Katra Latinx Festival returns in THREE DAYS with its first-ever in-person screening for the festival’s milestone third year. The two-day event takes place at Latea Theater located in the Lower East Side from Friday, July 15th to Saturday, July 16th. The festival is screening 27 short film selections over two days. Doors open at 5:45 PM daily. Showings will take place in two blocks, running from 6 PM to 8 PM and 8 PM to 10 PM. Post-screening Q&As occur after each block to give filmmakers a chance to dive deeper into their selections and allow audience members a chance to ask questions. The festival features a wide selection of genres ranging from documentary, narrative, comedy, drama, horror, science fiction/fantasy, dystopian, suspense, romance, and speculative fiction works. Our filmmakers’ ethnic backgrounds hail from different countries of the Latinx diaspora in Central and South America. Just a few include Mexico, Honduras, Cuba, Ecuador, and Columbia. Together, this year’s selections continue KLX’s mission of promoting Latinx visibility in front of and behind the camera, highlighting that the Latinx experience is not a monolith.
Katra Latinx features several documentaries that beautifully enlighten and educate the viewer on Latinx history and culture across the world. Guillermo Alfonso’s “Croqueta Nation” depicts an epic tale of one restaurant owner’s dream of breaking a world record, told through Miami’s culinary scene. The short includes interviews and appearances from several local and prominent Latinx professionals and officials, including award-winning producer Emilio Estefan, iHeartRadio host Enrique Santos, WWE Champion Dana Brooks, and former Mayor of Miami/Dade, Daniella Cava. In “Antonio Norales: Garifuna Guardian,” Mexican American director Walker Simon transports his viewers into the world of the Garifuna people. In this short documentary, viewers learn about the traditions, religion, and culture of the Garifuna and Antonio’s fight to keep their practices alive in a modern age. Tatiana Lopez’s “Living Forest” is an experimental, sensorial film essay that captures the Indigenous Sapara women’s local pursuit of ecological wellbeing and spiritual foundation.
Viewers can expect films that assess the intersection of race within the Latinx community and analyze the nuances, stereotypes, and stigmas engrained in the culture from narrative and documentary perspectives. Walker Simon’s film highlights the Garifuna, descendants of escaped African slaves and the Arawaks, an indigenous group native to South America and the Caribbean. “The Question” by Cuban director Naiyah Ambros, is a comedy that depicts the struggles of modern dating from the perspective of two mixed-race Latinas. “Dad-rahpy” is a comedic series co-directed by the award-winning multi-hyphenate duo, Rick Herrera and Alexandra Gutierrez. The story explores the joys of fatherhood, juggling life’s obstacles, and the start of a developing friendship through two Afro-Latino fathers who randomly met at the park.
The audience can also expect selections that place Latinx characters front and center within genres that are still predominantly centering white narratives. Valeria Lima’s sci-fi, supernatural natural short, “An Indulgence,” relays the story of a mother who is transported to a world where her daughter doesn’t exist after a mysterious eclipse. “The Dark Essence” is a comedic horror series about a Satanic cult seeking mainstream popularity in Mari Assad’s directorial debut. “Anniversary” by Chantel Houston is a sentimental queer drama about a woman’s grief and loss on her anniversary date. Riley Del Rey’s dark political comedy, “Capitol Barbie,” follows the story of a trans-Latina woman who quickly discovers secrets and dark truths after starting a new job on Capitol Hill. This series is socially relevant and opens the floor for a conversation about racism, homophobia, and transphobia in the workplace and overarching society.
Above all, viewers can expect to be thoroughly entertained by our lineup. “Cruel and Unusual Therapy TOO” directed by and starring Gina Marie Rodriguez is a comical narrative about a young woman with erotic transference struggling to find a new therapist she’s not attracted to during the pandemic after her previous one “breaks up” with her. “Love Is Love” by the co-directing trio Alex Hugo, Lourdes Bigio, and Monte Graham is a classic tale about two childhood best friends coming to terms with their romantic feelings for each other. The new-age comedy, “Multi-Hyphenates” explores the story of two young millennial women who are up-and-coming artists in post-pandemic NYC. The series is co-created by Khaya Fraites and Arianna Flores-Moya and accurately conveys the modern everyday struggles of living in the city while navigating careers in the entertainment industry.
Tickets are STILL AVAILABLE on the Katra Film Series website! Options include admission per block and day passes. The full schedule lineup with film synopsis is under the Katra Latinx Festival tab, so take a look at what each day has in store!
Festival Background Information:
Katra Latinx Festival is a sister festival to the Katra Film Series, the award-winning, highly acclaimed international film festival and screenwriting competition dedicated to championing the next generation of diverse, inclusive, and multicultural filmmakers and content creators worldwide. In its 3rd year, Katra Latinx continues its mission of empowering, highlighting, and launching the careers of emerging Latino short filmmakers from around the world.
Social Media:
- Follow us on Instagram @KatraLatinxFestival
- Our social media hashtags: #katra2022 #katralatinxfestival #katralatinx
Major Festival Partners and Sponsors:
Digital Ocean, Freelancers Union, UKW Media, Urbn/TV, GPop TV, JMR Rentals, BKLYN Commons, Brooklyn Brewery, Media Makers, ReelWorks, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment