On the date of what would have been the popular Austin-based Latino film festival’s opening night for its 23rd edition, Cine Las Americas announced today plans and partnerships for virtual film showcases and presentations for both May and July. The plans include a first time joint presentation and partnership with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) later in May and July, as well as continuing CLA’s longstanding association and partnership with the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC) also set for July.
CLA Executive Director Jean Anne Lauer said, “This is a day where traditionally we are putting on the finishing touches for our film festival, welcoming everyone to our opening night, and preparing for an exciting week of screenings and events celebrating the work of Latinx and Indigenous filmmakers and artists. Instead, like other arts organizations we have been working on ideas and innovations to find alternatives to support filmmakers and introduce and connect them with audiences in other ways.”
CLA Lead Program Associate Ernie Quiroz added, “During a time when a common refrain is ‘We’re All in This Together’, we are embracing that idea and looking to form and sustain alliances with organizations that share our desire to promote filmmakers’ work and of course, share our love of film with our communities. To that end, it is incredibly exciting to connect with LALIFF and start building what could become an important portal and support system between filmmakers in Austin and those based in Los Angeles.”
LALIFF recently announced a month of virtual film presentations that began yesterday on Cinco De Mayo. Co-Founder of LALIFF Edward James Olmos was a guest of honor at May 2019’s Cine Las Americas and the mutual respect between the organizations has led to the plans for CLA and LALIFF to co-promote and co-present future virtual presentations to add to the impact on behalf of their filmmakers and broaden the reach via their combined audiences and viewership. The details of those presentations will be announced at a later date.
Cine Las Americas is also currently and actively in the planning stages for virtual showcase co-presentations with the ESB-MACC. The organizations have been closely aligned and supportive in their missions and have been working together on a re-imagined series celebrating films made by and/or about Latinos or Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Details regarding those virtual screenings and events will soon follow.
Jesus Varela, the ESB-MACC Cultural and Arts Events Coordinator, said, “In the context of the new challenges presented by COVID-19, we are pleased that the ESB-MACC and Cine Las Americas will once again be able to reach families in Austin and beyond with the 2020 Virtual Showcases. Cine Las Americas and the ESB-MACC share the commitment of promoting Mexican-American and Latinx culture in Austin, which has yielded a partnership for many years now that continues to grow. We are excited to provide a platform for film lovers to experience the high-quality Cine Las Americas programming our community has come to expect, this time from the comfort of their homes.”
For more information, visit https://cinelasamericas.org/.
