Strength and perseverance form the conceptual and thematic core of the feature-length films from Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Switzerland, including one animated, along with one short film, that OLA of Eastern Long Island will screen during its annual Latino film festival, now in its 22nd year, September 24 to 27.
OLA’s Latino Film Festival of the Hamptons kicks off the celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15), honoring the histories, cultures, and contributions of those whose ancestors originate from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. All films are in Spanish with English subtitles.
“We are celebrating 22 years of culturally vibrant, Spanish-language cinema, presenting five films, representing four countries and various cultures within the diaspora. These films represent universal truths in strength and perseverance through the lens of our Latino brothers and sisters,” said OLA’s executive director, Minerva Perez. “This year, we are especially honored to host a New York premiere from an Oscar-winning director for opening night, and to announce the Southampton Playhouse as a new and exciting partner in collaboration. This is just the beginning of what we have in store for the year ahead! We will also partner with the North Fork Arts Center for the second year in a row, along with Sag Harbor Cinema for our sixth year, in addition to a new venue for the festival at LTV Studios.” Perez continued, “This film festival connects us to our very own humanity at a critical time and remains at the heart of OLA’s dedication to the arts. Our commitment to cultural programming as a vehicle for creating a shared experience through storytelling only strengthens our community and humanizes the call for solidarity and action.”
“The Southampton Playhouse is proud to partner with OLA of Eastern Long Island for their opening night of the Latino Film Festival,” said Maria Ruiz Botsacos, the Executive Director of the Southampton Playhouse. “This partnership reflects the Playhouse’s mission that the arts are not only for entertainment, but also for building bridges, sparking dialogue, and strengthening the fabric of our community. We are honored to celebrate OLA’s vision and to be part of their meaningful work on Long Island.”
This year’s festival opens with the New York premiere of “The Wave” (“La Ola”), which will be screened on Wednesday, September 24, at 7 PM at Southampton Playhouse. An opening night cocktail reception will begin at 6 PM, free and open to all ticketholders. In this vibrant musical drama, a Chilean student finds herself becoming a central figure in a feminist movement at her university. Directed by Academy Award winner Sebastián Lelio.
On Thursday, September 25, at 7 PM, the festival moves to North Fork Arts Center, Sapan Greenport Theatre, with the screening of the Peruvian-Swiss film “Queens” (“Reinas”), directed by Klaudia Reynicke. Two teenage sisters are about to leave their country forever when they unexpectedly reconnect with an absent father. The Sundance-selected film is a poignant, fast-paced coming-of-age story about love, loss, and the uncertain promise of change, told with the spirit and energy of the 1990s. The evening will feature a pre-screening reception at 6 PM, free and open to all ticketholders, concluding with a community conversation to follow the film screening.
The festival’s weekend programming, with family-friendly screenings from Colombia, will begin on Friday, September 26, at 6 PM at LTV Studios in Wainscott, featuring the short film “The Great Feat” (“La Gran Hazaña”), directed by Luber Yesid Zuñiga Ordoñez. Pablo needs to rescue his friend Pascualina, a laying hen who is kidnapped by the village grocer, after the boy accidentally breaks the bucket of eggs he was carrying to pay off his family’s debt. Ultimately, Pablo learns the importance of unity and teamwork. The short film will be followed by the full-feature animated film, “Lila’s Book” (“El Libro de Lila”), directed by Marcela Rincón. Lila, a character in a children’s storybook, suddenly falls out of her paper world and ends up trapped in a place she doesn’t belong.
On Saturday, September 27, at 8 PM at Sag Harbor Cinema, the festival concludes with “Corina,” a Mexican film directed by Urzula Barba Hopfner. A 20-year-old agoraphobic woman must overcome her fears of leaving her four-block radius to save her job at the publishing company.
For more information and tickets, visit olaofeasternlongisland.org.