THE WAIT IS OVER: PHLAFF 2025 IS FINALLY HERE!

May 25

This year’s virtual program opens with two deeply immersive shorts blocks: Thriller & Drama and Tales of Impact. These stories are bold, beautiful, and crafted to evoke a strong emotional response.

Virtual Programming Offerings

THRILLER & DRAMA BLOCK

Available Starting May 25 — Runtime: 74 minutes

These four shorts explore power, consequence, and the hidden tension in everyday life.

🎥 Esto es Lucha (This is Lucha)

A genre-bending fusion of sports and personal struggle, Esto es lucha dives into the high-stakes world of Mexican wrestling. Through fierce physicality and emotional undertones, the film follows a fighter who must navigate both the ring and his own identity, redefining what it means to fight for something larger than yourself.

🎥 LOTTO

Meet Dani — young, independent, and oblivious to the life-changing ticket in her back pocket. When a stranger informs her she’s the lottery’s newest millionaire, a bizarre and chilling odyssey begins. LOTTO is a suspense-driven meditation on trust, greed, and how fast fortune can turn to fear.

🎥 Hasta la Raíz

Set in 1856 on a rancho in what is now Los Angeles, Hasta la Raíz reimagines a period of Mexican-American history rarely shown on screen. A woman faces the harrowing decision of whether to protect her freedom or uphold the traditions she’s inherited. It's a haunting tale about bloodlines, land, and the roots that bind us — sometimes too tightly.

🎥 Tierra verde (Green Horizon)

In a near-future wasteland, a mother’s fierce determination drives her to find a portal to another world for her son. Tierra Verde paints a chillingly possible ecological dystopia, pulsing with desperation, love, and speculative wonder.

TALES OF IMPACT BLOCK

Available Starting May 25 — Runtime: 125 minutes

These documentaries and narrative shorts illuminate real-world heroes, overlooked histories, and communities in motion.

🎥 Penna Prearo: Forasteiro Sonhador

This heartfelt documentary chronicles the life and art of Penna Prearo, a visionary Brazilian photographer. From São Paulo’s political unrest in the 1970s to his quiet battles with Parkinson’s disease, Prearo’s story is one of transformation, resilience, and unrelenting creative drive.

🎥 Between the Sun and the Sidewalk

Two young Latino organizers fight to pass a soda tax in their community — but their real battle is with a billion-dollar beverage industry and the politicians it controls. This film is more than policy — it’s a tribute to youth-led, grassroots power in action.

🎥 Tito’s Tapestry

This mosaic of music, culture, and identity flows through the sixth annual Tito’s Tacos and Tito’s Vodka Day in Los Angeles. Expect joy, rhythm, and revelation as Tito’s Tapestry reminds us how food and celebration stitch people together — sometimes more deeply than politics or history.

🎥 A Shot at History

Nita Patel was just four years old when her father told her: “One day, you will make medicine to help people.” That moment sparked a life journey that led her to lead an all-women team in developing a COVID-19 vaccine. This powerful short follows her back to India, where a promise fulfilled becomes a legacy reborn.

HOW TO WATCH

Our virtual programming blocks are streaming now on Eventive!

Tickets for our in-person programs can also be purchased and reserved through the Eventive platform. Watch & Get Tickets Here

Grab a festival pass or purchase individual tickets and start watching immediately. You’ll be part of a global audience celebrating Latinx and Latin American storytelling—wherever you are.

Diego Cruz