative or business partners, production locations and incentives, AI and technology partners, or are ready to pitch your next film, the in-person meetings and connections that happen organically each year at AFM have been career-changing.

Remember those previous AFM Finance Seminars? This is the 6.0 version. There is MORE. 

The expanded AFM Innovation Hub, in partnership with Marché du Film’s Cannes Next, and the North American debut of The Cinemas Club, will explore the future of theatrical exhibition and moviegoing. Over four days, Wednesday, November 11 through Saturday, November 14, 2026, AFM House.  All of this added newness demands a smart schedule. Download the AFM26 app on your iOS or Android device.

The Summit will explore-and aim to decode the proposed Federal Production Incentive. It will unpack layers of jargony stuff: Creator and Audience-driven studios, emerging IP, fresh ways to find your audience and how to monetize what you’re developing and protect what you already have. It will assess current scenarios transforming our industry. 

Separately ticketed. Standalone Attendee Price or AFM Attendee Rate.  

Presenters include; Jackie Brenneman President & CEO, Independent Film & Television Alliance, Josh Rogin, SVP, Federal Government Affairs, Motion Picture Association (MPA) Tyler Chou, Founder & CEO, Tyler Chou Law for Creators, CreatorArq M&A Advisory, Jordan Lonner, Agent & Co-Head, Motion Picture Literary Department, UTA, Jon Leland Co-Founder and CEO, Popular Demand, Steven Paul, Chairman & CEO, SP Media Group SP Media Group,  Jared Geesey, EVP of International, Angel Studios, Katie Pryor Co-Founder, Film USA & Executive Director, Baton Rouge Film Commission, Samantha Masunaga, Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, Josh Rogin.  Brett Rosen, Manager, TFC Management & Productions, Joel Savitt, Founder & CEO, Bamboo Bridge, Wesley Wang, Director/Founder, Wesley Wang Media.

Building on the triumphant 2025 return to Los Angeles a responsive AFM offers attendees much more. The upgrades include additional space to network; the crowded bar and expanded new indoor areas to wheel and deal. 

At the Innovation Hub there will be expanded: demos, ‘fireside chats’ and newly designated arena for AFM attendees to delve into new technologies, live demos, and meet tech innovators developing screen entertainment. 

The post New Global Screen Economy Summit At AFM26 first appeared on .

Dolores Huerta, you spent your life reminding us that the people who pick our food, raise our children, build our communities and sustain our economy deserve more than gratitude. They deserve dignity, respect and a fair opportunity to live with security and hope. You taught the world que “Si Se Puede!

In Memory of Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta (1930–2026)

There are lives that are measured in years, and there are lives that are measured by the people they touch, the voices they awaken, and the generations they inspire to believe that a better world is possible — que “Si Se Puede”.

Dolores Huerta lived one of those lives.

Today, we mourn the passing of a woman whose name became synonymous with courage, justice, equality and the unshakable belief that people, when united by a common purpose, have the power to change history.

Dolores Huerta did not simply witness history. She helped make it.

Born in 1930, Dolores came of age in a country where farmworkers labored under brutal conditions, where many immigrant families lived without basic protections, and where women were too often expected to remain silent, accept their circumstances and allow others to speak on their behalf.

Dolores refused to accept that world as inevitable.

Her journey began with a profound sense of responsibility toward people whose suffering was too often ignored. As a young teacher in California’s San Joaquin Valley, she saw children arriving to school hungry, without adequate clothing and carrying the burdens of poverty that no child should have to bear.

She understood that educating children inside the classroom was not enough if the circumstances outside the classroom continued to deny their families dignity and opportunity.

So she made a choice that would change her life—and the lives of millions of others. She became an organizer.

Alongside César Chávez, she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, which later became the United Farm Workers. She helped organize agricultural workers, challenge exploitative labor practices, negotiate contracts and bring national attention to the conditions under which America’s food was harvested.

Her work helped transform the farm labor movement into a defining chapter of the American struggle for civil rights. Yet Dolores was never merely someone standing beside a movement. She was one of its architects.

She was a strategist, a negotiator, a relentless organizer and a woman who understood that social change requires more than righteous words. It required preparation, persistence, sacrifice and the willingness to confront powerful institutions that would rather maintain the status quo.

And she did so in a time when being a woman in leadership was itself an act of defiance.

Her life reminds us that history is often told through people who occupy visible positions. That movements are built through the labor of those who organize, negotiate, persuade, sacrifice and refuse to surrender. Dolores was one of those indispensable forces.

And through it all, she gave us three words that would travel far beyond the labor movement: “Si Se Puede!”.

For women, Dolores Huerta’s legacy carries a particularly profound meaning.

She fought for workers’ rights while navigating a society in which women were frequently denied the authority, recognition and opportunities afforded to men. She challenged not only economic injustice but also the assumptions about who could lead a movement, negotiate with powerful interests and shape the direction of a nation.

Dolores also reminded us that women should not have to choose between caring for others and fighting for themselves. Her life was a testament to the possibility—and the difficulty—of carrying personal responsibilities while pursuing a public mission.

We do not honor women by pretending their journeys are easy. We honor them by recognizing the barriers they confronted, the choices they made, the changes they achieved and the unfinished work they leave to us.

_{(A reading of Dolores’ In Her Own Words produced by David Damian Figueroa for Farmworker Justice)}

Her legacy belongs to the world

Her life long message transcends borders because the principles she championed are universal: dignity, fairness, opportunity and the right of people to participate in decisions that shape their lives.

In an increasingly interconnected world, her journey reminds us that the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the comforts we enjoy are connected to the labor of people we may never meet.

She challenged us to look beyond convenience and ask a deeper question: Who pays the price for the way we live?

Dolores understood that solidarity is not simply an expression of sympathy. It is a commitment to action. Her legacy reminds us that progress is rarely the achievement of a single individual. It is the result of people finding common ground, recognizing their shared humanity and working together even when the odds appear overwhelming.

Among the highest honors Dolores received during her lifetime was the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 given to her by President Barack Obama when he kiddingly apologized for appropriating her signature phrase of “Si Se Puede” in English “Yes We Can” — a phrase that touched many.

It is found in the workers who gained a stronger voice, the families whose struggles became visible, the women who saw themselves reflected in a powerful leader, and the young people who learned that their circumstances did not have to determine their destiny.

It is also found in the movements that continue to draw inspiration from her example. Dolores understood that people who are essential to the success of a nation should never be treated as though they are expendable.

Her life asks us to examine our own.

What are we doing with the opportunities we have been given? Whose voices are missing from the conversation? Who is being left behind? And what are we willing to risk, change or sacrifice to make the world more just for those who come after us? This questions need to be asked and answered

Dolores was and inspiration to many and her work a testament to her community, to all disenfranchised communities for whom she fought for fiercely. He voice will continue to resonate for decades to come. Each generation inherits both the victories of those who came before and the responsibility to defend, extend and renew them.

Farewell, Dolores

Dolores Huerta, you spent your life reminding us that the people who pick our food, raise our children, build our communities and sustain our economy deserve more than gratitude. They deserve dignity, respect and a fair opportunity to live with security and hope.

You reminded Latinos that our voices, our labor, our culture and our contributions are inseparable from the story of this nation.

You reminded the world that courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to keep moving forward when the struggle is difficult and the outcome uncertain.

And you reminded all of us that three simple words can become a promise that outlives the person who first gave them power.

Today, we celebrate a life that refused to be confined by the limitations of its time. We celebrate the teacher who saw hungry children and chose to fight for their families. We celebrate the organizer who helped transform the lives of farmworkers. We celebrate the woman who stood in rooms where her voice was not always welcomed and made certain it was heard. We celebrate the mother, the activist, the strategist, the feminist and the relentless champion of human dignity.

And we celebrate the legacy you leave to every person who has ever been told that their dreams are too ambitious, their voice too small or their circumstances too difficult to overcome.

It lives in every person who stands up for a neighbor. It lives in every woman who claims her place at the table. It lives in every worker who demands fair treatment.

It lives in every young person who discovers that change begins when someone decides not to accept injustice as the final answer.

Rest in peace and power, Dolores Huerta. Your life is a testament to what one determined woman can set in motion. Your legacy belongs to us all and for that we thank you.

¡Sí, se puede!

The post Dolores Huerta: A Tribute To A Civil Rights Activist & Icon first appeared on .

According to Nielsen’s 2025 Diverse Intelligence Series report, U.S. Hispanics represent more than $4.1 trillion in purchasing power, while streaming accounts for 55.8% of their total television viewing time, compared with 46% for the overall U.S. population.

The vertical-drama boom is not simply another media trend for Manny Ruiz (Minivela/Co-Founder/Brilla Media); it is the latest chapter in a career that has revolved around storytelling and the Latino audience.

“I’ve been a storyteller in one shape, or form since the late ‘80s,” Ruiz told me in a recent interview. His career began as a journalist and crime reporter for The Miami Herald, followed by years in Hispanic public relations and media. He later founded Hispanic PR Wire and went on to build Hispanicize, a platform that became an important part of the U.S. Latino influencer and social-media industry. Today, he sees Minivela as the next evolution of that work.

Ruiz describes Minivela as the first bilingual vertical-shorts platform built specifically for the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets. The company was launched in 2025 by Brilla Media, the Latino media company Ruiz co-founded with his wife, Angela Sustaita-Ruiz, in partnership with actor and producer Carlos Ponce and adtech company Numatec.

The choice of partners is telling. Ponce brings decades of experience in television, film and, particularly, the world of Latin entertainment, while Ruiz brings a career spent building connections between Latino audiences, media and brands. Together, they are approaching the vertical format not simply as a new way to watch content, but as an opportunity to create a new space for Latino stories and creators. “Our approach is different,” Ruiz told me. “We are really [about] community and for the Hispanic market and even broadly Latin America.”

His goal, he explained, is to go “upward”: to retain the structures of the stories people want to watch without following what he sees as the industry’s increasing move toward more adult-oriented material.

For Ruiz, that also means creating an industry in which Latino writers, directors, producers, and actors have more opportunities to participate. When Minivela launched, the company described its mission as opening additional production opportunities for Latino creative talent, from directors and writers to actors and influencers.

That mission is already beginning to extend beyond Minivela’s own productions. In 2026, Great American Media’s Pure Flix partnered with Minivela on a multi-project agreement to develop and distribute a slate of microdramas for U.S. Hispanic and Latin American audiences, including original stories and adaptations from Pure Flix’s existing library. The projects are being developed for vertical viewing and for bilingual, Spanish-language and culturally specific audiences.

“Great American Pure Flix is the leading faith-and-family streaming service, and Pure Flix Familia will build on that foundation with programming and experiences created specifically for Latino families,” said Bill Abbott, President and CEO of Great American Media.

During Hispanic Heritage Month this past October 2026, Great American Media announced the expansion of their investment into Latino entertainment by launching Pure Flix Famila, a new streaming destination created for families seeking culturally relevant entertainment rooted in faith, family and shared values. 

Pure Flix Familia launched with the distribution of an original microdrama Alquilé Un Novio Para Navidad and a national call for Latino-produced family and faith films. The plan is to start with Spanish-language entertainment with the goal of expanding to include English-language, and bilingual storytelling created and curated for Latino audiences.

However, perhaps the clearest example of what Minivela is doing in the Latino vertical-drama content creation space is Rico’s Tacos.

Rico’s Tacos: From Telenovela to the Supermarket Aisle

Rico’s Tacos is a 22-episode vertical microdrama set in a Southern California neighborhood near Venice Beach. Produced by Minivela, the story follows a widowed father, his teenage daughter, and their abuela as they build a family taco business while navigating identity, resilience and family legacy. Each episode is less than three minutes, making the series deliberately suited for mobile viewing (Digiday, 2026).

Rico’s Tacos is also an experiment in something much bigger: What happens when a brand stops simply advertising around entertainment and starts helping create the entertainment itself. The project was developed through a collaboration between Procter & Gamble and Albertsons Media Collective, with shopper and cultural insights from Albertsons and P&G informing the story from the beginning. Rather than adding an advertisement to a finished production, the partners used information about how consumers shop to help shape the narrative (Albertsons Media Collective, 2026).

In one episode, for example, the family’s abuela goes to Albertsons to buy avocados and realizes that she also needs Head & Shoulders shampoo. It is a small moment, but it illustrates the premise—an ordinary shopping trip becomes part of the story rather than an interruption to it (The Wall Street Journal, 2026).

The series is distributed across Albertsons’ YouTube, social and in-store platforms, with short teasers and QR codes directing shoppers to the full episodes. The retailer has also been using its stores as part of the production and distribution environment (Albertsons Media Collective, 2026).

Albertsons executives have even referred internally to the concept as “soap opera 2.0”—a contemporary version of serialized entertainment that can live on social media, mobile devices and, in this case, inside the supermarket itself (Digiday, 2026).

For Minivela, however, Rico’s Tacos represents more than an innovative advertising experiment. It is a demonstration of what Latino storytelling can look like when the audience is considered from the beginning; not as a niche to be targeted later, but as the community for whom the story is being created.

When I spoke with Ruiz in Los Angeles this past summer, during the run of the Chicano Hollywood Film Festival, he was already looking beyond Rico’s Tacos. He was in L.A. not only to celebrate the project but also to continue building Minivela’s relationship with Pure Flix Familia and to meet with filmmakers and other creators. And perhaps that is the most promising part of this new format. Vertical drama is still young enough that its future has not been decided. The technology may have created the format, and the algorithms may have accelerated it, but there is still room for creators to decide what stories belong inside that little rectangle we carry everywhere.

For Latino storytellers, that could mean something bigger than simply finding a new place to watch a telenovela. It could mean helping shape what the next generation of television and marketing looks like and making sure our stories are there from the beginning.

A Billion-Dollar Industry

While artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to create some of this content, much of the vertical-drama industry still relies on real actors, writers, directors, and production teams. The content is hosted on independent streaming platforms and apps that are growing at an astonishing pace. 

There are now hundreds of dedicated short and vertical-drama apps worldwide, with platforms such as ReelShort, DramaBox, and GoodShort among the most recognizable names in the international market.

Sensor Tower estimates that short-drama apps generated approximately $700 million in global in-app revenue in the first quarter of 2025 alone, nearly four times the revenue generated in the same quarter a year earlier. The apps also surpassed 370 million downloads globally during those three months. By March 2025, cumulative global in-app revenue had reached approximately $2.3 billion (Sensor Tower, 2025). And the audience is no longer small enough to dismiss as a social-media curiosity.

According to Omdia, approximately 66 million people in the United States were monthly microdrama viewers in 2025, up dramatically from 26 million the previous year (Reuters, 2026). The numbers suggest that vertical drama is becoming less of a social-media phenomenon and more of a new form of television.

And this may only be the beginning.

The post Manny Ruiz: At The Helm of the Minivela Evolution first appeared on .

There are few operas as instantly recognizable as Georges Bizet’s Carmen. Its seductive melodies, defiant heroine and tragic ending have traveled far beyond the opera house, becoming part of the world’s collective musical imagination. But at LA Opera, the familiar story takes on a darker dimension, examining the dangerous intersection of freedom, obsession, tradition and control.

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, new production, which opened October 17, 2026, marks LA Opera’s first new staging of Bizet’s masterpiece since 1998. It also inaugurates the music directorship of Domingo Hindoyan, whose arrival signals a new chapter for the Los Angeles company.

Directed and designed by Thaddeus Strassberger, the production trades the picturesque imagery often associated with Spain for a haunting visual world inspired by Spanish photographer Cristina García Rodero’s España Oculta (Hidden Spain). Towering Gothic architecture, religious imagery, candlelit processions and the tension between public devotion and private desire shape a production that places the opera’s central conflict within a society governed by tradition.

The result is a Carmen that asks audiences to look beyond the familiar melodies and consider the human cost of a woman’s refusal to surrender her freedom.

The Story: A Woman Who Refuses to Be Possessed

First performed in Paris in 1875, Carmen tells the story of a fiercely independent woman whose attraction to a soldier sets off a chain of increasingly destructive events.

Carmen, a cigarette-factory worker in Seville, captivates Don José, a soldier who abandons his obligations and eventually his former life to pursue her. What begins as desire becomes an all-consuming attachment. When Carmen turns her attention to Escamillo, a celebrated bullfighter, Don José’s jealousy intensifies, exposing the difference between loving someone and believing you have a right to possess them.

Beneath the drama lies a story that remains painfully contemporary: a woman insists on making her own choices, while a man unable to accept her independence turns rejection into violence.

LA Opera’s own introduction to the production emphasizes the central tension: Carmen belongs to herself, even as the people around her seek to define, desire or possess her.

Rihab Chaieb Brings Carmen to Life

At the center of the production is Tunisian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb, whose portrayal has emerged as one of its most celebrated elements.

Chaieb brings both vocal richness and physical authority to the title role, portraying Carmen as a woman whose sensuality is inseparable from her intelligence and determination. Rather than reducing her to the traditional femme fatale, the performance gives her agency and emotional complexity. Critics have praised her stage presence and musicality. 

Opposite Chaieb, tenor Joshua Guerrero plays Don José, the soldier whose attraction becomes destructive obsession. Guerrero, a Grammy-winning Mexican-American tenor and former member of LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, brings emotional vulnerability and vocal power to the role.

Together, the principal cast grounds the production’s grand visual world in the emotional triangle that drives the tragedy.

This production is not simply a revival of a familiar favorite. It is an ambitious reinterpretation, and its artistic choices have prompted debate about how much visual spectacle a classic opera needs.

Choreographer Antonio Najarro, a leading figure in Spanish dance and flamenco, contributes movement that connects the production’s physical energy to its cultural setting.

The staging draws on the visual language of Holy Week processions, religious devotion and Spain’s darker folkloric traditions. In Act III, the smugglers’ camp becomes a cemetery, a place where the living and the dead seem to occupy the same territory. In the final act, the crowds gather for the bullfight as religious processions move through the city.

According to LA Opera, strong ticket demand led the company to add a seventh performance to the original six-performance run. That range of responses is part of what makes the production worth discussing. The response to LA Opera’s Carmen has extended beyond the critical conversation.

Why ‘Carmen’ Still Matters

The enduring power of Carmen lies in its refusal to offer a comfortable resolution. Carmen is neither rewarded for her independence nor transformed into a figure who regrets it. She remains committed to her freedom until the end.

That makes the opera more than a showcase for Bizet’s celebrated score. It is a tragedy about control, gender, jealousy and the violence that can follow when a person refuses to accept another’s autonomy.

LA Opera’s new production brings those questions into sharp relief through its Spanish Gothic setting, its religious imagery and its emphasis on the collision between individual desire and social convention.

The post L.A Opera’s Carmen: A Woman Who Refuses to Be Possessed first appeared on .

 LATIN HEAT AT AFM 2026: November 11 – November 14, 2026

By Judi Jordan | LATIN HEAT

This year Latin Heat welcomes back AFM 2026 with a focus on What’s New. What’s Improved. What is More. What To See. And With More To Learn. So Plan Your Best AFM Ever. Building on the triumphant 2025 return to Los Angeles a responsive AFM offers attendees much more.

PART 1: AFM House

As a challenging year in local production winds down, a reboot at AFM 2026 offers an adrenaline shot. From November 10^th to November 14^th the 47^th year of the film market, and the 2^nd year at the location, the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on the Avenue of the Stars.

Independent and creator filmmakers will meet buyers and encounter partners building slates across the new global screen economy: theatrical, television, streaming, mobile-first, and vertical platforms.

Building on the triumphant 2025 return to Los Angeles a responsive AFM offers attendees much more. The upgrades include additional space to network; the crowded bar and expanded new indoor areas to wheel and deal. 

Across the street CAA’s campus the new AFM House is home to the Innovation Hub expanded with more: demos, ‘fireside chats’ and newly designated arena for AFM attendees to delve into new technologies, live demos, and meet tech innovators developing screen entertainment. 

The expanded AFM Innovation Hub, in partnership with Marché du Film’s Cannes Next, and the North American debut of The Cinemas Club, will explore the future of theatrical exhibition and moviegoing. Over four days, Wednesday, November 11 through Saturday, November 14, 2026, AFM House. 

All of this added newness demands a smart schedule. Download the AFM26 app on your iOS or Android device. https://3301.applinks.guidebook.com/g/#/guides/afm26/?mobile_redirect=1

Pack an umbrella. Practice your pitch. Plan your most amazing AFM — And stay tuned for more coverage of one of the most important film market in the world, brought to you by Judi Jordan and our videographer Christian Rodrigo.

The post American Film Market Offers More In 2026 first appeared on .

EXCLUSIVE: Adrian Grenier’s Faith, KJ Apa’s turn as James Stewart, Renée Zellweger’s directing debut and Michael Keaton’s Sweetwater lead a five-day Central Texas celebration, with Revolution’s Daughter closing the festival.

Latin Heat can exclusively reveal that central Texas is getting a new film festival with some formidable names on the marquee. Adrian Grenier, KJ Apa, James Hong, Martin Freeman, Renée Zellweger and Michael Keaton are among the talents represented in the inaugural Leander Film Festival, launching November 11–15, 2026, with a lineup bringing Hollywood icons, Texas premieres, international filmmaking and emerging voices together for five days of cinema.

From the life of screen legend James Stewart to the extraordinary journey of Alina Fernández, Fidel Castro’s daughter, the program spans biographical drama, science fiction, animation, martial arts comedy and documentary. Screenings at venues including Alamo Drafthouse, Film Alley and AMC will anchor a festival experience that also includes filmmaker conversations, industry programming and opportunities to discover the next generation of storytellers.

For Latino audiences, the inaugural edition offers several compelling connections: Puerto Rican actress Paola Andino in the thriller You Can’t Leave; Entourage star Adrian Grenier, whose maternal grandfather is Mexican, in Faith; Julian Works in JIMMY; and the closing-night documentary Revolution’s Daughter, featuring Cuban cultural powerhouses including Gloria Estefan and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz.

Those connections run through a broader slate packed with recognizable talent and Texas ties. Two-time Academy Award winner Zellweger’s first film as a director comes home to her native state. Keaton steps behind the camera while sharing the screen with Kyra Sedgwick. And KJ Apa takes on one of American cinema’s most beloved figures in JIMMY.

KJ Apa and Julian Works Revisit a Screen Legend’s Wartime Story

With JIMMY, the festival turns its attention to James Stewart, an enduring icon of American cinema whose work includes It’s a Wonderful Life, Rear Window and Vertigo. KJ Apa, best known for starring in Riverdale, portrays Stewart in the biographical drama directed by Aaron Burns.

The cast also includes Julian Works, known for 9-1-1: Lone Star and The Long Game, as Second Lieutenant Martinez, a Mexican American pilot who flies alongside Stewart during World War II. As the film follows Stewart’s twenty combat missions and his return to Hollywood, their bond brings a Latino presence into this pivotal chapter of the screen legend’s life.

Works’ connection to The Long Game also extends to the festival’s industry programming. The Texas-shot drama will be among the productions discussed during the festival’s SB22 panel on Texas film incentives, with local producers including Christian Sosa, an executive producer of The Long Game, attending.

Texas-based writer Justin Strawhand is confirmed to attend the screening and red carpet, while co-star Kara Killmer will attend the closing ceremony. Their participation adds a local connection to a film centered on a performer whose legacy reaches across generations.

Adrian Grenier Brings Faith to Its First Public Screening

The festival will host the first public screening of Faith, featuring Adrian Grenier. The locally shot comedy follows an optimistic teacher who takes over as pastor of a small-town Texas church after his father unexpectedly retires amid tragedy. Grenier plays Tyler, a rival pastor.

Grenier, best known for Entourage and The Devil Wears Prada, also brings a Mexican American connection to the lineup through his maternal grandfather. His family’s history was explored on PBS’s Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Shot locally, Faith brings the actor known to television audiences as Vincent Chase in Entourage into a distinctly Texas setting. Its first public showing gives Leander audiences an early opportunity to discover the project, accompanied by exclusive, previously unpublished images.

Paola Andino Joins an Adventurous Genre Lineup

Paola Andino joins the inaugural lineup in You Can’t Leave, directed by Scott Windhauser and also starring Spencer Boldman. The thriller follows a search for a missing sister into a forest with a sinister hold on those who enter.

Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Texas, Andino brings a particularly fitting connection to the festival. Audiences first came to know her as the lead of Nickelodeon’s Every Witch Way, with later credits including Queen of the South and Lisa Frankenstein. Shot in Dallas and produced by Robert Paschall Jr., You Can’t Leave also brings a distinctive screening opportunity: according to festival organizers, Leander is the only festival in the country showing the film during its active theatrical run.

The wider program has plenty for genre fans to explore. James Hong, whose extraordinary career includes Big Trouble in Little China, Kung Fu Panda and Everything Everywhere All at Once, stars in the martial arts comedy Gimme My Money.

Martin Freeman, the Emmy-winning star of Sherlock, Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit trilogy and Everett Ross in Marvel’s Black Panther films, brings further international star power to the lineup with Little Bug. Owen Teale, known to Game of Thrones audiences as Alliser Thorne, stars in Something Pointless, while beloved Texas screen veteran Barry Corbin, whose credits include Urban Cowboy and Northern Exposure, appears in Heaven and Hell.

Together, these selections offer the pleasure of seeing performers associated with major franchises, acclaimed television and landmark films working across an adventurous independent program.

Revolution’s Daughter Brings a Powerful Cuban Story to Closing Night

The festival will close on November 15 at AMC with Revolution’s Daughter, Peabody and Emmy-winning director Thaddeus D. Matula’s documentary about Alina Fernández, her escape from Cuba and the life she built beyond the shadow of her father, Fidel Castro.

The film brings a deeply personal perspective to a story shaped by power, exile, family and identity. Its participants include Gloria Estefan, Nilo Cruz, artist José Bedia and poet and art critic Ricardo Pau-Llosa, placing Fernández’s experience alongside voices with profound connections to Cuban culture.

Local Leander producer John Martinez O’Felan’s involvement connects the closing-night selection to a mission he articulated in his 2022 Latin Heat interview: creating more Latino stories and greater opportunities for Latino talent. Having discussed bringing Fernández’s life to the screen through Alina of Cuba, he now helps bring her own voice to the forefront in Revolution’s Daughter, placing a Cuban woman’s account of family, power and exile at the center of Leander’s closing night.

John Martinez O’Felan will attend alongside fellow producers Austin-based Allen Gilmer, Riki Rushing and Joe Lamy adding further Central Texas connections to the closing-night event.

For Leander’s inaugural closing night, the selection brings an internationally resonant story into a festival that is also celebrating the creative life of its own region.

Zellweger and Keaton Bring Star Power Behind the Camera

Few names carry the combination of critical acclaim and audience affection associated with Renée Zellweger. The star of Bridget Jones’s Diary, Chicago, Cold Mountain and Judy enters a new chapter with They, her directorial debut, which will make its Texas premiere at Leander.

The retro-styled animated short gives audiences a different view of an artist whose performances have helped define some of the most memorable films of the past three decades. For the Texas-born actress, its place in the inaugural lineup adds a home-state connection to a significant creative milestone.

Michael Keaton, whose screen career stretches from Batman and Beetlejuice to Birdman and Spotlight, also brings his work as a director to the festival. He directs and stars opposite Kyra Sedgwick in Sweetwater, a 21-minute science-fiction drama making its Texas premiere.

The film uses a futuristic premise to explore intimate emotional territory. Screenwriter Sean Douglas, Keaton’s son, is confirmed to attend, giving festivalgoers a direct connection to the creative team behind one of the lineup’s most prominent selections.

Hollywood Experience, Texas Ambition

Helping drive the inaugural festival is co-founder Sasha Yelaun, a producer whose credits include The Old Way, starring Nicolas Cage; Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, featuring Simon Pegg, Minnie Driver and Christopher Lloyd; The Vanished, with Thomas Jane and Anne Heche; and Hellfire, starring Stephen Lang. His experience bringing established screen talent and independent productions together lends Hollywood industry experience to Leander’s ambitious debut.

Yelaun co-founded the festival alongside Mike Herrera, a Leander City Council member and community arts advocate; Laura Davis, founder of Davis Consulting AI; and Diane Herrera, founder and CEO of CSSI Solutions. The founding team brings together film production, civic leadership, communications and business expertise to help establish a new destination for cinema in Central Texas.

The festival operates under the nonprofit Leander Arts & Film Alliance, which supports film, arts, cultural programming and creative education. Its setting has a cinematic history of its own: Leander is a Film Friendly Texas community, and the city’s Bagdad Cemetery appears in the opening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Five Days of Discovery

The festival begins on Veterans Day, November 11, with a special out-of-competition screening of the animated Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero at the Leander VFW. Across the following days, the program moves between established talent and new discoveries, with Texas filmmaking, student work, international shorts and experimental storytelling sharing the spotlight.

Additional selections include Our House Is on Fire, directed by Ukrainian filmmaker Alice Biletska, alongside Texas-connected work such as Tough Enough, Missing Socks and Let Fall the Rain. Alex Hanno’s psychological thriller Bravado will make its Texas premiere, with star Luca Malacrino confirmed to attend. Academy Award-nominated director Jonathan Heap will also attend with Ghosts of ’45, adding another filmmaker conversation to the inaugural program.

Filmmaker Q&As, workshops, panels, networking events and awards extend the experience beyond the screenings. The festival’s Feature Screenplay & Co-Production Pitch Market will offer cash prizes and development packages to selected finalists, creating another avenue for emerging writers.

For its first edition, Leander is bringing together the appeal of cinema’s celebrated names and the excitement of finding something new. Audiences can encounter Zellweger’s first work behind the camera, Keaton’s latest directing effort, Apa’s portrayal of James Stewart, Grenier’s new comedy and a Cuban documentary with a remarkable cultural ensemble, all within the same five-day program.

The inaugural Leander Film Festival runs November 11–15, 2026, in Central Texas. For passes, screening details and festival updates, visit leanderfilmfestival.com.

The post Hollywood Icons and Latino Talent Take Center Stage at the Inaugural Leander Film Festival first appeared on .

By Judi Jordan | LATIN HEAT

Unless you’ve been vacationing on a desert island since May, you couldn’t have missed the roar of acclaim surrounding La Bola Negra. A 20-minute standing ovation at Cannes? Seriously? Cannes is a tough crowd. 

The film subsequently shared Cannes’ Best Director award and crossed the Atlantic to win Toronto’s coveted People’s Choice Award, a recognized gateway to Oscar recognition.

I was curious. Very.

Then came the Netflix screening invitation. I watched. Astonished. Moved. I got it.

A tour de force. 1000% Spanish. The rhythm, the colors, the old soul of this extraordinary land. Both real and surreal, La Bola Negra takes the most basic of places and renders them magical. It shocks. Charms. Intrigues. Stuns. Hurts. Angers. Astounds.

And satisfies.

The icing on the torta is the mysterious true-life thread of Spain’s martyred literary giant Federico Garcia Lorca, a ‘detail’ delicately revealed like Lorca’s phrases, never overplayed.

The Q&A was another revelation.

Two helmers are better than one.

Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, collectively known as Los Javis, have created a visually sumptuous, emotionally fearless epic for approximately €15 million. It looks and feels three times the budget.

These are calculated risk-takers committed to authenticity, including casting gay actors to portray gay men. To the observant film aficionado, the comfort between the actors feels natural, not stilted or novel. They wrote a leading role specifically for alternative pop star Guitarricadelafuente, hoping he would accept.

He did.

Playing Sebastián, the singer makes an arresting screen debut opposite Miguel Bernardeau, star of Zorro, whose Rafael is a noble athlete, now soldier—and prisoner. Their romantic connection, wounded souls, beautifully understated, becomes the beating heart of this extraordinary story.

Penélope Cruz delivers her own delicious moments, while Glenn Close contributes another intriguing dimension to a film rich with surprises.

The resulting collaboration between the Javis is especially interesting thanks to their contrasting creative temperaments. It makes for a great Q&A, a character study.

Calvo, the thoughtful, understated, disciplined planner, and Ambrossi, the playful, emotionally instinctive adventurer, are two chefs cooking a feast. They have the ingredients; together they balance tenacity, taste, timing, fluidity and surprise. Waiting for snow or actors it’s paid off.

Ambrossi calls their directing process “catharsis.” Very big on running a happy set, and not ‘dictating’ has rendered astounding results. 

They remain flexible, embracing an actor’s emotional state rather than rigidly adhering to a predetermined schedule. When Guitarricadelafuente first arrived to set, late from a delayed flight, visibly anxious, the directors pivoted, adapting to his emotional state as an opportunity: abandoning a quiet scene for the explosive opening sequence of wartime violence.

Catharsis totalmente.

Cinematographer Gris Jordana’s painterly compositions breathe art into the film’s violence and beauty. Using paintings to shape the heart-stopping visual canvas, the film moves fluidly among Spain’s turbulent early 20th century, the Spanish Civil War and modern life, binding the scars of history on subsequent generations.

The male gaze is unapologetically bold. Los Javis refuse to retreat from the bodies, souls, desire, courage and suffering of men—gay and heterosexual—or from the terrible cost of suspicion, repression and lives lived in shadows.

This is not a movie to watch on a small screen. The lyrical, unflinching cinematography, stunning production design and intimate performances transport us into those shadows.

We become voyeurs. And conspirators.

Netflix wisely gave La Bola Negra a 46-day exclusive theatrical run—the longest in the streamer’s history. Opening in U.S. cinemas October 16, La Bola Negra only hits the streaming platform on December 2. This is a film to be savored, experienced, discussed, pondered. Not merely viewed.

On its first U.S. premiere weekend, La Bola Negra debuted to $277.5k on four screens 2 in LA and 2 in NYC– numbers direct from Netflix Sunday in the first ever official box office grosses shared. It goes wider on 11/6. 

At home in Spain, La Bola Negra has become a must-see for Spaniards of all adult generations. It’s much more than a “gay” film. It’s a look in the rearview mirror—at what we all may have missed.

The ultimate genius of La Bola Negra: beneath its visual extravagance, sensual courage and historical ambition lies a painfully universal truth.

It’s about everything we lose when we deny ourselves the freedom to love—regardless of gender.

The post Catharsis and Crazy Genius: Spain’s Los Javis and the Triumph of ‘La Bola Negra’ first appeared on .

Actress celebrates the legacy of Fright Night Part Two with a newly restored 4K screening at Milagros Cinemas in Norwalk, CA, as retrospectives spotlight a career spanning cult horror, acclaimed cinema and independent film.

Long before the Scream franchise introduced a new generation of horror heroines, Latina actress Julie Carmen was carving out her own place in the genre, proving that women could be more than victims in a story designed to frighten them. With a career that moves fluidly between horror, drama, comedy and independent cinema, Carmen helped establish a legacy that deserves renewed recognition.

Now, as retrospectives of her work bring several of her films back to theaters in the United States and Europe, Carmen is experiencing a well-deserved moment of rediscovery. Her cinematic journey includes such diverse titles as Robert Butler’s Night of the Juggler, John Cassavetes’ Gloria, Robert Redford’s The Milagro Beanfield War and John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness. This week, the spotlight turns to Fright Night Part Two, the 1988 cult horror sequel in which Carmen portrayed the unforgettable vampire Regine Dandridge.

On Wednesday, October 14, Carmen will appear alongside director Tommy Lee Wallace at Milagro Cinema in Norwalk, California, for the Los Angeles premiere of a newly restored 4K version of Fright Night Part Two, sourced from an original 35mm print. The screening begins at 7:30 p.m. and offers audiences an opportunity to revisit a film whose devoted following has grown over the decades.

Event: Fright Night Part Two — Los Angeles Premiere in restored 4K
When: Wed., Oct. 14, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Milagro Cinema, Norwalk, CA
In person: Actress Julie Carmen and director Tommy Lee Wallace
Tickets: milagrocinemas.com

For Carmen, the appearance is about more than revisiting a role. It is also an opportunity to celebrate independent art-house cinemas, connect with longtime fans and help bring overlooked films back into public view.

Before the Modern Scream Queens, There Was Regine Dandridge

Carmen’s portrayal of Regine Dandridge occupies a distinctive place in horror history. In Fright Night Part Two, she plays a powerful vampire whose elegance, intelligence and menace make her far more than a conventional antagonist. Regine commands the screen, turning the traditional horror dynamic on its head and giving the film a formidable female presence.

The character offers a compelling point of comparison with the women who have since become synonymous with contemporary horror, including Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, whose work in the Scream franchise helped bring a new generation of audiences to the genre.

To add a little perspective, the Los Angeles Times, noted recently that “Latinos represent a major driving force in the horror film audience, accounting for roughly 29% of theatrical horror ticket buyers“. Julie Carmen’s role in Fright Night Part Two should have been a clue way back then that Latinos love horror flicks. But then again Hollywood has never been known to get it right when it comes Latino leads, even when the boxoffice tells a different story.

Carmen’s place in that lineage merits a closer look. As a Latina actress working in Hollywood in the 1980s up to the present, she brought a commanding presence to a genre that has not always offered Latina performers complex, central roles. Regine Dandridge was not simply someone to fear or rescue. She was a force driving the story.

Calling Carmen a trailblazing Latina scream queen is therefore more than a catchy description. It is an invitation to reconsider who helped shape horror’s evolution and whose contributions deserve to be remembered alongside the genre’s better-known icons.

A Cult Classic Finds Its Way Back to the Big Screen

The renewed attention surrounding Fright Night Part Two is itself a remarkable story.

Released in 1988 as a continuation of the hit 1985 original, the sequel developed a devoted cult following over the years, with fans keeping its reputation alive through online communities and YouTube. Yet, despite its popularity, the film became remarkably difficult to find.

That changed when distributor Michael Felsher of Red Shirt Pictures undertook the complicated task of untangling the film’s rights, reportedly involving 18 different rights holders. The search also led to an original 35mm print that had been misfiled at the Academy Film Archive.

The discovery made possible the restoration that is now touring the country through Synapse Films, bringing the film back to theaters in 4K and allowing audiences to experience it on the big screen again.

Carmen has been participating in screenings and premieres along the way, lending her presence to the revival and supporting the independent cinemas making these events possible.

The Norwalk engagement brings together Carmen and Wallace for a special Los Angeles-area screening that celebrates not only the film’s return, but also the enduring relationship between filmmakers, performers and the audiences who refuse to let cult cinema disappear.

Tickets and screening information are available at Milagro Cinema.

A Career That Defies One Genre

While Regine Dandridge remains a memorable entry in Carmen’s filmography, her career cannot be contained within horror.

Her work spans films with markedly different sensibilities, including Night of the Juggler, Gloria, The Milagro Beanfield War and In the Mouth of Madness. Together, these titles reflect the range of a performer who has moved between mainstream productions, independent cinema and films that have gained renewed appreciation through retrospectives.

Carmen’s upcoming appearance at the Academy Museum underscores that continuing relationship with film history. On October 19, she is scheduled to participate in a Q&A following a screening of John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness, in which she starred opposite Sam Neill.

She also serves on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Marquis Committee, spearheaded by Sean Baker and Samantha Quan, whose film Anora earned major recognition in the awards world.

These activities reflect an artist engaged not only in her own body of work, but also in the broader effort to preserve, present and celebrate cinema.

Taking Regine Dandridge on the Road

The renewed life of Fright Night Part Two extends well beyond Southern California.

Carmen is scheduled to participate in additional events, including a Detroit premiere at the Redford Theatre, where she is being flown in for a screening and Fright Night Part Two costume ball. The film’s revival also includes a New Orleans premiere at the Prytania Theatre, accompanied by a three-day celebration of Regine Dandridge and the film’s legacy, with special effects makeup artist Bart Mixon among the participants.

The itinerary reflects the enthusiasm of a fan community that has kept the film alive and the value of giving audiences opportunities to encounter classic and cult films in a theatrical setting.

For independent cinemas, these events offer more than a screening. They create a shared experience around films that might otherwise remain difficult to access, connecting generations of moviegoers through the stories and characters that have endured.

Giving a Trailblazer Her Due

Hollywood has become more attentive to the contributions of women in horror, and the success of performers such as Ortega and Barrera has helped renew conversations about representation in the genre. But the history did not begin with the latest franchise installment.

Carmen’s Regine Dandridge belongs in that larger conversation. Her performance arrived at a time when opportunities for Latina actresses were more limited, yet she created a character whose power and presence have continued to resonate with audiences.

The retrospectives celebrating her work offer a chance to look beyond a single cult role and appreciate the breadth of a career that crosses genres, generations and national borders. They also raise a larger question about film history: How many pioneering performances have remained outside the spotlight simply because the industry has been slow to recognize the artists behind them?

For Julie Carmen, the answer is unfolding on theater screens once again.

The October 14 screening at Milagro Cinema is an opportunity to celebrate Fright Night Part Two, meet the actress who brought Regine Dandridge to life and recognize a Latina performer whose place in horror history deserves a more prominent chapter.

Carmen’s filmography and upcoming appearances can also be explored through her Substack and Regine Dandridge website.

The post Julie Carmen: Latina Scream Queen Who Helped Blaze a Trail for Women in Horror first appeared on .

The Oscar-nominated Spanish actor takes on one of history’s most controversial figures in a new film directed by Paul Mignot, with a screenplay by Oscar nominee Nicholas Kazan. Production is underway in Paris.

Antonio Banderas is stepping into one of history’s most complex and controversial roles of the journey of a man that changed the course of the existing lands.

The Spanish-born, Academy Award-nominated actor will portray Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in Cortés, an ambitious historical epic to be produced by Utopai Studios and Ex Machina Studios. French filmmaker Paul Mignot will direct the feature from a screenplay by Oscar-nominated writer Nicholas Kazan, with producer Marco Weber overseeing the production.

Announced today in Paris, the film brings together an internationally acclaimed creative team to revisit a defining and deeply consequential chapter in the history of Mexico and the Americas.

The project has been more than 35 years in the making, with Kazan’s screenplay offering a deeply human exploration of one of history’s most consequential encounters. Now, with Banderas at its center, the long-anticipated epic is moving forward through a production model that combines traditional filmmaking with next-generation production technologies.

A Conquistador, an Indigenous Woman and a Turning Point in History

Set in 1519, Cortés follows a restless Spanish soldier whose hunger for glory drives him to seize command of an expedition to the Yucatán and sail without authorization from Cuba.

After reaching the coast of what is now Mexico, Cortés encounters Marina (patterned after the real life indigenous woman Malinche Cortes actually encountered), an enslaved Indigenous woman whose extraordinary linguistic abilities make her indispensable to his campaign. As he builds alliances and uses faith and fear to advance his conquest, Marina witnesses his transformation from an ambitious outlaw into a man who sees himself as a messianic figure.

The story places Marina at the center of a historical collision shaped by power, ambition, cultural conflict and conquest—an encounter whose consequences continue to resonate throughout Mexican and Latin American history.

For audiences, the film offers an opportunity to revisit this pivotal period through a character-driven narrative that explores not only the man who led the expedition, but also the Indigenous woman whose linguistic skills and position made her a crucial figure in his advance.

Antonio Banderas Brings a Powerful Screen Legacy to the Role

Banderas has built an international career portraying characters defined by intensity, complexity and charisma. His casting as Cortés reunites his commanding screen presence with a historical figure whose legacy remains the subject of debate.

The actor earned an Academy Award nomination and won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his acclaimed performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory. His extensive filmography includes The Mask of Zorro, Desperado, Evita, Philadelphia, The Skin I Live In and the beloved Puss in Boots franchise.

He also earned Primetime Emmy Award nominations for portraying artist Pablo Picasso in Genius: Picasso and Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa in And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself.

His experience portraying historical figures, combined with his ability to bring humanity to larger-than-life characters, makes this latest role a significant addition to his career.

Banderas will perform the role under Mignot’s direction, with production already underway in Paris and additional filming scheduled in Spain.

An Ambitious Vision for a Historical Epic

“Cortés is exactly why we built Utopai Studios,” said Cecilia Shen, co-founder and CEO of Utopai Studios. She described the project as an opportunity to bring together Kazan’s screenplay, Mignot’s cinematic vision and Banderas’ ability to bring humanity to the film’s central character.

Marco Weber, producer of Cortés and CEO and co-founder of Ex Machina Studios, emphasized the importance of believable, complex characters in historical storytelling.

Weber said Banderas brings a commanding yet deeply human dimension to Cortés, while Mignot’s vision will help translate Kazan’s screenplay into a film that seeks to bring the breathtaking world-building with an intimate human story.

The partnership also reflects the studios’ commitment to combining filmmaker-led creative work with evolving production technologies.

Mignot’s directing credits include the historical feature Vaincre ou Mourir and the award-winning short All Blood Runs Red. His experience also extends to international campaigns for major brands, including BMW, Porsche, Audi, Lexus, Jeep, L’Oréal, Louis Vuitton and Emporio Armani.

Kazan brings a distinguished screenwriting résumé to the project. He received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his adapted screenplay for Reversal of Fortune. His other writing credits include Frances, Patty Hearst, Matilda, Fallen and Bicentennial Man.

Together, the director, screenwriter and lead actor will tackle a historical narrative that demands both cinematic scale and a nuanced examination of human ambition and its consequences.

Global Distribution Plans Announced

Utopai Studios and Ex Machina Studios will co-produce and co-finance the film, with each company taking responsibility for sales and distribution in designated international territories.

Utopai Studios will oversee sales and distribution in the United States, Canada, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Ex Machina Studios will handle most of Europe, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.

For Latin American audiences in particular, the film’s subject matter carries significant historical and cultural weight, making its eventual release and interpretation a point of interest for the region.

Additional casting announcements and production details are expected at a later date.

As Cortés moves from a screenplay decades in the making to a major international production, one of Spain’s most recognizable actors is preparing to embody a figure whose actions helped reshape the history of Mexico—and whose legacy remains anything but simple.

Latin Heat will continue to follow developments on Cortés as production progresses.

The post BREAKING NEWS: Antonio Banderas To Star as Hernàn Cortés In Historical Epic Drama first appeared on .

In Los Angeles, a Spanish-language book festival is about much more than books. It is about memory, identity and the right to hear yourself—and your history—reflected in the language you speak.

There are cities where Spanish is spoken.

And then there is Los Angeles.

After Guadalajara, Los Angeles is home to one of the largest concentrations of people from the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is a city where Spanish is not simply a language carried across a border; it is woven into neighborhoods, family histories, music, food, faith, art and the everyday rhythm of life.

That reality gives the annual LéaLA Spanish-Language Book Fair & Literary Festival a significance that extends far beyond the pages of the books gathered inside LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

For four days, September 24–27, the 11th annual LéaLA transformed the historic downtown Los Angeles cultural campus into a gathering place for Spanish-language literature, poetry, music, visual arts, film, entertainment and, perhaps most importantly, memory.

This year’s theme—“The Stories That Unite Us Speak Spanish”—felt particularly resonant at a moment when the Spanish language itself can become a target of political and cultural anxiety.

LéaLA offered a different message: Spanish is not something to apologize for.

It is something to preserve.

It is something to celebrate.

And for thousands of children growing up in Los Angeles, it is something that belongs to them.

A Language Is More Than Words

“After Guadalajara, the biggest majority of ‘jaliscienses’ live in Los Angeles. We want to keep the culture and language alive,” said Marisol Schulz Manaut, director of LéaLA.

That statement captures the larger purpose behind the festival.

Preserving Spanish in Los Angeles is not simply about ensuring that another generation can read a book in Spanish. It is about maintaining a connection between generations—between the grandmother who tells stories in Spanish, the parent who understands the language but may not speak it confidently, and the child who is negotiating what it means to be Mexican American, Latino, bilingual or bicultural in a city where cultures constantly intersect.

At LéaLA, those connections were made tangible.

The festival welcomed 13,780 attendees, while its collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District extended the program into classrooms and brought approximately 2,000 elementary and middle school students from 36 schools into contact with Spanish-language literature and cultural programming.

On opening day alone, more than 700 LAUSD students arrived at LA Plaza.

For many of them, the festival became something of a cultural playground—an environment where Spanish was not merely a language spoken at home or studied in school, but the language of imagination.

Children painted, played, listened to stories and encountered authors whose books and experiences reflected pieces of their own worlds.

And their parents played, too.

Because LéaLA understands something important about cultural preservation: it cannot be imposed. It has to be experienced.

Where Memory Becomes Literature

Memory was at the heart of this year’s festival.

“Our lives are shaped by memories,” Schulz Manaut said. “In the various sessions that make up our literary program, we will explore the role of remembrance and memory in literature.”

That philosophy extended beyond the festival’s conversations.

For the first time, LéaLA introduced “The Voice of Memory,” a writing contest created to preserve the anecdotes, lessons, traditions and memories passed from one generation to another. The winning entries were recognized during the festival’s final day.

It was a fitting addition.

Because oral history is often where cultural memory begins.

Long before a family story becomes a book, it is told around a kitchen table. It is repeated at birthdays and holidays. It is remembered differently by each generation. Details disappear. Others become embellished. But somehow the story survives.

That survival is cultural continuity.

And in a city as large and culturally complex as Los Angeles, preserving those stories becomes an act of belonging.

From Books to Mariachi: A Story About Survival

Perhaps nothing illustrated that idea more powerfully on opening day than the pairing of the documentary Ugly Little Monkeys with a live performance by Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson.

The documentary is based on a book by one of the youth who participated in the youth mariachi group Los Changuitos Feos.  Directors  Enrique Castillo and David Valdez based their documentary on this group, chronicling the extraordinary history of the first youth mariachi group in the United States.

Their story is complicated.

It is a story about young people breaking cultural ground in 1960s America. It is also a story marked by betrayal and trauma after the priest who helped bring the young musicians together was later exposed as a sexual predator.

Yet the story does not end there.

The young musicians survived.

The music survived.

And the cultural legacy survived.

The film’s screening followed by a performance from today’s young musicians of the same group created an extraordinary bridge between past and present: the children who once had to fight for space in American cultural life and a new generation standing on the same stage decades later.

The symbolism was difficult to miss.

The “ugly little monkeys” had grown up.

And their music had traveled.

For LéaLA, it was an especially appropriate story to tell—a reminder that cultural memory is not simply about remembering what happened. It is about deciding what deserves to be carried forward.

A Literary Community Takes Root

The festival’s literary program brought together approximately 30 writers, poets and creators, including Carmen Boullosa, Mónica Lavín, Sara Poot-Herrera, Verónica Gerber, Mónica Nepote, Cecilia Eudave, Benito Taibo, Antonio Ortuño, Julia Santibáñez, Alejandro Rosas, Bernardo Fernández “Bef,” Rodrigo Morlesin and Joselo Rangel, among others.

More than 348 publishing catalogs were represented across 33 exhibition and sales spaces, reinforcing LéaLA’s identity not only as a literary festival but as a true Spanish-language book fair.

That distinction matters.

Los Angeles is often described as a city of entertainment. Hollywood dominates the global imagination of the city. But LéaLA offers another narrative: Los Angeles as a center of Spanish-language intellectual and literary life.

Its programming also reached beyond the festival grounds. Students and teachers engaged with authors including Benito Taibo and Flor Aguilera, while the Cabaret Capricho troupe brought performance into the educational experience.

Ten workshops led by the University of Guadalajara’s Letras para Volar team explored family history, emotions, legends, nature and cultural roots. Educators participated in a workshop focused on identity and vernacular literacies.

The goal was not simply to teach Spanish.

It was to demonstrate what Spanish makes possible.

Building Something Permanent

Perhaps the most consequential developments of LéaLA 2026 were not confined to the four-day festival.

The University of Guadalajara announced a permanent space for its Carlos Fuentes Bookstore, while the establishment of the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Institute, to be directed by scholar Sara Poot-Herrera, signals a deeper commitment to creating a permanent intellectual and cultural presence in Los Angeles.

That may ultimately be LéaLA’s most important contribution.

Festivals end.

Books remain.

Institutions remain.

And memories—when they are intentionally preserved—can become part of the foundation for what comes next.

Luis Gustavo Padilla Montes, president of the University of Guadalajara Foundation USA, described LéaLA’s original mission as bringing Spanish-language books and literature closer to Los Angeles and creating a gathering place centered around the language.

By that measure, the mission has evolved from aspiration into reality.

The Importance of Belonging

There is something quietly powerful about watching hundreds of children walk into a cultural institution and discover that their language is not peripheral.

It is central.

That their stories are worth telling.

That the books on the shelves are written in the language their grandparents may have spoken.

That poetry can sound like the conversations they hear at home.

That mariachi can belong on a stage alongside literature.

That Spanish is not merely a language of the past—but a language of the future.

At a time when speaking Spanish can sometimes be treated as evidence that someone does not belong in America, LéaLA offers an entirely different proposition.

You belong. And your language belongs, too.

That is why LéaLA matters.

It is a book fair, yes.

It is a literary festival.

It is a cultural gathering.

But at its deepest level, it is an act of remembrance—and an act of resistance against forgetting.

The stories that unite Los Angeles do, indeed, speak Spanish.

And LéaLA is making sure the next generation continues to hear them.

LéaLA Returns in 2027

The 12th annual LéaLA Spanish-Language Book Fair & Literary Festival will take place September 23–26, 2027, at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N. Main St., Los Angeles.

For more information, visit LéaLA.

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