San Diego Latino Film Festival

Mission Statement:

MEDIA ARTS CENTER SAN DIEGO promotes access to film and video as tools for community self-expression and social change and supports the professional development of media artists.

Vision Statement:

MEDIA ARTS CENTER SAN DIEGO endorses the inclusion of underrepresented communities in the media arts field and the portrayal of accurate images of these communities by mainstream media and promotes community access to and use of media technology.

The initial concept for the organization began 20 years ago as "Cine Estudiantil: The Chicano & Native American Student Film Festival". University and high school students participated in film screenings, discussions and community action projects, using the Latino film genre as the impetus. Now known as the San Diego Latino Film Festival, the program has developed into one of the larger and well-respected Latino film festivals in the country.

Over 183,000 people have attended during the past 20 years and 2,200 films/videos from across Latin America and the United States have been screened.

Past festival guests have included such renowned individuals as Roselyn Sanchez, Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo Prieto, Danny Trejo, Alfonso Cuaron, Carlos Carrera, Barbara Mori, Freddy Rodriguez, Adam Rodriguez, Paul Rodriguez, Luis Valdez, Tony Plana, Lupe Ontiveros, Elpidia Carrillo, Lourdes Portillo, Arturo Ripstein, Gregory Nava, Patssi Valdez, Edward James Olmos, Moctesuma Esparza, Ray Bradbury, Jacob Vargas, Nancy de los Santos and hundreds of other emerging and established Latino filmmakers.

Additional MEDIA ARTS Center San Diego programs and services include: Teen Producers Project, Digital Story Station, Fiscal Sponsorship, Digital Media Workshops, Cinema en tu Idioma, and Frontera Filmmakers.