EXCLUSIVE: The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival has set its 2026 lineup, which will take place from May 27-31. The yearly event includes a selection of feature films, shorts, episodic content, animation, and student films from the Youth Cinema Project, alongside LALIFF Connect: Market & Creative Forum and a range of special screenings

This year, LALIFF will open with Valentina, starring Keyla Monterroso Mejia as the titular character, which follows her as she navigates parking tickets, odd jobs, and the instability of gig work. 

Closing night will screen TheyDream, written and directed by William D. Caballero, a documentary that blends animation and live action to explore the transformative nature of grief within the director’s Puerto Rican family. The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim, receiving the NEXT Special Jury Award for Creative Expression. John Leguizamo is among the project’s executive producers.

The festival’s centerpiece selection is the adult animated series Circo Gómez, created by 3Pas Studios and F3 Media. The series follows a chaotic and endearing circus family struggling to keep their operation afloat, led by an optimistic but flawed patriarch and supported by a cast of eccentric performers who also happen to be his own family. Following the screening, there will be a conversation featuring cast members Eugenio Derbez, Omar Chaparro, and Diana Bovio, and executive producer Jordan Rubio.

World premieres to be hosted at LALIFF include Three Years Gone, directed by John Gutierrez; and Exodus Stories, directed by Ilse Fernandez; with U.S. premieres featuring Yellow Cake, directed by Tiago Melo; The Broken R from Ricardo Ruales Eguiguren, and Under Your Feet, directed by Cristian Bernard

Additional highlights include Milly, Queen of Merengue, directed by Leticia Tonos Paniagua; River Train, directed by Lorenzo Ferro and Lucas A. Vignale; and The Condor Daughter, directed by Álvaro Olmos Torrico.

As part of LALIFF’s commitment to support LGBTQIA+ storytelling, a slew of titles will be part of the festival, including the documentary Jaripeo, directed by Efraín Mojica and Rebecca Zweig, which explores queer identity within the world of traditional rodeo culture. Also featured is Eva, the debut feature from William Reyes.

Shorts that will present include Queer Cuts, Anímate: Animated Shorts Program, Los Raros Midnight Shorts, It’s Complicated, Offbeat, Brasil em Foco, and Strangers in a Strange Land.

Episodic programming includes a preview of Season 2 of Prime Video’s Nadie nos va a extrañar (No One Will Miss Us), featuring a screening of the first two episodes.

Special screenings and presentations will include the Wilmer Valderrama-produced Suárez, from director Mario Diaz. The film is set against NASCAR’s historic 2025 Mexico City race and follows Daniel Suárez’s emotional homecoming as the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race. A conversation with Suárez will follow the screening.

Additional titles include No Translation Required: Love Has No Borders, a bilingual romantic comedy from Espectro MX Films, directed by Rafael Altamira, produced by Paloma Cinco, and executive produced by Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso), who also stars alongside co-writer Kelsie McDonald, and Michelle Rodríguez, as well as Mexico’s first stop-motion feature, Netflix’s I Am Frankelda, directed by Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz.’

“The 25th edition of LALIFF marks a milestone in a journey that began with a simple but urgent belief that our stories deserve to be seen, heard, and valued,” said Edward James Olmos, co-founder of LALIFF. “Along with Marlene Dermer, George Hernandez, and Kirk Whisler, we set out with a deep commitment to give voice to Latino filmmakers from the United States and across Iberoamerica. It has grown into a platform that now spans generations of artists who continue to expand what is possible in film and television. This year’s lineup reflects that ongoing evolution and the responsibility we carry forward.”