Houston Latino Film Festival

The Houston Latino Film Festival is an organization dedicated to developing, promoting and increasing awareness of Latine culture among Latines and other communities by presenting a variety of art and films to the Houston area.

During the festival, films from all over the world will be screened with programming that represents the great diversity of themes and genres of Latino and Hispanic filmmaking & storytelling. The five-day festival also features opportunities for the audiences to participate in discussions with the directors at the screenings as well as a series of special events highlighting the diversity of the Latino culture. 2026 will mark the tenth edition of the Houston Latino Film Festival.

Our Mission: The Houston Latino Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and enlightening the communities of the South Texas region about other cultures and issues through film and video while also recognizing the contributions of the artists who are dedicated to the craft of independent filmmaking.

The Houston Latino Film Festival will recognize and honor cinematic achievements in filmmaking that brings together all of the elements that make for a great film, including direction, acting, cinematography, screenplay and great storytelling for the following categories:

• Jury's "Ojo" Award Best Narrative Feature Film
• Jury's "Ojo" Award Best Documentary Feature Film
• Jury's "Ojo" Award Best Short Narrative Film
• Jury's "Ojo" Award Best Short Documentary Film
• Jury's "Ojo" Award Best Student Film (short film or feature film)
• Jury's "Ojo" Award Best Texas Film (short film or feature film)
• Jury's "Ojo" Award Best Houston Film (short film or feature film)
• Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature Film (Competition or Non-Competition)
• Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature Film (Competition or Non-Competition)
• Audience Award for Best Narrative Short Film (Competition or Non-Competition)
• Audience Award for Best Documentary Short Film (Competition or Non-Competition)

A cash prize of $3000 will be awarded to the Best Student Film (*MUST SUBMIT DOCUMENTATION VERIFYING STUDENT STANDING or risk disqualification).

Filmmakers competing for Texas and Houston awards must submit documentation verifying proof of residency or risk disqualification.

Winners will be announced in person on Sunday, March 22nd, 2026 after the Closing Night film with the exception of the Audience Award, which will be announced the following week.

The Houston Latino Film Festival is open to professional and non-professional filmmakers working in the United States or abroad. Eligible entries must have been produced between 2024 to the present, have a Latino/a/e/x in an "above the line" position (Producer, Director or Writer) and/or subject matter must have a relevant theme to the Latine/Hispanic community. All film genres are eligible: documentary, narrative, animation and experimental.

Submission requirements (Please read carefully):

• All films submitted must be in final cut form.

• All short films must be 45 minutes or less.

• All films must have English subtitles for all non-English language entries.

• All submission requirements must be received by the deadline, November 30th, 2025. No late submissions past the Late Deadline will be accepted.

• Films that are publicly available online prior to the Festival may be considered for exhibition during the Festival, but we prefer that films not be publicly available online or for sale.

• A secure online screener link must be provided for press requests and internal festival use.

• Promotional materials must be sent digitally or delivered to the Festival office (3400 Main St. Houston, TX USA 77002) by January 26th, 2026.

• Exhibition materials (marketing & projectable files) must be sent digitally or delivered to the Festival office (3400 Main St. Houston, TX USA 77002) by February 9th, 2026.

• Fee Waivers and Discounts for residents from Houston, TX. Request at films@houstonlatinofilm.com. Must show proof of residency.

• Student entries must send an image of most recent student ID via FilmFreeway. Student ID must have been valid during production time of your project.

• Entrants are responsible for obtaining any necessary licenses, royalties, release forms, clearances, and permits necessary to present their work. The Houston Latino Film Festival is not responsible for any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, or royalty infringement related to the work.

• If your film is accepted to the festival, we will notify you via email with instructions for press materials.

Entry fees are per each film and are non-refundable. The Houston Latino Film Festival reserves the right to disqualify a submission, without refund of any kind, if eligibility requirements are not met including if eligibility status changes post-submission.

Overall Rating

Quality

Value

Communication

Hospitality

Networking

Juan Manuel Gonzalez Fernandez

Had an amazing time at the Festival, our screening was very good and thematically all the shorts resounded. Great questions from the audience and very good attendance!

April 2026

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Lionel Christopher

Fantastic festival with an incredible mix of feature and short films!

April 2026

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Rodrigo Moreno-Fernandez

One of the best experiences we have had as filmmakers. Beautiful setting, awesome people, and most important, very appreciative of our work. Thank you.

April 2026

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Adriana Lucia Guevara

Had a blast attending HLFF in person!

April 2026

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Rafael A. López

Hospitality was impeccable. Couldn't have dreamed of a better environment to premiere our film. The team at HLFF puts people and human connections first, making us feel at home and part of the wonderful Houston film community. Thank you HLFF for this unforgettable experience and for the opportunity to display the artwork from our film as part of the BTS exhibition!

March 2026

Helpful