NewFilmmakers Los Angeles

09/23/2025

🎬✨ From the heart of Los Angeles to the summit of Big Bear Lake, NFMLA is proud to partner with the Big Bear Film Festival (BBFF) for the Trailhead Preview Festival, September 25–27! 🌲🏔️

Immerse yourself in a weekend of independent films, bold stories, and live music in the breathtaking alpine setting of Big Bear. As part of our community, you’ll receive 30% OFF passes with code FILMLA30 – your ticket to experience this cultural retreat where art meets nature.

🎟️ Don’t miss the chance to be part of the beginning of something extraordinary. The Trailhead Preview is just a taste of what’s to come when BBFF returns in March 2026 with its full festival lineup.

📅 Get your passes today and join us in celebrating emerging voices at the mountain’s edge.

👉

Experience Big Bear Film Festival 2025: 70 films, 46 live events, and 6 bold venues celebrating cinema, art, IP, and connection.

09/19/2025

Thank you to the incredible directors and filmmakers who shared their talent with us at the NFMLA September Film Festival and InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema.

👀 Join us on September 20th at the September Film Festival | InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema.

Learn more about our festivals and other programs at https://www.newfilmmakersla.com

09/19/2025

🎬 Happening tomorrow! NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) lights up the big screen with the vibrant voices of our InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema program, part of our Monthly Film Festival.

Experience three dynamic short-film blocks filled with fresh, thought-provoking perspectives from emerging Latin and Hispanic filmmakers. We are also honored to welcome Miguel A. Santana, President & CEO of the California Community Foundation, as a featured speaker for the evening. ✨

Don’t forget to arrive early for our opening reception featuring complimentary bites from Pink's Hot Dogs and handcrafted tequila and mezcal from The Lost Explorer Mezcal & Tequila (Oaxacan-made!). Stay for filmmaker Q&As after each program, and immerse yourself in stories that explore identity, family, justice, love, and the bonds that transcend borders.

📅 Saturday, September 20, 2025 | 2:00 PM – 10:15 PM PDT
📍 South Park Center, Downtown LA — Don’t miss this powerful showcase! 🎥

Schedule Details
Program #1 – InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema Program I
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – Pre-Reception
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Program
5:00 PM – 5:15 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #2 – InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema Program II
5:15 PM – 5:45 PM – Pre-Reception
5:45 PM – 7:30 PM – Program
7:30 PM – 7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #3 – InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema Program III
7:45 PM – 8:15 PM – Pre-Reception
8:15 PM – 10:00 PM – Program
10:00 PM – 10:15 PM – Audience Q&A

🎟️ Learn more about our festivals and other programs at https://www.newfilmmakersla.com

09/18/2025

🪅What do piñatas and prayer have in common?

Piñata Prayers is a deeply personal meditation on faith, culture, and the legacy of colonialism. Through family conversations, archival fragments, and the artistry of a third-generation piñata maker, the filmmaker pieces together a story of spiritual loss—and unexpected beauty.

See Piñata Prayers at ’s September Film Festival, where memory swings, faith cracks open, and meaning spills out. 🪅🙏

Piñata Prayers✨

Synopsis: Piñata Prayers explores the intersection of piñatas and Christian faith as a colonial inheritance through the director's reflections on his relationship to both. The director reckons with his loss of faith through archival materials, a conversation with his mother, and the assistance of a third-generation piñata maker and her creations.

Director, Writer: Daniel Larios
Producers: Daniel Larios, Marcel Pérez

Crew:
DP: B. Rubén Mendoza
Choreographer: Erika C. Soto
Composer: Sansanto
Editor: Eric Ibarra
Co-Producer:

🎟️Learn more: https://www.newfilmmakersla.com/events/

09/18/2025

A huge shout-out to the NNewFilmmakers Los AngelesCineSessions High School Student Mentorship participants who joined us for our sessions in August and September 2025 at the SSunset StudiosGower lot in . A big thank you to our speakers—Georgina Gonzalez, Joanna Chacón, Miguel Berg, Erik Toral, Melissa Sandoval, and Guy Morgan—who shared valuable insights about their career journeys and current roles in the entertainment industry!

LA based High School Students can apply for future NFMLA mentorship opportunities on our website at: https://www.newfilmmakersla.com/student-mentorship-program/

09/18/2025

Thank you to the Golden Globe Foundation for consistently supporting the arts, culture, entertainment, emerging artists, as well as local and global voices. NFMLA is grateful to be a grantee and proud to collaborate with a foundation that genuinely lives up to its mission!

Check out all of the amazing organizations that are being supported by the Golden Globe Foundation in today's The Hollywood Reporter article by the one and only Chris Gardner at

Grant recipients support filmmakers, storytellers, journalism and higher education. Also included: A gift to provide a movie pass and screening series to L.A. first responders and families following the wildfires.

09/17/2025

🕊️ Some goodbyes speak louder through the memories we never shared.

Heaven Doesn’t Know My Name joins the NFMLA September 20th lineup for our Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema.

This poignant short reflects on loss, memory, and the quiet power of unspoken love between generations.

O Céu Não Sabe Meu Nome (Heaven Doesn't Know My Name)

Synopsis: Preta, who was watering her backyard garden, passes away on an ordinary day. Meanwhile, her granddaughter is meeting for coffee in a different part of the city. Through their memories, past and present merge, and we get to know the complete story of the matriarch who has just passed away. This helps those who remain to redefine and embrace the present with newfound strength.

Director, Writer: Carol AÓ
Producers: Bartolomeu Luiz, Emanuela Moura, Arruda Filmes
Cast: Dandara Baldez, Heraldo de Deus, Jamile Kazumbá, Inês Mendes, Clara Paixão

🎟️Learn more: https://www.newfilmmakersla.com/events/

09/17/2025

🕊️ Love, loss... and a bird with a mind of his own.

Bye Bye Barbarito joins the NFMLA September 20th lineup for our Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema.

This whimsical and touching short reminds us that freedom comes in many forms—and sometimes, it flies away when you least expect it.

Bye Bye Barbarito

Synopsis: Romelia and Antonio live in Inglewood. They have been married for fifty-seven years “too long,” according to Romelia. When Antonio, an eighty-something-year-old grouch suddenly dies, Romelia’s not so ready to mourn him, she feels like celebrating instead. She turns the living room into a tropical paradise and gets ready to live her remaining years with her one true love, BARBARITO, her cockatiel. Her nosy neighbor, IDA, judges her, not so quietly. When Barbarito escapes, Romelia sets out on a journey in search of her avian friend. Ida tries to help only to make matters worse! Will Romelia ever see her feathered bestie again?

Directed and Produced by Michelle Salcedo

Written and Produced by Susannah Drissi
Produced by Lindsay Melin Torrey
Starring: Paloma Morales, Rose Portillo, and Elton as Barbarito
DP: Gareth Taylor
Steadicam: Jessica Lopez
Production Designer: Vanessa Victoria Del Arte
Editor: Chip Farnham
Music by Angelique Calvillo and Paloma Morales
Colorist: Andrea Leigh, Harbor Picture Co
Sound Mixer: Gabriel Serrano
Panavision

🎟️Learn more: https://www.newfilmmakersla.com/events/

09/17/2025

A huge thank you to Good Day L.A.'s Amanda Salas at FOX 11 Los Angeles for highlighting NFMLA. We had so much fun filming with Amanda and her team at the historic Sunset Studios (a member of Hudson Pacific Properties family), which has been a steadfast supporter of NFMLA for nearly two decades. We hope to see you this weekend!

For the full story featuring NFMLA Board Member Joanna Chacón and NFMLA Festival Filmmakers Michelle Salcedo Farnham and Ahuatl Amaro, check out FOX 11's website at:

Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off this week ! Good Day LA's Amanda Salas introduces you to NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, an organization that is spotlighting emerging filmmakers in Hollywood.

09/16/2025

🏠 When the past returns, so do the questions we've been avoiding.

Lucia & Nicole joins the NFMLA September 20th lineup for our Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Latin & Hispanic Cinema. This tender and intimate short explores family, identity, and the quiet complexities of love and acceptance in a changing world.

Lucia & Nicole

Synopsis: On the cusp of adulthood, Lucia finds her childhood friend Nicole living on the street. Houseless after coming out, Lucia’s mother, Ximena, invites her into their home. However, Nicole’s reappearance in their lives raises questions about their own daughter’s identity and how to respond to Lucia and Nicole’s re-connection.

Director, Writer: Marlene Emilia Rios
Co-Producers: Aroonsri Khamsamran, Samantha Gordon, Brian May, Marlene Emilia Rios, Garrett Smith

Starring: Romance Suarez, Claudia Levis, Lissette Nichols & David Sanchez
DP: Garrett Smith
1st AC: Lane Luper
2nd AC: Alejandro Torres
Gaffer: Jess Danielle
Composer: Gaiazzurra Morena-Meldru
Sound Editor/Designer: Tyler Myers
Production Sound Mixer: Caine Deegane

Experience the story that asks what it truly means to come home 🎟️Learn more: newfilmmakersla.com/events/

09/16/2025

🎬✨ Big news for student filmmakers! Golden Globe Foundation is once again providing FREE one-year memberships to NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) for greater Los Angeles-based college and university students! 🌟

This membership gives you access to all NFMLA Monthly Film Festivals, industry panels, and networking opportunities with executives and creatives throughout the year — over 36 film events annually! 🙌

📅 Don’t wait — apply now at www.NFMLA.org/GGF2025
⏳ Deadline: October 28, 2025 at 5pm PT

👉 Please note: this opportunity is open to NEW members ONLY (not current NFMLA members).

09/15/2025

🌸 What happens when childhood ends overnight?

The Almost Adults is a surreal coming-of-age tale where 9-year-old Sofia is suddenly replaced by her adult self—and thrown into a world ruled by bizarre laws like “don’t speak your mind” and “do not look in each other’s eyes.” With the help of her sister and best friend, she must learn to navigate the strange rules of growing up.

See The Almost Adults at ’s September Film Festival—where adulthood isn’t what it seems, and growing up might be the strangest adventure of all. ✨👁️💬

The Almost Adults

Synopsis: The Almost Adults is a coming-of-age story in which Sofia, a nine-year-old child, is mysteriously replaced by a twenty-something version of herself. Her sister Charlotte and her friend Joaquim are going to help her survive in the adult world, where, flowered with clever worlds, strange laws such as the “leave-it-alone”, “do not look in each other’s eyes”, and “do not speak your mind” exist.

Director, Writer: Rafaella Buzzi
Producers: Rafaella Buzzi, André Novis, Daniel Caldeira

Cast and Crew:
Gregorio Duvivier
Bella Camero
Melissa Fernandes
Luísa .mangini
Silas

🎟️Learn more: https://www.newfilmmakersla.com/events/