OLA of Eastern Long Island will bring its annual Latino Film Festival of the Hamptons back to the East End Sept. 17-20, with screenings in Southampton and Sag Harbor before concluding with a family-friendly film at the North Fork Arts Center in Greenport.
The 23rd annual festival, held in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, is organized around this year’s theme, “Courage and Truth.” Films from Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and the United States will explore migration, belonging, memory, resilience and human connection. All films will be presented in Spanish with English subtitles unless otherwise noted.
The festival concludes Sunday, Sept. 20, at 2 p.m. at the North Fork Arts Center’s Sapan Greenport Theatre, 211 Front St., with “Dora y la búsqueda del sol dorado,” or “Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado.” The 2025 film, directed by Alberto Belli, follows Dora, Diego and their friends on an adventure through the Amazon in search of a legendary treasure. Tickets are $10 and the screening is open to all ages.
“Every year, this festival reminds us that storytelling has the power to transform communities,” OLA Executive Director Minerva Perez said. “These films invite us to see ourselves in one another, to recognize the dignity of every journey, and to celebrate the beauty and complexity of Latino experiences.”
Opening night will take place Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Southampton Playhouse with the New York premiere of “Moscas,” or “Flies,” from Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke. The drama follows Olga, whose decision to rent a room leads to an unlikely bond with a young boy. The film won the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival and the Berliner Morgenpost Reader Award. A 6:30 p.m. reception will precede the 7 p.m. screening, followed by a conversation with co-writer Vanesa Garnica. Tickets are $12.
The festival moves to Sag Harbor Cinema on Saturday, Sept. 19, for the New York premiere of “Alma truncada,” or “Truncated Soul,” a 13-minute film from director Pedro Pérez Núñez exploring regret, memory and redemption.
That will be followed by the Long Island premiere of “Isla de los sueños,” or “Island of Dreams,” director Álvaro Jiménez’s 52-minute documentary examining migration from Cuba. A conversation with Jiménez will follow. The program begins at 8 p.m. and tickets are $15.
Founded in 2002, OLA of Eastern Long Island works to support Latino immigrants and families across the East End through advocacy, immigration services, education, leadership programs, health initiatives and arts and cultural programming. For more information about the festival, call OLA at 631-899-3441.
