Welcome to our 10th annual edition. We celebrate a decade of storytelling, creativity, and community at the Official Latino Film and Arts Festival.

As we reach this milestone, we are excited to announce our partnership with trailblazing Latino media company NTERTAIN and its iconic founders Lex Borrero, Tommy Mottola, and Tainy. We are thrilled to jointly announce our evolution and transition to NVISION Film and Music Festival!

At NVISION, our mission is to spotlight the Power of Culture, champion diverse Latin talent, and provide a prominent platform for the discovery and exhibition of innovative work in film, music, the arts, and technology.

OUR HISTORY:
Founded in 2015 by acclaimed Latino filmmaker/photographer Danny Hastings, our festival has been the pioneering platform dedicated to spotlighting the rich diversity and creativity of Latino and Latina filmmakers and artists in the United States. Hastings established the festival to address the glaring lack of representation of Latinos in Hollywood productions.

Over the past decade, the Official Latino Film and Arts Festival has evolved into a vibrant community of U.S. filmmakers and actors who uplift and empower one another.

For our 10th annual edition, we are thrilled to announce a special partnership with NTERTAIN Led by creative entrepreneur Lex Borrero, iconic media mogul Tommy Mottola and Latin super producer Tainy. This partnership marks a significant milestone for our festival, bringing together expertise, passion, and power to further elevate the voices of Latino filmmakers and artists.

Danny Hastings shared his thoughts on the partnership: "For me, this new joint venture and partnership cannot come at a greater time. It was important for me to find partners who understand building businesses and our culture. Their financial and emotional commitment to our community is evident, making this a win-win for our beloved community."

"Our goal is clear: Impact every area of the media industry by changing the narrative and perception of what we can achieve and create as a culture. Danny has built an incredible platform. We are here to maximize its potential and give creators a prominent platform to display their art." Stated Lex Borrero, CEO of NTERTAIN

Awards & Prizes

FEATURE FILM GRAND PRIZES
Best U.S. Feature
Cash Award of $10,000US Dollars presented by Human (x)

Best International Feature
Cash Award of $10,000US Dollars presented by Human (x)

SHORT FILM GRAND PRIZES:
Best U.S. Short
Cash Award of $5,000 US Dollars presented by Human (x)

Best International Short
Cash Award of $5,000 US Dollars presented by Human (x)

ADDITIONAL AWARDS:
AUDIENCE AWARD
CATEGORY AWARDS

TALENT AWARDS:
BEST ACTRESS
BEST ACTOR
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST SCRIPT

Rules & Terms

ELIGIBILITY:

Open to all filmmakers all over the world who are at least 18 years of age and have produced, written, or directed a film that includes Latino actors or reflects on the Latino community and culture.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Films must have been completed after January 1, 2022.
Films must not have had any previous exhibition on broadcast, television or cable.
All Spanish and Portuguese language films must include subtitles in English.
Filmmakers must provide a DCP’s format, unless informed otherwise.
Short Films must be a minimum of 3 minutes in length and a maximum of 45 minutes in length (inclusive of the title sequence and closing credits).
Feature films must be longer than 45 minutes in length (inclusive of the title sequence and closing credits).
We are not accepting episodic productions this year.

JUDGING:

All Entries will be judged based on the following judging criteria (“Judging Criteria”) on an ongoing basis and through 10/10/24:
Story and Plot (20%)
Technical Merit and Production Value (20%)
Acting Performances (20%)
Creativity and Originality (20%)
Appropriateness to Contest Theme (20%).

Once a film has received an official invitation from the Festival, and prior to the event, the producers or representatives of the selected films must confirm their attendance by duly completing and returning the online submission form to the Festival. The Festival will recognize the person who signs this confirmation as the sole representative in negotiating all aspects related to participation of the film in the event and as the sole responsible as opposed to other companies or individuals to have participated in producing the film.

Confirmation by the producers or representatives of the selected film means that they cannot withdraw their film from the program and that they irrevocably accept all regulations established by the Festival Management.

The invitation made to each film selected by the NVISION Film and Music Festival will remain strictly confidential between the Festival Management and the producers or representatives of the invited film until such time as the Festival decides to make an official announcement in this regard.

The complete Festival program and all screening times are exclusively decided by the Festival Management Committee.

GRAND PRIZES:
Films accepted under any feature category are eligible to compete for the FEATURE FILM GRAND PRIZES described above.
Films accepted under any short category are eligible to compete for the SHORT FILM GRAND PRIZES described above.

All federal, state, and local taxes are the sole responsibility of each prize winner.
International recipients of a cash award need to fill out an International Tax Exempt form provided by the festival in order to accept a cash award.

No substitution or transfer of prize by winners permitted. By entering, the entrant grants to Sponsor and its licensees the right to use the entrant’s name, likeness, and all information submitted or otherwise provided for purposes of advertising, publicity, marketing, and other communications, worldwide, in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification, or permission, unless prohibited by law.

Employees, Contractors and Freelancers of the festival, Neon 16, NTERTAIN, ATOMICUS CREATIVE GROUP LLC and Palm Springs Art Museum are prohibited from entering the competition.

PRESS:
The documentation required by the Festival for its press releases, official catalog and website (synopsis, technical and artistic credits, bio-filmographies, pictures of the director/s and film stills) will be extracted from the online FilmFreeway Submission form, which must be duly updated upon receiving acceptance to the festival.

Any additional promotional material for the selected films requested by the different Festival departments must be sent promptly by their producers or representatives.
The producers of films winning an award undertake to mention the award in question on all press material and advertising. They will respect the exact wording of the Jury decision and will use the Festival logo to be made available in several languages on the official Festival website.

161 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Loren Escandon

    I love this festival and was honored to participate for a second time this year with Los Patines. Danny and the festival team are unconditional supporters of Latine/x culture and art, and they make sure the festival is inclusive and diverse. Thanks for a great experience. See you next!

    January 2023
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  • Domenica Castro

    We are so happy that our film WE ARE HERE was selected for the 2022 Official Latino Film and Arts Festival. The communication and care that came from the festival was top tier. A really lovely community and the festival team truly puts their heart into honoring the films and curating a caring and loving experience for the filmmakers. We loved to screen our film here. So much love and appreciation to the whole team!

    January 2023
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  • Azimuth Films

    Hola! The OLFAF was one of the most heartwarming and spirited festivals we've attended this year with our documentary JOHN LEGUIZAMO LIVE AT RIKERS. We are proud and honored to be the festival's recipient of the VANGUARDIA AWARD " Given to the most positive voice of our community"! Thank you Danny and everyone for making our experience super meaningful and FUN!!

    Elena Francesca Engel
    Director/Producer
    Azimuth Films

    December 2022
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  • Regina Ainsworth

    Loved everything about this film festival, especially the Latino/a/e/X filmmakers I met and the fact that there is no shortage of talent. Especially loved the hospitality of Danny Hastings and his team and the location at the museum in Palm Springs. Will definitely return next year!

    December 2022
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  • Andres Vazquez

    I had the great fortune of having a few films shown at this festival in various categories. The programming was stellar. I was really impressed by my fellow filmmakers, and felt that the festival really sought to celebrate a diversity of creative voices.

    Danny and the festival team were welcoming, and the panels held afterward enriched the experience. I am hoping to show at the festival

    December 2022
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