The London Latino Film Festival has kicked off, marking a significant milestone as the city’s first competitive showcase for Latin American cinema. Running for five days across prominent venues including the Barbican, ICA, Ciné Lumière, and BFI Stephen Street, the event features 60 films from 27 countries and continues until Tuesday.
Founding artistic director Ketty Rodriguez, a Cuban actress, established the festival after moving to London and recognizing a glaring absence of Latin representation in a city renowned for its multiculturalism and film heritage. Rodriguez described the initiative as a vital response to a market gap, noting the overwhelming support received from filmmakers across the region.
“We have received hundreds of entries from all over Latin America, and can’t wait to support and showcase features, documentaries, animation, and shorts from these incredible filmmakers,” Rodriguez said. She added that the festival was born from a personal desire for community, stating, “I couldn’t find my people… so I decided to do this festival. It is very successful, and I’m very happy.”
The lineup includes distinguished guests such as Carlos Acosta, the former principal dancer with the Royal Ballet; Argentine actor Óscar Martínez; Cuban actor Jorge Perugorría; and Gonzalo Maza, the Oscar-winning Chilean screenwriter.
Javier Torres, a Cuban dancer who co-developed the festival concept with Rodriguez, emphasized the event’s broader cultural impact. “This is just the start of something great,” he said. “We found a necessity of the Latino community to come together and to give voice and narrative voices to Latin American makers. This is a platform for diplomacy and culture.”
Beyond international entries, the festival highlights stories created within London for local audiences, aiming to affirm the British-Latino experience. British-Bolivian filmmaker Victor Rios, who relocated to the UK at age 16, has two short films in the selection. He described the event as crucial for demonstrating that Latin-rooted communities are permanent fixtures of British society.
“It’s very crucial for people to understand that we are not just here passing by,” Rios said. “We’re very proud to be Colombians, Bolivians, Ecuadorians, Peruvians, Chileans, but we are also British. So we have a place, we have a say, and we want to be heard.”
The festival is supported by the BFI through National Lottery funding and by the City of London Corporation.
Is the ticket pricing reasonable? With venues like the ICA and BFI, I hope it stays accessible for local community members.
I can’t believe this didn’t happen sooner. 60 films from 27 countries is massive. Definitely attending the Barbican screenings!
Finally, London gets its due! This festival is a long-overdue celebration of such vibrant storytelling and culture.