By Erin Timony, Anais Bernard,
Oscar Perez, Trevor Seines and Dylan Rohn
Media Arts Center San Diego screened more than 160 films created by and starring Latinos during its 19th Annual Latino Film Festival in March. The event was aimed at bringing attention to the dearth of Latino faces on television and movie screens in the United States.
“It’s important to have something like the San Diego Latino Film Festival in our community because it shows Hollywood and more mainstream film production companies that there is an enormous need, desire and want to see Latino talent showcased,” said event host Yolanda Selena Walther-Meade.
Above, youth in the Media Arts Center’s Teen Producers Project take you inside the event.
You can learn more about the movies showcased at this year’s festival here.
Transcript:
Yolanda: Good Evening! My name is Yolanda Selena Walther-Meade, and I am the host of the 19th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival. I’m not in any films here, but I do hobnob with all of the actors and actresses. It’s important to have something like the San Diego Latino Film Festival in our community because it shows Hollywood and more mainstream film production companies that there is an enormous need, desire, and want to see Latino talent showcased in English language films, [and] appreciated [in] Spanish language films, whether they’re from the U.S., Mexico, Spain, Cuba, or anywhere else. The Latino culture is actively seeking out opportunities like this to enjoy, and so I have a fabulous opportunity to interact with a stellar cast of producers, directors, and actors.
Actress: (in Spanish) Let’s go watch the movie! Hurry, move fast!
Yolanda: They’re here to showcase their films to an extraordinarily large audience of over 23,000 people, and the Latino Film Festival has truly grown year after year to broad acclaim.