¡Ojo! Latine media, art & cultural happenings to keep your eye on.
Bringing you a selection of new and notable LGBTQ media curated by GLAAD’s Spanish-Language & Latine Media & Representation team.
Younger latine people are more likely to identify as LGBTQ, and with over 62 million Latines in the US alone, it is crucial to celebrate and amplify inclusive media that represents the wide range of Latine experiences. Here are just a few examples of creative projects doing just that.
If you love a show, film, song, or book, please remember to share about them on your socials, so that others can also know about great queer Latine media.
Events You Don’t Want To Miss
GuadaLAjara Film Festival Brings The Best of Latine Film to Downtown LA
The GuadaLAjara Film Festival’s (GLAFF) comes to downtown Los Angeles Nov. 1– 3. This year the festival features LGBTQ films La Arriera directed by Isabel Cristina Fregoso and Rent Free directed by Fernando Andres.
The festival’s mission is to “identify, nurture and empower all generations of Latin-American and BIPOC filmmakers with an emphasis on the unification of creative minds and building bridges between the U.S. and Latin America.” As part of the University of Guadalajara, the festival also works to build programs for students and early career filmmakers, to address the pipeline issue in Hollywood and give the community the opportunity to tell history through their eyes.
Check out the official film descriptions below and find out where to watch and support independent LGBT films!
La Arriera – Sat Nov 2 – 4:30 PM @ Alamo Drafthouse
In the mountains of Jalisco in western Mexico, Emilia’s search for her biological father leads her to adventure as she runs away from her adoptive family. Posing as a young muleteer, she crosses the mountains on horseback towards the ocean. This journey makes her discover a different world and leads her to take control of her destiny.
Buy tickets to La Arriera here.
Rent Free – Sun Nov 3 – 9:00 PM @ Vidiots
Childhood best friends Ben and Jordan live in a rapidly changing Austin, where they endure badly-paid jobs, tense relationships, and their own emotionally involved friendship. When they suddenly lose their apartment, they come up with a plan to spend the rest of the year “rent free.”
They set out on an ambitious adventure to take advantage of their friends’ hospitality in an attempt to save up enough money to move to New York City. Rent Free is a high anxiety comedy about the struggles of growing up, an exploration of male friendship and the effects of gentrification.
Buy tickets to Rent Free here.
Standout Latine Music Releases
Álex Anwandter’s Most Ambitious Album Yet
Chilean singer-songwriter, filmmaker, and producer Álex Anwandter recently released Dime Precioso, his most experimental and ambitious album as he blends new wave, rock, funk and house. Anwandter has two nominations for the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist and Best Short Form Music Video and has also worked as a producer for Julieta Venegas and Juliana Gattas.
The lyrics on Dime Precioso tackle the bleak state of the world and explore external validation, homoeroticism and even the economy. Overlaid with catchy synth beats, the songs become high-energy club tracks with a hidden edge. In an interview with Line Magazine, Anwandter speaks to this tension saying “the album, in part, is about taking refuge in the absurdity of vanity, in the midst of so many global crises… it’s like a bad joke.” The original quote in Spanish is: “El disco un poco se trata de refugiarte en la absurdidad de la vanidad, en medio de este incendio mundial… es un chiste desafortunado.” Standout tracks are “Paris, Tal Vez?” with its cheeky lyrics: “¿A dónde vas? En esta economía, ¿a dónde vas?” and “Gaucho,” a house-inspired track where the familiar character from the first two songs searches for their lover.
Watch the music video for “Gaucho” below and stream Dime Precioso!
Latine Film & TV Spotlight
What We Do In The Shadows’ Final Season Premieres
The sixth and final season of What We Do In The Shadows, the vampire comedy mockumentary series premiered October 21, with new episodes airing weekly through November. The series, inspired by the Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement movie of the same name, has earned a record 21 Emmy awards.
The series follows the lives of three vampires Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja; Guillermo, Nandor’s familiar; and Colin Robinson, an energy vampire as they try to navigate the modern world, other supernatural beings, and roommate life. Guillermo, played by queer Mexican actor Harvey Guillén, struggles between his commitments to Nandor and his loyalty to his family, and comes out as gay in the show. In season 6, audiences can expect to see him struggle as he pursues a new life purpose, finds a more traditional job, and leaves the vampire house.
Watch the trailer below and stream now on Hulu.
Powerful Documentary On The First Queer Latino Organization in the U.S.
Los Angeles based filmmaker, producer, and artist Gregorio Davila’s latest feature-length documentary “UNIDAD: Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos” tells the story of one of the first queer Latino organizations in the country, formed in Los Angeles in 1981. Winner of a 2024 Los Angeles Press Club Award, the film was also spotlighted at this year’s Queer Voices NYC Film Festival.
The film chronicles GLLU’s work at a pivotal time in the history of LGBTQ equality, women’s and civil rights movements, and AIDS awareness. The inspiring story shows how GLLU shaped the reality of our community today, and continues to fight for our rights with its more recent work on issues like immigration and police brutality.
The feature-length documentary can be found streaming on PBS. Watch the informative panel from the premiere below!
Poignant Short, El Paisa, Examines Latine Identity and Culture
Director Daniel Eduvijes Carrera’s latest short film, El Paisa, is a coming of age story about an unlikely duo that begins to deconstruct “the traditional expectations and roles of gay men within Latin American culture” as described by the Los Angeles Blade. The film won the award for best LGBTQ+ Short at Cannes International Film Festival, and was selected to be part of the 2024 PBS Short Film Festival. As a result, El Paisa is now available to stream online!
The film’s official description is: “After being rescued by a charismatic vaquero on the streets of East L.A., gay goth skater Fernando must put an end to closeted young love, leading to personal transformation and a newfound connection to familia.”
In an interview with PBS, Carrera describes the semi-autobiographical nature of the short. “I will never forget entering a gay vaquero bar for the very first time and seeing my Tio Luis––a macho cowboy from the sierras of Durango––dancing arm-in-arm with another man… I found myself encouraged to embrace both my queerness and my Latinx heritage as equally integral parts of myself.”
Watch the trailer below and stream El Paisa now on PBS.
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