Unbound: Stories from LALIFF
SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 | 7pm - SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 | MIDNIGHT
This virtual series presents bold, boundary-crossing films that were part of the 2025 official selection of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF). These stories explore the richness of Latino culture, life, talent and imagination. Featured titles include La Raya, Stay Still, Trans Los Angeles and The Unexpecteds. Each film includes a post-screening conversation to give audiences further insight into these groundbreaking narratives.
Co-presented with LALIFF.
When a refrigerator magically appears out of nowhere in a small, forgotten village in Mexico, eleven year old Sotera seizes it as a business opportunity and attempts to sell it. However, the fridge is more than it seems, and soon starts revealing mysterious apparitions to the townsfolk. Meanwhile, Sotera’s dream of joining her mother in the US faces a reality check, and she must decide whether she is ready to leave La Raya, after all. Directed by Yolanda Cruz. 80 min.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with director Yolanda Cruz and actors Monica Del Carmen, José Salof. Moderated by Diana Cadavid (she/her/hers) LFI Director of Industry Programs.
Hilda and Cristina cross a cemetery, they have been told that a settlement will begin nearby. They are young and want to have their own home. Hilton, an illegal gravedigger, watches with concern as the settlement begins to form. If they invade, he will have no place to continue digging graves. The settlement and the cemetery are close, and the dead seem to have achieved what they desire: A home. Directed by Joanna Lombardi. 76 minutes.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with director Joanna Lombardi. Moderated by Diana Cadavid (she/her/hers) LFI Director of Industry Programs.
An anthology film of four stand-alone short films. Each of the segments features a Trans character in the lead and they all take place in a different part of Los Angeles. These character driven slices of life center the stories, challenges and triumphs of LA’s diverse Trans community. Directed by Kase Peña. 82 Minutes.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with director Kase Peña and actors Luciana Faulhaber, Carmen Carrera. Moderated by Diana Cadavid (she/her/hers) LFI Director of Industry Programs.
After falling for a bogus crypto scheme, Gary (Matt Walsh, The Hangover / Veep) and his misfit friends team up with a mysterious operative, Mauricio (Alejandro De Hoyos / Man from Toronto), to take down the scammer who conned them. “The Unexpecteds” is a fast-paced, feel-good caper about revenge, redemption, and the power of unlikely heroes. Directed by Alejandro Montoya Marin. 90 Minutes
The screening will be followed by a conversation with director Alejandro Montoya Marin and actors Alejandro de Hoyos, Matt Walsh, Chelsea Rendon.
