London’s getting a new film festival – and it’s entirely dedicated to Latino cinema
Celebrating new filmmakers and old legends
London has plenty of cinematic antics; firstly, its entire surroundings are downright movie-like, with bars, restaurants, and galleries providing the perfect backdrop to gaslight you into thinking you’re in a romcom rather than the more mundane reality. Then there are the cinemas: indie bijoux boxes converted from old factories, outdoor pop ups, and Soho institutions which have seen more stars than the night sky. Plus you’ve got London’s various film festivals: BFI, SXSW, and speciality ones like the Queer dedicated BFI Flare, the immersive film-dining festival TASTE, and the animation dedicated Flatworld & Friends to name a few. Now there’s a new one on the lineup – and it’s entirely dedicated to Latin American Cinema.
The festival is set to run from 2nd until 6th October, and like many prestigious film festivals, it will be debuting at the iconic Barbican building in central London, packed with plenty of guests and stars to help bring an extra cinematic flourish to the events.
Guests set to appear during the event will include Cuban ballet dancer Carlos Acosta, Argentine actor Óscar Martínez and Cuban actor Jorge Perugorría, who will hold question and answer sessions after screenings. The festival has been set up by the Cuban actress Ketty Rodriguez, who having moved to London in May 2025, said she had been surprised by how little Latin American culture she could find in the city.
The festival's aim is to "build a cultural bridge" between London and "fearless new filmmakers" who "bring the pulse and passion of Latin America to the big screen". As well as bringing lesser-known creative names to the forefront of London's culture, the Latino Film Festival "exists to disrupt the passive consumption of films... turning overlooked voices into headlines, challenge audiences with perspectives they didn’t know they needed."
Some of the feature films at this year's festival include: Baracoa (2026), Cartas a Mis Padres Muertos (2025), Cielo (2024), Concepción (2025), Querido Trópico (2024), and Sugar Island (2024). There are six other feature films, as well as 10 short films.
Some of the other events taking place throughout the festival include an appearance by Carlos Acosta - former Royal Ballet principal - who is set to appear alongside a screening of Yuli: The Carlos Acosta Story, the 2018 film about his childhood in Havana.
The programme will also feature three masterclasses at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, as well as dance classes.
As well as a whole host of screenings and talks, the festival will also include an exhibition showcasing rare Cuban film posters. According to the organisers, the posters were hand printed in Havana by Cuba’s national film institute so you can imagine how intricate and stunning they’ll be. Each design has been hand- stamped and will be shown at Eclectic Gallery, running from 28th September for three weeks.
Speaking about why she set up the festival, Rodriguez said: "I couldn't find my people," after moving to London earlier in the year, adding that "Europe has an incredible art scene and a rich, cinematic past, yet very few people know about Latin cinema.
"It's extremely underrepresented despite a big community here, so I decided to do something about it."
You can find more information about the festival at its website and Instagram, although there isn't a load of information yet, so if you're keen to go you may want to check back closer to the festival dates.
Skip the search — follow Shortlist on Google News to get our best lists, news, features and reviews at the top of your feeds!
