Roger Palomino presents a film at the the 2026 Houston Latino Film Festival. The film introduced was “Take it Away: The Rise and Fall of Tejano Hollywood.” Photo by Steven Burgess, Houston Newsroom.
The Houston Latino Film Festival is an annual event showing films from across Latin America and the United States. This year, the festival celebrates their 10-year anniversary, hosting at the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston (MATCH).
“Latinos can can see themselves on the big screen,” co-founder and program director Pedro Rivas said. “You want to play [films] in your own hometown.”
Rivas said he started the festival alongside Dave Cebrero and David Cortez back in 2016. The non-profit organization works year-round to showcase a variety of shorts and feature films from various Latino filmmakers.
Reviewing hundreds of submissions, organizers for this year’s festival screened over 75 films. Some of the films featured as a part of the festival’s line-up include award-winning films from Sundance Film Festival: “TheyDream” and “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.
As the festival continues to grow, the program has expanded to provide Filmmaker Q&As, workshops, panels and musical performances.
Some of this year’s guests included Cheech Marin (“American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez”), Daniel Valdez (“Zoot Suit”), and Kristian Mercado (“Directing in Practice! A Live Workshop with Kristian Mercado”).
“The community has been here, year after year,” Rivas said. “It means so much that they wanted us around for 10 years.”
Every year, the festival spotlights films from local talent with short film showcases such as “Houston, Te Queremos.” This year’s lineup includes 11 films, diverse in genre and presentation, created by Houston-based filmmakers.
The Houston Latino Film Festival is currently in the midst of planning the 11th iteration of the festival.