LACLA Student Film Festival to Showcase 24 Young Filmmakers in Los Angeles

The Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles will celebrate the work of young filmmakers with its 16th Annual Student Film Festival on Sunday, September 27.

Taking place from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Richard A Grant Theater at Cathedral High School, the festival will showcase short films created by middle and high school students from throughout the greater Los Angeles area, including the Valley, South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles and Venice.

This year's festival received 621 film submissions, from which 24 finalists have been selected for presentation. Awards will be given in three categories: Best Film, Best Documentary and Most Creative.

The annual event is designed to provide a platform for young filmmakers participating in schools and media arts programs while encouraging students to develop their own approaches to cinematic storytelling.

The 2026 judging panel includes museum educator, archivist and curator Alejandra Espasande Bouza; Argentine screenwriter, educator and film programmer Guido Segal; and Argentine multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker Mercedes Arturo.

Espasande Bouza currently serves as director of the LA Cultural Heritage Preservation Society and has previously held positions with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Walt Disney Company. Her work focuses on documenting and preserving underrepresented stories in cinema.

Segal is a screenwriter and former journalist and film critic whose work has spanned film and television. His credits include Leones, Kekzsakállú and The Souffleur, and he currently teaches Introduction to Screenwriting at UCLA. He previously served as Program Manager at LACLA.

Arturo began her career in theatre specializing in costume and set design before moving into filmmaking. Her work as a writer and director has been presented at festivals including Sundance, Tribeca and Venice.

For the past 25 years, LACLA has worked to promote Chicanx, Latinx and Latin American cinema through screenings, educational initiatives and other programming. The nonprofit organization describes the Student Film Festival as an opportunity to encourage and recognize emerging filmmakers while fostering cultural expression and exchange among students, educators, filmmakers and community members.

The festival is supported by individual contributors to LACLA and the Diaz-Martinez Family Foundation, with Cathedral High School providing access to its newly constructed Richard A Grant Theater.