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40th CineFestival Coming to San Antonio: Celebrating Texas With Latino Filmmakers

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Tony Maples Photography

 

The longest-running Latino film festival in America will be returning to the Texas Hill Country for its 40th season. This year, it will be celebrating the best of Texas in the city of San Antonio (also celebrating its 300th anniversary). CineFestival, which is sponsored by the San Antonio Film Commission, will be running from July 5 through July 8, featuring over 50 films which have been produced by Latino directors and filmmakers.

This unique film festival is set to screen 41 of its films that were created by Texas directors or filmed in the state of Texas over the course of its four-day run. Stating that this year’s theme is Hecho en Tejas, Cristina Balli, executive director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (the non-profit host of the festival) has noted, “This 40th anniversary edition celebrates the Tejano film community and honors the CineFestival familia of the past.”

40th CineFestival Coming to San Antonio Celebrating Texas With Latino Directors & Filmmakers

Photo: Facebook/San Antonio Film Society

San Antonio’s Guadalupe Theater will host “We the Animals” as the opening to CineFestival on July 5, on the heels of its popular debut at the Tribeca Film Festival. Directed by Jeremiah Zagar, “We the Animals” has been noted as a “…dream-like adaptation of Justin Torres’ autobiographical novel about a mixed-race family with three young sons in upstate New York.” Also among the festival highlights is the recognition of women filmmakers who live on or near the international border between America and Mexico, entitled “Femme Frontera Filmmaker Showcase,” which is screening on July 6.

Two screenings of the Disney Pixar collaboration, “Coco,” will also be offered in Spanish at CineFestival, allowing for children to also take part in the festivities. In addition, there will be a showing of Ferdinand during Family Day at the festival, which is scheduled for July 8. Fans can look forward to the showing of Carla Simon’s “Summer 1993” (an award-winning movie that garnered three Goya Awards for Best Supporting Actor, Best New Actress, and Best Director), which will close out the festival at the Guadalupe Theater on July 8. CineFest passes and tickets are available at the link provided here, with a number of pass and single ticket options offered.