Cinema Culturas Film Festival
Cinema Culturas is an annual Latino film festival based in the City of Riverside in the Inland Empire. Its geographical location serves as a bridge connecting the Latino diaspora from the Coachella Valley to Los Angeles via film and storytelling.
Since its first edition in 2014, Cinema Culturas has sought to tell stories that inspire people to be part of a vibrant community and provoke thoughtful dialogue. The organization’s festivals screen independent, award-winning Latino films, which include feature films, documentaries, short films, and animation.
Cinema Culturas collaborates with Mexico’s Institute of Cinematography and Mexico’s Ministry of Culture to bring Southern California the best of Mexican cinematography and co-productions with other Latin American countries and Europe. The festival also partners with various local and national academic institutions and organizations to offer talks on themes of interest to the local and global communities, highlighting education and health themes.
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Cinema Culturas Film Festival has participated in the Pacific Standard Time, an arts and cultural initiative of the Getty, addressing a wide range of Latin American and Latino Art throughout Southern California by hosting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences film program: From Latin America to Hollywood.
Cinema Cultura Film Festival’s mission of telling the extraordinary stories of our local communities is propelled by showcasing on the big screen the stories of the youth from its k-12 student workshops, and the stories of local senior citizens alongside award-winning films.
Festival in the Fields
In 2018, we created Festival in the Fields, which focuses on the Coachella Valley and takes place simultaneously with the Cinema Culturas Film Festival to tell the stories of Latino communities, especially farmworkers. Alongside showcasing award-winning films, the festival screens stories created by local K-12 Coachella Valley students who participate in Cinema Culturas’ Storytelling and Filming Student Workshops, hosted by Dr. Judy White, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Riverside County Office of Education.
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Screenings also include Cinema Culturas’ production of the stories of Coachella Valley senior citizens sharing the stories of their immigration journey and experiences working in the fields.
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One of the highlights of Festival in the Fields are the talks on Latino health and education. The talks address themes of importance and relevance to local communities, and seek to contribute to the well-being of Latinos and inspire youth to pursue a college education.