San Diego Latino Film Festival
Waiver Codes Only
Ethan van Thillo
Programming Manager (Features)
Moises Esparza
Programming Manager (Shorts)
Brooklyn Film Festival
Twenty-eight years ago, the San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF) was born out of desire to take a stand against the status-quo of cinema, to challenge the reigning and ever-present stereotypes about the Latinx experience in movies, and to give Latinx filmmakers the power of telling and sharing their stories, first-hand, about what it means to be Latinx. After all of these years, the SDLFF is proud to remain linked to these ideals, constantly advocating for inclusive, diverse, and progressive cinematic storytelling about the Latinx identity. We invite you and all other visionary filmmakers to be a part of the twenty-eight anniversary by submitting your project to consideration.
SDLFF has had the honor of hosting over 2900 renowned directors, actors, producers, writers and more including Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Alfonso Cuaron, Kate del Castillo, Damian Alcazar, Dolores Huerta, Danny Trejo, among many others!
As many other festivals around the world, SDLFF has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. After the postponement of the festival in March 2019, we were able to successfully celebrate our festival in a virtual capacity in September 2020. The safety of our filmmakers, our audience and our staff continues to be of utmost importance to us. We also believe Latinx film and stories need to be showcased and celebrated more than ever. As of today, the plan for the 28th edition of the San Diego Latino Film Festival is as follows: a hybrid model taking place March 11-21, 2021, consisting of both in-person and virtual screenings. Any changes to this format will be communicated to participating filmmakers. With this in mind, the 28th edition will be making reductions in scale corresponding with COVID realities. This year's call for entries will be much more competitive. Submission deadlines will be strictly enforced and we encourage all submitters to read the Rules & Terms very carefully before submitting.
We understand the pandemic has had a negative impact on our economy with the film industry being one of the most hurt. With that in mind we've decided to dramatically decrease our submissions fees. Our Early Bird deadline will just be a $5 charge for BOTH Features & Shorts per submission. Our Final Deadline charge will also be at a highly discounted rate.
Best Narrative Feature
Audience Award Narrative Feature
Audience Award Documentary Feature
Best Narrative Short
Best Local Feature
Best Local Short
Best Youth Film (Under 18 years old)
Submissions to the 28th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival are now open. SDLFF 2021 is seeking innovative, original, and thought-provoking works that are 'by', 'about', or 'for' the Latinx community, that have been completed between 2019-2020. Please register your films through our submission platform, FilmFreeway. Do not send screening links directly to the Programmers' inbox, unless instructed to do so. We use this platform to keep track of our entries and links sent directly to our inboxes may be hard to localize given the high volume of emails we receive during our festival season. If you decide to forego the registration, your film will not be placed into consideration.
Fees must be paid before festival programmers screen your works and must be paid by the deadline. We do not give preferential treatment to entries submitted early BUT we advise that filmmakers take advantage of the Early Bird Submission Deadline since it is the lowest price point to register your film.
Submitted films must be the SAN DIEGO COUNTY PREMIERES and must not have been screened at another local film festival, theater chain, television, VOD or S-VOD platform, or be available on Blu-Ray or DVD before the end dates of our festival in the San Diego area. Work exhibited in the Tijuana or Baja California region may be accepted but has to fulfill the criteria of being a San Diego Premiere.
All entries will be pre-screened for eligibility by curators and selection committee; however, not all entries will be programmed.
The festival will not pay an exhibition fee for any accepted entries initially submitted through our general Call for Entries.
There are no refunds for submissions for either selected or declined entries. The SDLFF may screen any accepted entries up to four times during the festival dates (March 11-21, 2021) at ANY of our exhibition venues. The section or program the film is scheduled for is at the discretion of Festival Programmers. By submitting your film, you recognize the festival may select to screen your film in-person or virtually (or a combination of both).
Submission Categories:
Applicants must classify their film under one of the following categories. The Festival Programmers will then sort the films into the various sections that comprise our festival program. These sections include Spotlight Films, Viva Mujeres, Documania!, Somos! LGBTQ+ Cine Showcase, among others. New sections will be created based on the type of content the festival receives. All films must be registered through our FilmFreeway portal even if you are sending in a physical DVD or Blu-Ray of your film. Please upload digital exhibition copies to FilmFreeway.
Narrative Feature
Any scripted work of fiction (including mockumentary style) with a running time of 60 minutes or more. If the film is a narrative documentary hybrid, please submit under this category. Film must be 'by' Latinxs, 'about' Latinxs or 'for' the Latinx community.
Any non-fiction work with a running time of 60 minutes or more. Scripted re-enactments within the film are acceptable. Film must be 'by' Latinxs, 'about' Latinxs or 'for' the Latinx community.
Narrative Short
Any scripted work of fiction (including mockumentary style) with a running time of 30 minutes or less. If the film is a narrative documentary hybrid, please submit under this category. Film must be 'by' Latinxs, 'about' Latinxs or 'for' the Latinx community.
Any non-fiction work with a running time of 30 minutes or less. Scripted re-enactments within the film are acceptable. Films must be 'by' Latinxs, 'about' Latinxs or 'for' the Latinx community.
Local Film - Narrative Feature
Any scripted work of fiction (including mockumentary style) with a running time of 60 minutes or more. If the film is a narrative documentary hybrid, please submit under this category. More than 50% of the production must have taken place in the San Diego or Tijuana Border region. Film must be 'by' Latinxs, 'about' Latinxs or 'for' the Latinx community
Local Film - Documentary Feature
Any non-fiction work with a running time of 60 minutes or more. Scripted re-enactments within the film are acceptable.More than 50% of the production must have taken place in the San Diego or Tijuana Border Region. Film must be 'by' Latinxs, 'about' Latinxs or 'for' the Latinx community.
Local Film - Narrative Short
Any scripted work of fiction (including mockumentary style) with a running time of 30 minutes or less. If the film is a narrative documentary hybrid, please submit under this category. More than 50% of the production must have taken place in the San Diego or Tijuana Border Region. Film must be 'by' Latinxs, 'about' Latinxs or 'for' the Latinx community.
Local Film - Documentary Short
Any non-fiction work with a running time of 30 minutes or less. Scripted re-enactments within the film are acceptable. More than 50% of the production must have taken place in the San Diego or Tijuana Border Region. Film must be 'by' Latinxs, 'about' Latinxs or 'for' the Latinx community.
Any film with a running time of 30 minutes or less that fits the Narrative or Documentary Shorts parameters, submitted by someone less than 18 years of at the date of submitting. Film must be 'by' Latinxs, 'about' Latinxs or 'for' the Latinx community.
Episodic Content
Any single and/or collection of short films (with an overarching theme), television episodes, online webisodes, and telenovela episodes are acceptable. If submitting multiple episodes, each should be included in your submission copy as a single file (for example, if your web series is 10 episodes long there shouldn't be 10 links for each episode of the web series.) Narrative or documentary projects accepted. This content should not be made available on any VOD or S-VOD platform for streaming, or have premiered on television before the end of the festival. This content should be a San Diego Premiere. Episodic Content must be 'by' Latinxs, 'about' Latinxs or 'for' the Latinx community
* A note about works in progress-
We will accept entries submitted as works in progress with temporary music, missing scenes, color correction, etc. However, the submitted project should be indicative of the overall quality of the finished product. If accepted, the film in question should be completed well before the start date of our festival. We DO NOT screen works in progress as exhibition copies.
Films must be submitted with English subtitles if the dialogue is in another language other than English. Films must have been completed after January 2019. Projects completed January 31st, 2019 and prior are not eligible for this edition of the film festival.
It is the responsibility of the submitter to ensure that the screening link or physical screening copy they submit work properly. We will make an attempt to connect with you if we experience difficulties screening your movies and expect a working copy in a timely fashion. Failure to comply will render your film ineligible from being placed under consideration.
If your film was not accepted last year and you are re-submitting, please keep in mind that the likelihood of your film being accepted is proportional to the number of changes and improvements that have been made to it. If you are submitting an identical or near-identical version of your film, it will not be accepted.
Please note: DVD screeners, press kits, and any other physical materials submitted during the Call for Entries period will not be returned.
Upon acceptance to the festival, the following is required:
Features: Press Kit containing 100 words synopsis in English, 5 hi-res film stills (300 dpi, CMYK and/or RGB color), digital trailer with English subtitles (if films is in any language other than English), online or physical screener of film for press.
Shorts: Press Kit containing 50 word synopsis in English, 3 hi-res film stills (300 dpi, CMYK and/or RGB color), digital trailer with English subtitles, if available.
Information regarding exhibition copies:
Features: DCP (preferred), Blu-Ray. All exhibition copies must come with a backup Blu-Ray. Along with a copy of the film in a H.264 format video file with a file size smaller than 10GB. Exhibition copies of accepted features must be received by February 12th, 2021.
Shorts: DCP (preferred), Digital Format via USB or e-mail. USBs will be returned. Along with a copy of the film in a H.264 format video file with a file size smaller than 10GB.Formatting specifics will be included in the acceptance letter. Exhibition files must be received by February 12th, 2021.
* Submitters will be notified of entry status by late January 2021. Judges' decisions are final. Due to the large number of films we receive, feedback on individual films will not be provided.
An additional panel of filmmakers, film critics, and local luminaries will sit on this year's Awards Jury. Awards are given for excellence in form and content. Films to be considered for competition will be determined by the Festival Curators.
Awards Categories:
*Additional categories may be added based on festival showcases.
For questions, please contact, Moises Esparza, moises@mediaartscenter.org (619) 230-1938 ext. 105 (Features), or Juan Lopez, juan@mediaartscenter.org (619) 230-1938 ext. 107 (Shorts).
Patricia Montoya
I love this festival. It really is a community event for the San Diego/Tijuana region.
William Cavada
Great and empowering film festival
Fran Casanova
It was a really pleasure to be part of this festival!!!
I attended the festival and it was a wonderful experience! I´m very happy to have been part of the festival with my short film HAY ALGO EN LA OSCURIDAD (SOMETHING IN THE DARKNESS).
For me as a spanish filmmaker ist´s a great opportunity to show my work outside my country, thanks!
Thanks a lot to the director of the festival Ethan van Thillo and programmers Moises Esparza and Juan Lopez, for their great attention and kindness. I was great moments in San Diego, thank you so much!
I hope to have the opportunity again to be in the festival in the future.
All my best wishes and greetings from Spain!
Antonio Salinas
Can't wait for next year!
Karla Bernadette Duarte
Thank you SDLFF for such a beautiful and cultural celebration.
Gold Members: $4.50
Gold Members: $9
Local Narrative Feature
Local Documentary Feature
Local Narrative Short
Local Documentary Short
Any film with a running time of 30 minutes or less that fits the Narrative or Documentary Shorts parameters, submitted by someone LESS THAN 18 YEAR OF AGE AT THE DATE OF SUBMITTING. Film must be 'by' Latinxs, 'about' Latinxs or 'for' the Latinx community.