Shows & Events
CineFest Latino 2026

Film

Oct 01—04, 2026

Cinefest Latino Boston

CineFest Latino Boston LLC is an annual film festival conducted in Boston, highlighting stories by and about Latinos. The festival is committed to using the power of film to break stereotypes, bring cultures and communities together and reveal the complex issues affecting the Latinx community in the United States, as well as communities in Latin America and Spain.

Info

Venue

Emerson Paramount Center
Bright Family Screening Room

559 Washington St, Boston, MA, United States, Massachusetts

Dates

Oct 01, 2026 - Oct 04, 2026

Details

$15 | $10.50 for Seniors | $5 for Emerson Students

Films

THEYDREAM

Directed by William Caballero | Documentary

86 mins | USA | Rated PG | English & Spanish with English subtitles

Thu, Oct 01 @ 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm

EMERSON STUDENTS CAN ATTEND FOR FREE

Virtual Q&A with the director

After 20 years of chronicling his Puerto Rican family, a director and his mother face devastating losses. Through tears and laughter, they craft animations that bring their loved ones back to life, discovering that every act of creation is also an act of letting go.

Watch the Trailer:

Once in a Body (Una vez en un cuerpo)

(precedes THEYDREAM)

Two sisters confront their troubled relationship while one struggles with an unexplained entity inhabiting her body, leading to revelations about their shared past.

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FREEING JUANITA

Directed by Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers | Documentary

74 mins | USA/Mexico/Guatemala | Rated PG | 2024 | Spanish with English subtitles

Fri, Oct 02 @ 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

In-person Q&A with the filmmakers

Juanita has been unjustly detained in Reynosa, Mexico for over seven years, accused of a crime she didn’t commit and forced to confess in a language she didn’t understand. This intimate portrait follows Ana and Pedro, Juanita’s aunt and uncle, on their thousand-mile journey from the highlands of Guatemala. With the help of their Maya Chuj community and a network of Maya interpreters, they fight for Juanita’s freedom and demand justice from the Mexican authorities, a cause that became internationally recognized for its defense of migrants’ rights and language justice.

Watch the Trailer:

Astronauta

(precedes FREEING JUANITA)

Audely, 39, works as a lumberjack in the Guatemalan jungle. At home, his daughter Carol, 11, dreams of entering that same forest. Audely thinks about it, then goes to the moon.

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DOCUMENTING STORIES SAFELY AND ETHICALLY

PANEL SPONSORED BY VIDEO CONSORTIUM

60 mins | Rated PG

Sat, Oct 03 @ 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Cinefest Latino Boston and Video Consortium invite you to a conversation on navigating ethical dilemmas in documentary filmmaking. We’ll explore what it means to thoughtfully approach storytelling: building genuine relationships and trust with participants, practicing transparency and consent, and maintaining the well-being of everyone involved.

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NIÑAS ESCARLATAS (SCARLET GIRLS)

Directed by Paula Cury Melo | Documentary

70 mins | Dominican Republic | Rated PG-17 | 2026 | Spanish with English subtitles

Sat, Oct 03 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Virtual Q&A with the filmmaker

Through personal stories and vivid imagery, Scarlet Girls depicts women facing abortion stigma, forced motherhood, and hard decisions in a system denying their bodily autonomy.

Watch the Trailer:

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SANA Y SALVA (SAFE AND SOUND)

Directed by Arí Maniel Cruz | Narrative

115 mins | Puerto Rico/Dominican Republic | Rated PG-17 | 2026 | Spanish with English subtitles

Sat, Oct 03 @ 4:30 pm - 6:45 pm

In-person Q&A with the director

Esther, a pregnant Dominican immigrant, arrives illegally in Puerto Rico and becomes a target of the authorities. During her escape, she meets Arcadio, a man with intellectual limitations but a heart as big as the island itself. Together, they embark on a unique journey across Puerto Rico, aiming to reach Esther’s aunt’s house in San Juan before the baby is born or they are caught. Along the way, Esther and Arcadio must navigate a series of outrageous situations that gradually forge their unique friendship and shape their tumultuous road trip across the island.

Watch the Trailer:

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RUNA SIMI

SPOTLIGHT FILM

Directed by Augusto Zegarra | Documentary

81 mins | Peru | Rated PG | 2025 | Spanish with English subtitles

Sat, Oct 03 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Virtual Q&A with Director

Fernando Valencia, a 29-year-old voice artist from Cusco, Peru, is an Indigenous activist, painter, and devoted single father. Known for his uncanny ability to voice multiple characters, he launched Quechua Clips—a viral project that reimagines iconic animated scenes in Quechua, the ancestral language of the Incas, also known as Runa Simi. The response was overwhelming: millions of Quechua speakers hungry for stories in their own language.

Fueled by this groundswell of support, Fernando sets his sights on an ambitious and quixotic dream—to dub Disney’s 1994 classic The Lion King into Quechua, with the help of his spirited eight-year-old son, Dylan. Armed with a homemade studio and relentless resolve, Fernando navigates countless ups and downs, facing rejection, setbacks, and self-doubt. Yet through it all, his determination never wavers, turning his personal mission into a powerful call for language justice and cultural reclamation.

Watch the Trailer:

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ACTING WORKSHOP

PANEL SPONSORED BY SAG AFTRA

90 mins

Sun, Oct 04 @ 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm

Students learn to use their bodies, voices, imagination, and text to express ideas creatively, while developing ensemble skills, active listening, collaboration, confidence, and a positive sense of community.

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To top

ArtsEmerson is a 501(c)(3) organization

Oct 01—04, 2026

Cinefest Latino Boston

Info

Venue

Dates

Oct 01, 2026 - Oct 04, 2026

Details

$15 | $10.50 for Seniors | $5 for Emerson Students

Films

THEYDREAM

Watch the Trailer:

Once in a Body (Una vez en un cuerpo)

(precedes THEYDREAM)

FREEING JUANITA

Watch the Trailer:

Astronauta

(precedes FREEING JUANITA)

DOCUMENTING STORIES SAFELY AND ETHICALLY

NIÑAS ESCARLATAS (SCARLET GIRLS)

SANA Y SALVA (SAFE AND SOUND)

RUNA SIMI

SPOTLIGHT FILM

ACTING WORKSHOP

Other Emerson Arts Sites

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