Eva Longoria’s 'Flamin’ Hot' Biopic, Julio Torres’ 'Problemista' Headline 2023 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival

Now in its 22nd year, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) kicks off today and continuing through Sunday, June 4.

The festival opens with the West Coast premiere of Eva Longoria’s feature directorial debut Flamin’ Hot and closes with the premiere of Problemista, which stars and was written and directed by SNL alum Julio Torres. Flamin' Hot is the onscreen depiction of the legend surrounding the creation of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, while Problemista tells the story of a creative young man who finds work with an eccentric art world figure (co-star Tilda Swinton) in an attempt to stay in the U.S. as his work visa gets closer to expiring.

Other films

Eighteen feature films from the U.S., Latin America and Canada will be shown over five days at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Additional films celebrating their world premieres include Moe, directed by José Luis Valenzuela, about a man dying of AIDS and his last wish to take a trip with his friends. There's also Miguel Angel Ferrer’s feature film The Shadow of the Sun, about a deaf young man who asks his estranged older brother to join him in a musical contest.

'Building infrastructure'

It's no secret that the Latino population has been historically underrepresented both in front of the camera as well as behind. Recent data shows Latino actors get just 7% of film leads, while only 1.5% of TV showrunners and 1.3% of directors are Latino.

The festival, coordinated by the Latino Film Institute, is working to change that with a slate of pipeline programs to “build infrastructure” for the Latino community in the entertainment industry.

“The whole effort is to obviously get those underrepresented voices, to get their voice out there and their perspective on the filmmaking,” says Sergio Monserrate, executive director of LALIFF.

Programs include the Inclusion Fellowship program, which provides funding to Latino filmmakers to make films as well as own their work, and the LXiA Spark Animation Grant, which supports Latino animators looking to get into the business. Both are supported by Netflix.

Help for young filmmakers

There’s also YCP@LALIFF, the Youth Cinema Project, showcasing more than 100 films shot and produced by public school students from across the country, which will be shown throughout the festival.

"Moe," directed by José Luis Valenzuela.

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Courtesy of LALIFF

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The program also offers a fellowship to 16 students, who are mentored by industry professionals to make a film that can be used for film school portfolios. The program this year is led by Angel Manuel Soto, director of this summer’s much-anticipated action-adventure Blue Beetle, and is sponsored by Amazon studios.

Monserrate highlights the importance of programs such as YCP and the Spark Animation grant as a way to fast-track young filmmakers and get attention for their work at the very beginning of their careers.

“The revolutionary thing is we're starting early. At a young age, we are helping to continue getting those Latino voices out there and getting them into the industry,” he says.

LALIFF runs from today and continues through Sunday, June 4. For more information, check out the LAIFF website and Instagram