UNITAS Presents:
🎬 The 5th Annual El Encuentro Latino Film Festival 🎶

A vibrant celebration of Latino storytelling through film and music.

This dynamic festival highlights both emerging and established Latino filmmakers and artists from across the country. More than just a film showcase, it’s a two-day celebration of artistic expression and cultural exchange, featuring independent films, engaging Q&A sessions with directors and cast, and live performances that bring the culture to life.

📅 Dates: Thursday, October 2 & Friday, October 3, 2026
📍 Location: Middlesex Community College, Lowell, MA

🎬 Schedule of Events

6:00 PM – Red Carpet: Step-and-repeat photos and live interviews for all attendees.

7:00 PM – Screenings begin (with a 15-minute intermission between sessions).

Closing Night – Festival award winners will be announced.

🍹 Light refreshments will be available for purchase each evening. Following the screenings, attendees are invited to a meet-and-greet social to connect with filmmakers, artists, and fellow guests.

🎟️ Tickets

College students (with valid ID): $10/event, $15 for full festival
Youths 0-13: FREE
Adults: $15/event
Attend the full festival: $25

Limited tickets will be available at the door, but advance purchase via Eventbrite is highly encouraged.

📸 Dress to impress—plenty of cameras will be capturing the red carpet and event highlights!

📩 For More Information, go to our website at http://www.elencuentrofest.com.

*All films in Spanish or Portuguese should be subtitled.

"Art is the Handmaid of Human Good" is written on the seal of our city, Lowell, MA; the home of Jack Kerouac, Bette Davis, and James O'Neil Whistler. We have received generous funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, as well as support from local Merrimack Valley businesses.

Located just 45 minutes from Boston, MA, on the banks of the Merrimack River, Lowell is a Mill City that has come alive with artistic zeal and boasts one of the most diverse populations in all of Massachusetts.

Awards & Prizes

Congratulations to our 2025 winners!!

Best Set/Art Design — El Lloron
Best Editing — ! Corre!
Best Graphics/Art Design (tie) — Of Robots and Rednecks / !Corre!
Best Score/Soundtrack — Viaje-Pa’Lante
Best Ensemble Cast — !Que Colombianada!
Best Cinematography — El Lloron
Best Director — Enrique LeBron, Finding Pa
Best Supporting Actress — Shanelle Darlene as Eva in Fluffy Homegirls
Best Supporting Actor — Valente Rodriguez as Don Bernal in El Lloron
Best Actress — Tara Berlin Sanchez as Alex in Fluffy Homegirls
Best Actor — Angel Vasquez as Pa in Finding Pa
Founder’s Award — A West Side Story Story by Aditya Joshi, written by Aditya Joshi and Ana Zambrana
The Independent Filmmakers Award presented by Beantown Statie Studios — Fear and Tremble, Writer/Director Alci Rengifo
Best Concept — Sweet Dreams, Gary Alvarez
Best Documentary — We Are Cumbia, We Are Family
Best Film — El Lloron

Rules & Terms

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the purpose of this film festival is to highlight underrepresented Hispanic/Latino creatives in the film industry that are the following titles Film director, producer, animator, editor, screenwriter, camera operator/technician, camera assistant/grip, production assistant, cinematographer, casting director, stunt coordinator, costume designer, makeup and hair artist, sound composer/technician, in front of the camera or behind the camera talent or crew must be a Hispanic or Latino.

We are accepting films from the USA (and Puerto Rico) only!

No age limit, BUT children under 18 must have consent from a parent or guardian.

Films must be sent before July 31, 2026.

Any films that violate copyright law will be disqualified

Films must be family-friendly or PG or PG-13 in range

Submitters/ Filmmakers will be solely responsible for any copyright infringement on their submitted films.

Films can be in English.

Films in Spanish or Portuguese must be subtitled.

By submitting content to "El Encuentro: The Latino Film Experience," you understand and agree that you are giving us a royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive and sublicensable license to use, reproduce, publish, distribute, perform, display, and creative derivative works from any submission in whole or in part, in any form (including for promotional or marketing purposes) You agree not to disparage, defame, otherwise seek to damage anyone or invade anyone's rights through any submitted content. El Encuentro: The Latino Film Experience reserves the right to update or modify any part of this festival at any time without prior notice.