2026 San Francisco Latino Film Festival: Maxita + Panel Discussion

Courtesy: Cine Mas SF

18th Cine+Más San Francisco Latino Film Festival runs October 22-November 1, 2026.

The 18th Cine+Más San Francisco Latino Film Festival brings films from across the U.S., Latin America and Spain to venues throughout San Francisco.

This year’s lineup celebrates Latino stories and filmmakers through documentaries, dramas, comedies and films exploring culture, identity, family, migration and community.

Use discount code Fun10 for a 10% discount on passes.

STREET SMART: Lessons from a TV Icon – Opening Night
Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 6-8p
Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., SF
Get Tickets – $16.79 General Admission + fees

Directed by Ernie Bustamante | USA
Beloved Sesame Street icon Sonia Manzano reflects on her South Bronx childhood and groundbreaking journey as a Latina television pioneer in this warm and inspiring documentary about representation, perseverance and the power of television to shape generations.

Carmela And The Walkers
Friday, October 23, 2026 | 6:30 PM
Artists’ Television Access, 992 Valencia St, SF
Get Tickets – $13.64 General Admission + fees

Directed by Esteban Coloma & Luis Herrera | Ecuador
An Afro-Ecuadorian woman shelters Venezuelan migrants while confronting family upheaval, closed borders and the personal cost of compassion. A moving portrait of migration, generosity and the people who open their doors when others need help.

Comparsa
Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 12:30p
Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., SF
Get Tickets – $16.79 General Admission + fees
Filmmakers attending. Stay for the Q&A.

Directed by Vickie Curtis & Doug Anderson | Guatemala / USA
Two Guatemalan sisters transform grief into resistance, using giant puppets, fire and performance to confront gender violence. *Comparsa* is an inspiring story of sisterhood, community and the power of art as a force for change.

Libertad
Sunday, October 25, 2026 | 1p
Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., SF
Get Tickets – $16.79 General Admission + fees

Directed by Brenda Ávila-Hanna | USA / Mexico
A transgender woman who fled Mexico decades ago seeks asylum for the chance to reunite with her ailing mother. *Libertad* is an intimate and deeply human story about family, identity, migration and the enduring search for home.

Garden Of Silences / Jardim Dos SilêNcios
Sunday, October 25, 2026 | 2p
Artists’ Television Access, 992 Valencia St, SF
Get Tickets – $16.79 General Admission + fees

Directed by Henrique Dantas | Brazil / Italy
A doctor raised in Italy returns to Brazil and confronts family memories of dictatorship, disappearance and exile. A poignant story about memory, identity and how political history continues to reverberate across generations.

OCA
Sunday, October 25 | 4 PM
Artists’ Television Access, 992 Valencia St, SF
Get Tickets – $16.79 General Admission + fees

Directed by Karla Badillo | Mexico / Argentina
Haunted by prophetic dreams, a young nun sets out to find an archbishop and encounters the extraordinary along the way. Playful, mysterious and beautifully offbeat, OCA takes audiences on an unexpected pilgrimage through faith and destiny.

Bird Of Four Hundred Voices: A Mexican American Memoir Of Music And Belonging
KQED is co-presenter of this event. It includes a conversation with the filmmakers and a live performance of Los Cenzontles.
Thursday, October 29, 2026 | 7p
The Commons at KQED, 2601 Mariposa, SF
Get Tickets – $24.38 General admission + fees. Early bird tickets on sale for $15 + fees.

Directed by James Hall | USA
A barrio youth group preserves Mexican traditions, builds community and bridges generations through decades of music and cultural activism. This special screening celebrates the remarkable story and cultural legacy of Bay Area institution Los Cenzontles.
The evening also features a live performance by Los Cenzontles.

Theydream
Friday, October 30, 2026 | 7p
Apple Cinemas, 1000 Van Ness, SF
Get Tickets – $16.79 General admission + fees

Directed by William D. Caballero | USA
After devastating family losses, a filmmaker and his mother use animation to bring loved ones back to life. Tender and imaginative, TheyDream explores family, memory, grief and the healing possibilities of creativity.

Maxita
Screening + Panel Discussion
Saturday, October 31, 2026 | 2p
San Francisco Main Public Library, 100 Larkin, SF
FREE – RSVP

Directed by Mariana Machado & Ana Maria Machado
Portuguese with English subtitles

What does it mean to care for the Earth? In MAXITA, we travel with someone who has spent his life defending it.
Yanomami shaman Davi Kopenawa journeys from the Amazon to Brazil’s mining regions and reunites with fellow Indigenous leader Ailton Krenak. Together, they offer a different way of seeing the land and our responsibility to it.

Foreigner / Extranjera
Saturday, October 31, 2026 | 3p
Apple Cinemas, 1000 Van Ness, SF
Get Tickets – $16.79 General admission + fees

Directed by Michelle Malley Campos | Puerto Rico / Taiwan
Fleeing her father’s corruption scandal, an artist escapes to Taiwan, where new friendships and unexpected passions offer a temporary refuge. But confronting her estranged mother ultimately forces her to stop running and face her own story.

Ownerships / Nuda Propiedad
Saturday, October 31, 2026 | 5:15p
Apple Cinemas, 1000 Van Ness, SF
Get Tickets – $16.79 General admission + fees

Directed by Alberto Utrera | Spain
A couple thinks they have found the real-estate deal of a lifetime: a bargain apartment whose elderly owner can remain there until his death. Their dream purchase becomes an increasingly dark obsession when he proves far less ready to die than expected. A wickedly funny comedy about property, greed and impatience.

Writer / Escritor
Saturday, October 31, 2026 | 7:30p
Apple Cinemas, 1000 Van Ness, SF
Get Tickets – $16.79 General admission + fees

Directed by Paula de Luque | Argentina
Argentina, 1956. Writer Rodolfo Walsh begins investigating survivors of a massacre, drawing him into a dangerous confrontation with state power. *Writer* explores the investigation that would change Walsh’s life and leave its mark on Argentine history.

Strawberry Lips / Labios De Fresa
Sunday, November 1, 2026 | 2:30 PM
Apple Cinemas, 1000 Van Ness, SF
Get Tickets – $16.79 General admission + fees

Directed by Clara Martínez-Lázaro | Spain
When introverted Max reunites with his childhood friend Leo-now Anita-unexpected feelings of attraction and love challenge everything he thought he knew. A tender story about friendship, identity and discovering that love does not always arrive in the form we expect.

Casa Pura
Sunday, November 1, 2026 | 5:30p
Apple Cinemas, 1000 Van Ness, SF
Get Tickets – $16.79 General admission + fees

Directed by Bruno Irizarry | Puerto Rico
After a hurricane destroys his hotel, a grieving man searches for a missing will and traces of his wife’s legacy. *Casa Pura* is a story about family, loss, memory and what it means to preserve the people and places we call home.

Short Film Blocks

Community Voices Local Short Film Program
Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 3:10p
New People Cinema, 1746 Post St., SF

Local stories celebrate connection, culture and community, from San Francisco’s creative streets to playful encounters and deeply rooted traditions.

Bonds of Belonging Shorts Program
Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 2p
Artists’ Television Access, 992 Valencia St, SF

From lowrider cruises to surreal mysteries, characters find healing, courage and unexpected connection while navigating life-changing moments.

Family & Resilience Short Film Program
Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 7p
Artists’ Television Access, 992 Valencia St, SF

Stories of family, hidden truths and resilience span Puerto Rico, Brazil and California, revealing how far we go for those we love.

FREE | Blue Beetle – Outdoor Screening
Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 6:30p
SPARK Social SF, 601 Mission Bay Blvd North

Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab.