Ending Week Dos in Style|Saturday at PHLAFF
As PHLAFF 2025 hits its stride, Saturday, June 7th promises to be one of the most jam-packed, multidimensional days of the entire festival. From intimate screenings at Fleisher Art Memorial to a stunning multimedia installation and a night of comedy at Cherry Street Pier, this is a day that captures the full range of Latinx creative expression. Whether you're here for heartfelt romance, hard-hitting features, or just to laugh until it hurts—Saturday has something for you.
Morning to Afternoon: Fleisher Art Memorial
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Fleisher Art Memorial – 719 Catharine St, Philadelphia, PA
We begin the day at the beloved Fleisher Art Memorial with an impressive lineup of shorts and features that explore love, resilience, and transformation.
Los Features – Pianoman (54 min)
This tender and introspective documentary paints a portrait of a Cuban musician whose lifelong dedication to piano and storytelling resonates through every note. Blending vérité footage and interviews, Pianoman becomes an elegy not just for a man, but for a way of life—where culture, memory, and music are inseparable.
Romance Shorts Block (46 min)
Love takes center stage in this beautifully curated shorts block featuring:
Sidewalk Serendipity
Maria (Elvia Hill), a recently moved and newly single beauty, bumps into the tall and handsome Alexander (Dee Mount) on their way to separate first dates at a local café. The chance encounter sparks curiosity in both of them. As they navigate mishaps and shared laughter, they question the serendipitous nature of their meeting. Will they embrace the unexpected connection? Or is fate planning something entirely different for them?
Some Sardines (Unas Sardinas)
After a long day at work, 30-year-old Irene, an office employee who keeps up with the times, returns to the cozy apartment she shares with her unemployed journalist partner, Daniel, and their cat, Charly. When a misunderstanding transpires between the couple at dinner, their world takes an absurd turn.
Para Siempre es Ahora
An old woman and an old man, who in their youth lived an intense love story, meet again by chance after fifty years. The passage of time has not erased the conflicts of the past, but passion will bloom again.
En El Espejo
A flirtatious look in the street leads 2 people to realize they also work in the same office. Their chance encounters and imaginations lead them on a surprising journey.
Each piece offers a unique take on connection and intimacy—from fleeting city encounters to relationships steeped in nostalgia and fantasy.
Los Features
No Sólo es Hermoso el Pájaro (87 min)
This poetic feature weaves together a tapestry of ecological, political, and emotional themes, taking viewers into rural landscapes and intimate human moments. The film meditates on the tension between environmental preservation and industrial encroachment—drawing on lyrical imagery and grounded character work to ask what it means to coexist with nature, and what is lost when we don't.
Quiero Ver Sangre (97 min)
Equal parts homage and reinvention, this exhilarating feature celebrates the golden age of Mexican lucha libre cinema while interrogating its gender politics and mythmaking. With bold visual flair and narrative ambition, Quiero ver sangre follows a young filmmaker trying to resurrect the masked-hero genre—with unexpected consequences. It’s a dazzling genre-bender for cinephiles and pop culture lovers alike.
Kintsugi (70 min)
Named for the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, Kintsugi is a deeply moving story of personal reconstruction. Following a woman navigating grief and displacement, the film explores the immigrant experience through a lens of spiritual and emotional healing. It’s quiet, textured, and ultimately hopeful—a cinematic reminder that beauty can be found in broken things.
Evening: Cherry Street Pier
7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Cherry Street Pier – 121 N Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia, PA
Land of Time / Tierra del Tiempo
This animated audiovisual installation by Erick Alfredo Martinez reimagines four historic Dominican movie theaters to reflect on how cities evolve and how culture and community are held together through the act of remembering. By framing cinemas as living spaces rather than static backdrops, Land of Time invites audiences to witness urban transformation as something deeply emotional, tied to memory and movement.
Comedy Shorts Block (60 min)
Laughter closes out the night with a sharp, funny, and heartfelt set of films that explore identity, absurdity, and everyday chaos:
The Good, The Bad & Tio Umberto
For years, Tio Umberto has reigned as the supreme champion of the dominoes table at every family gathering. During that time, cousins Andres and Delia have fallen victim to his power, failing to win even a single match. Now, with their younger cousin Selena joining the game, will this finally be the year the great Tio Umberto is dethroned?
EL LLORÓN
Felipe is a professional crier. Funeral homes pay him to cry for guests and other old ladies. After hearing a joke, he is unable to cry anymore, destroying his profession. He must find ways to re-learn the crying craft of his ancestors
Miscast
A filmmaker wants to make a crime drama/telenovela mashup with authentic Spanish dialogue. The problem is he doesn't speak Spanish, and neither does his production team. Auditions are cringe enough, but once miscast, the leading Latinas nevertheless represent.
Los Features
Los Features – 20 Pounds to Happiness (105 min)
Directed by Yelyna De Leon, this heartfelt dramedy centers on Raquel, a full-figured actress trying to break into an industry obsessed with appearances. As she navigates casting rooms, personal relationships, and the pressures to conform, 20 Pounds to Happiness offers a humorous yet deeply emotional exploration of self-worth, authenticity, and the fight to take up space—literally and figuratively. It’s empowering, entertaining, and radically honest.
Don’t Miss a Moment
Saturday is a beautiful convergence of everything PHLAFF is about—art, laughter, storytelling, and community. Whether you’re posting up for a full day or dropping by for a single event, there’s something waiting for you.
Full details and tickets available at phlaff.org
