(Updated 4.18.18)

The Los Angeles LGBT Center presents CineArte, the 5th annual arts festival of the queer Latinx community, Friday, April 20, through Sunday, April 22, at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, located at 1125 N. McCadden Place in Hollywood.

Making a special appearance on the red carpet, and again for a post-screening Q & A, will be two of VIDA’s stars, Ser Anzoategui (a non-binary actor who uses the gender-neutral pronouns they/them/their) and Chelsea Rendon, who will be joined by writer Nancy Mejia.

CineArte is dedicated to showcasing the stories of LGBTQ, two-spirited, Latinx, Chicanx, and indigenous identities through film and visual art in a space that builds on their rich and diverse cultural history.

The 2018 program includes three short films programs, a special screening of the first two episodes of the STARZ network series Vida, digital media, art installations, and musical performances that represent the intersections and complexities of Latina/o queerness through arts and culture. The three-day celebration will include red carpet events, receptions, music, workshops, and Q&A sessions with filmmakers and featured cast members.

Tickets range from $8-$30 and are currently on sale. (Fees may apply)

Food vendors and a bar will be on site during the entire festival.

Films selected to screen at CineArte will be shown out of competition.

Friday, April 20, 7-10 p.m.
Opening Reception CINEARTE Art Exhibition

Paraísos
Curator: Rubén Esparza

The exhibit will be open until June 8, 2018, and features the following artists: Laura Aguilar, Yukiko Avila, Tony De Carlo, Diego Eduardo, Natalie Franco, Jon Vaz Gar, Lorenzo Gomez, Roy Martinez a.k.a. Lambe Culo, Milos Mestas, Navi, Monica Orozco, Miguel Angel Reyes, Adam Morello Reyes, Angelo Alessandro Rodarte, Manuel Rodrigues a.k.a. Sad Boy, Christopher Velasco.  In addition, a program of artists’ videos will be shown in the Advocate & Gochis Galleries throughout the festival.

Live Entertainment Performances begin at 8:30 p.m. With host Tonatiuh Elizarraraz

Xitlalic Guijosa Poeta
Marley Munroe Singer/Songwriter
DJ Sizzle Bringing joy to her community by playing cumbia, hip-hop, disco, and everything in between.

Film Selections

Saturday, April 21

2:30-3:40 p.m.
Honoring Our Own Short Films Program  plus Q & A with Filmmakers

Jeanne Cordova: Buches, Lies & Feminism (USA, 38 min.)
Director: Gregorio Davila
Producer: Mario J. Novoa

Ode To Abuela (USA, 10 min.)
Director: Henry Alberto
Ode to Abuela follows the journey of Angel, a young man trekking across landscapes to scatter his grandmother’s ashes. Angel is determined to both celebrate and grieve the passing of his beloved “Abuela” at once.

Honoring The Late Juan Gabriel (USA, 4 min.)
Director: Yezmin Villareal
Mini-doc about Juan Gabriel impersonators.

Silvia In The Waves (Mexico/|Canada 2018, 13 min.)
Directed by Giovana Olmos
The course of mourning carries Silvia, a 40-year-old trans woman, and her family through the waves of memory and rebirth, death and survival.

Anonymous (USA, 6 min.)
Director: Diana Torres
An experimental animation about the cycles of violence in Colombia and how specifically women’s bodies become spoils of war.

4-5:30 p.m.
Latinx En Action! Short Films Program 

Bad Conchas (USA, 17 min.)
Directors: Cole Santiago and Nance Messineo
A queer dyke living in Echo Park hustles to make ends meet while hooking up with as many girls as possible.

Reset (Mexico, 20 min.)
Director: Rodrigo Martín Jaffe
Producers: Emilio Leija and Evelyn Rivera
The younger brother from a family will have to find a way to return his older sibling’s personality that was taken from him by Reset’s treatment, hired by his mother.

Matriarchy (USA, 10 min.)
Directors: Rosa Navarette, Patricia Zamorano
A young Chicana in Boyle Heights faces her inner demons to become the new matriarch of her family. Spoken word weaves this world together. Present, future, and past collide as this experimental visual poem unfolds, showing Patie transform in to a hero in her own story.

Quédate Callado (USA, 1 min.)
Director: Edwin Alexis Gomez

Familia (USA, 2018, 17 min.)
Directors: Kase Pena, Marlene Forte
A transwoman navigates life despite having a pesky neighborhood teenage boy in love with her, an insincere married lover, and a family that demands financial support.

Juan Gabriel Is Dead (US Premier, Mexico/Germany, 15 min.)
Director: Tavo Ruiz
On the day famous Mexican singer Juan Gabriel dies, best friends Beto and Daniel will redefine their friendship. Daniel imagines how his day would be if he were a girl. Maybe this way his feelings toward Beto would be seen as normal.

5:30-6:30 p.m.
Red Carpet

Live Entertainment 

6:45-7 p.m.
Renny Juanga Juan Gabriel Tribute

9-11 p.m.
DJ Lancia
Whether it’s a private party or huge nightclub, DJ Lancia has the ability to read her audience and deliver a truly unique performance time after time.

7:30-8:30 p.m.
Special Opening Night Screening

STARZ Original Series Vida (2 episodes)

Created by Tanya Saracho
Executive Producers: Tanya Saracho, Robin Schwartz, Peter Saraf, Mark Turtletaub, Stephanie Langhoff
Starring: Melissa Barrera (Club de Cuervos), Mishel Prada (Fear of the Walking Dead: Passage), Ser Anzoategui (East Los High), Chelsea Rendon (Bright), Carlos Miranda (The Bling Ring), and Maria Elena Laas (Vital Signs)

The STARZ network’s Vida is a half–hour drama series focusing on two Mexican–American sisters from the Eastside of Los Angeles who couldn’t be more different or distanced from each other. Circumstances force them to return to their old neighborhood, where they are confronted by the past and surprising truth about their mother’s identity.

Sunday, April 22

• 1-1:30 p.m. Welcome & Lunch
• 1:30-2 p.m. Self-Defense Workshop
• 2:15-3:30 p.m. Sacred Journeys Short Films Program

Shala (Brazil, 11 min.)
Directed by João Inácio
Shala is a story about Pedro, a young boy living in an orphanage in Amazon who has a hard time being adopted because of several prejudices, which include the cruel indifference of adoptive parents towards children in his age group. The boy creates situations to draw the attention of adoptive parents, while at the same time creating an imaginary friendship with his only toy, a doll named “Shala”.

Mariposa (USA / Oakland, 17 min.) Documentary
Directed by Candy Guinea
A couple confronts the physical and emotional challenges of trying to get pregnant all while being queer.

A Force of Nature (2017 USA / Los Angeles, 9 min.)
Directed by David Rodriguez
A broken-hearted young man overcome with grief over the ending of his relationship goes on a healing journey of self-discovery to the Sequoia National Forest and finds himself haunted by the memories of his first love through an interpretive dance sequence, ultimately learning forgiveness and self-acceptance.

Silvia In The Waves (2018, 13 min.)
Directed by Giovana Olmos
The course of mourning carries Silvia, a 40-year-old trans woman, and her family through the waves of memory and rebirth, death and survival.

Undocumented Tales Episode 5 (USA, 15 min.)
Directed by Armando Ibanez
Fer feels jealous of Simon’s mother. Fer siente celos de la madre de simon.

Amigas With Benefits (USA, 11 min.)
Directed by Adelina Anthony
Amigas with Benefits is a short dramedy about an elderly bride-to-be, Lupita. She is finally living her truth and is on the verge of marrying her love, Ramona. But on their special day, and uninvited guest rudely disrupts the ceremony. It takes moral courage and a far-fetched plan for the couple to find a way back to their freedom to be happy.

4:30-5 p.m.
Red Carpet

• 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. Finding Your Voice Workshop
• 4:00 – 4:30 p.m. Making Your Own Short Film Workshop
• 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Music & Dance

The following CineArte staff thank you for your support of this unique event for the Latina/o queer community:

Jon Imparato: Creative Director
Karla Legaspy: Film Program Director
Luisa Crespo: Director of Media Cynthia Gonzalez: Director of Live Entertainment Rubén Esparza: Curator, Visual Arts