SAN ANTONIO — CineFestival – the west-side-based film festival that touts itself as the longest-running showcase of Latino movies in the country – is now accepting film submissions for its 2023 event, scheduled for mid-July.
It will be the 44th edition of the festival, which happens every summer at the historic Guadalupe Theater and focuses on Chicano, Latinx and indigenous cinema, "with an emphasis on Texas-related films."
Last year's festival brought a mix of projects of all budget sizes, from Blumhouse-produced social thrillers like "Madres" to the 2021 indie darling "Jockey," starring Clifton Collins Jr. About 200 films were submitted, and 85 films ultimately selected.
"We try to be really inclusive with films that are made in San Antonio or in Texas," said Eugenio del Bosque, CineFestival director, adding that this year's selection committee is more robust to more evenly spread out the work.
Del Bosque is leading the fest's programming efforts for a third straight year and says things are off to a strong start, with more than a dozen films already submitted for CineFestival consideration after the call was launched on Wednesday.
One goal for 2023, del Bosque says, is to grow the educational component of the event by adding workshops and potentially inviting guests to lead masterclass sessions.
At the same, he says his team is exploring the possibility of utilizing a local satellite venue for 2023—which would provide more flexibility as far as how many films can be shown, seeing as the Guadalupe is a single-screen site.
Early bird entry runs through Jan. 15, while regular entry ends April 15 and a late deadline coming early in the summer. The earlier movies are submitted, del Bosque says, the easier the process is for his team down the line; he expects acceptance letters won't be sent out until May.
At the same time, Del Bosque adds those deadlines shouldn't discourage artists still working on their films. He says CineFestival might be able to accommodate those whose movies are on track to be completed by June.
"We encourage them to reach out," he said. "We want to know this work is out there."
Find more information and submit your film here. The festival is scheduled for July 12 to 16.
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