Latino Film Festival Returns With Drive-In, Virtual Screenings Of 100-Plus Features, Shorts

San Diego CA

10 March, 2021

7:35 PM

Description

By Editor, Times of San Diego March 10, 2021 The 28th San Diego Latino Film Festival opens Thursday with two drive-in screenings – including the classic Zoot Suit – at the South Bay Drive-In. Aside from the opening and closing screenings, the festival, which continues through March 21, will be a virtual affair, with more than 100 feature and short films available, along with live Q-and-A sessions. Admission for the drive-in shows costs $40 per car. Screenings cost $12 individually, while passes start at $35 for short films, ranging up to $175 for the full festival. In addition, the festival plans to honor 2020 passes since last year's live event was canceled at the last minute as the pandemic took hold. Festival highlights include: 7 p.m. Thursday – Choose from two programs at the South Bay Drive-In in San Diego. See Zoot Suit, the film adaptation of playwright Luis Valdez' critically acclaimed play. It's the 40th anniversary of the film, which gave Edward James Olmos a big stage for the first time. It screens along with 10 narrative shorts. A heist drama, La Odisea de las Giles (Heroic Losers) also screens, along with nine documentary shorts. 8:30 p.m. Friday – 90 Minutos includes four stories about violence, love and suspense, united by the protagonists' passion for soccer. Also screens at 7:15 p.m. March 20. 6 p.m. Saturday – The documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It covers Moreno's rise, struggles and longevity in Hollywood, and how she faced a serious depression a year before she emerged as an Oscar winner for West Side Story. 6:30 p.m. Sunday – Irma follows two sisters on a mysterious journey in Brazil as they seek their father while an asteroid heads towards the earth. Screens again at 5:45 p.m. March 18. 7:15 p.m. Sunday – Nudo Mixteco weaves three stories in a Oaxacan village as families gather during a spiritual festival and try to reconcile their pasts. 7 p.m. March 20 – Closing night is a double feature, this time at Westfield Mission Valley near the Target store. See El Retiro about a retired doctor who finds himself the guardian of a young boy or Buena Vista Social Club , the much-loved documentary about the rediscovered generation of Cuba's brightest musical talents. The evening also features live music. In addition, the opening event supports Southwestern College's Jag Kitchen/Food Pantry, to benefit students in need during the pandemic. Donation boxes will be at the entrance and at the "step-and-repeat" area. Organizers seek supermarket/food/gas gift cards and personal-care items such as diapers and wipes. Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.