Latinx films are coming in strong at this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival, with 30 entries confirmed to celebrate the 19th edition of this festival. Some of the big names making up the official line-up include Miguel Ortega’s animated short THE VOICE IN THE HOLLOW and Juan Camil Fonnegra’s THE SISTINE. The festival will take place this year from the 10th-20th of August.

Inundated with talent and a wide range of genres, the line-up includes shorts such as Alfonso Otero Mirele’s 1848, a folk tale set in Mexico's XIX century where a pregnant woman and her sisters wait for childbirth in isolation. Mauricio Sierra’s CIELA is an impressionistic fable shown through the eyes of a young outcast (Ciela) with a vivid imagination, who forms a secret friendship with an octopus. On the theme of fables, Miguel Ortega’s THE VOICE IN THE HOLLOW portrays an African fable of sisterhood, envy and ancient evil. In A GUIDE FOR WHEN IMMIGRANTS BECOME ANCESTORS Iliana Garcia pairs personal experience with poetry, painting an intimate portrait of a fourth-generation Mexican Filipino American, as they navigate what it means to inherit an identity rooted in cultural memory. Sebastián Torres Greene’s THE SONS OF GOD follows an idealistic friar, along with other soldiers of the crown, planning an escape from a devastating expedition that only seeks riches in the midst of the Hispanic conquest of America. In David Rodríguez Estrada’s EL TESORO Clemencia, a grieving but determined mother, poses as a clairvoyant to help a stranger discover buried treasure in the gardens of a house belonging to a corrupt Mexican politician. In the wake of Fidel Castro's death in 2016, Andrew Garcia’s TOMB OF THE SEA follows protagonist Rosa as she struggles to cope with her trauma as a Cuban immigrant and single parent in Miami.

Other films to keep a lookout for include Gabriela Garcia Medina’s BERTIE THE BRILLIANT which follows a young boy who takes on chores and small jobs around his neighborhood in order to raise money for a ticket to a magic show; but if left with a difficult decision to make when his grandmother loses her job. Carlos Segundo’s BIG BANG follows Chico, in Uberlandia, Brazil, being marginalized by a system that values him as a misfit and thus beginning to resist the status quo. MELA, Kristian Mercado’s short, follows Mela, in the backdrop of a gentrifying Spanish Harlem, representing the story of every young latina who struggles to define their role in society. Omar Deneb Juárez’s SOLEDAD ISLAND portrays a single mother Sonia, struggling to make amends for her past mistakes and pleading for a chance to bring her young son home after losing custody, whilst battling financial restraints and caring for her sick grandmother. Co-Directed by both Almudena Toral and Mauricio Rodriguez, THE NIGHT DOCTRINE follows an Afghan journalist embarking on a journey to find out who murdered her family 30 years ago, only to uncover hundreds of civilians killed in a secretive American backed program. Directing duo ‘Cliqua’ (RJ Sanchez and Pasqual Gutierrez’ have crafted an evocative and bold coming-of-age vignettes in SHUT UP & FISH. Focusing on the Los Angeles Latino youth culture, the themes of the film surround social identity, belonging, and the emergence of an authentic character.

The annual Academy Awards-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) brings together top creators, industry leaders and companies and has launched many filmmakers into the next stages of their careers. HollyShorts, regular on MovieMaker Magazine’s “Top 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee list”, also engages its community and spotlights short films year-round through monthly screenings, panels, and networking events.