LALIFF 2025 Returns with Oscar-Qualified Ambition and Bold Latino Storytelling

By United Mundos Editorial Team Published: May 1, 2025

The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) is back — and more influential than ever.

Running from May 28 to June 1, 2025, the festival will screen over 90 films, with nearly half created by U.S.-based Latino filmmakers. Hosted at Regal L.A. Live, the event promises not only cinematic excellence, but also a critical platform for Latino voices across film, television, animation, and hybrid media.

This year, LALIFF cements its status as a major cultural force, now officially recognized as an Oscar-qualifying festival in two categories: Best U.S. Latino Live Action Short and Best U.S. Latino Animated Short. The upgrade isn’t just symbolic — it signals a shift in who gets seen, celebrated, and remembered in the film world.

Spotlight on Films That Matter

Opening the festival is ASCO: Without Permission, a powerful documentary about the legendary Chicano art collective ASCO. Directed by Travis Gutiérrez Senger and executive produced by Latino film icons Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, the film captures the rebellious spirit and enduring legacy of East L.A.'s avant-garde creators.

Closing the festival is Serious People, a co-directed narrative by Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson, exploring identity, ambition, and the ever-shifting landscape of life in Los Angeles.

Local Voices Take the Lead

LALIFF 2025 continues its Eastside initiative, showcasing bold new work rooted in the local community. Highlights include:

• 20 Pounds to Happiness by Yelyna De León, written by Josefina López (Real Women Have Curves)

• La Raya and 40+ by Yolanda Cruz

• Los Angeles Canvas by Aot Rivera

• Trans Los Angeles by Kase Peña, a moving look at trans identity and community in the city

  
  

These films speak directly to life in LA — unfiltered, heartfelt, and told by the people living it.

Nurturing the Next Generation

LALIFF will also showcase work from its LFI Inclusion Fellowship and LALIFF x Spark Animation Fellowship, two programs created to elevate emerging Latino and Latinx creatives. These initiatives are redefining what access and opportunity can look like in a historically exclusive industry.

Why It Matters

In a time when media continues to grapple with diversity, LALIFF isn’t just responding — it’s leading. It doesn’t tokenize or translate Latino stories. It centers them. And by doing so, it sends a clear message: we are not a niche. We are the narrative.

For a full schedule, tickets, and program details, visit laliff.org.

Sources:

• LALIFF Official Site

• Los Angeles Times Coverage (May 1, 2025)