Lineup to Feature Diego Luna’s ASHES, Pedro Almodóvar’s BITTER CHRISTMAS and Manuela Martelli’s THE MELTDOWN

Festival Runs September 16–October 7 with 43 Films from 21 Countries, Including 12 U.S. and North American Premieres

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Silver Spring, MD, August 26, 2026 — The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center announced today the full slate of films for the 2026 AFI Latin American Film Festival (LAFF), which will take place September 16–October 7 at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD. Now in its 37th year, the festival is one of the largest and longest-running showcases of Latin American cinema in the United States, dedicated to presenting Latin America’s prolific and versatile talent during National Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s wide-ranging selection of 43 films from 21 countries spans international festival favorites and award winners, local box-office hits and dynamic debuts from a new generation of Latin American filmmakers and includes 12 U.S. and North American premieres.

The festival will open with the U.S. premiere of the acclaimed Cannes Film Festival selection THE MATCH. The infamous 1986 World Cup match between Argentina and England  – where Diego Maradona scored the controversial “Hand of God” goal — is recounted in this exhilarating account that uses rare archival footage, narration by footballers Gary Lineker and Jorge Valdano and new testimonials from other players who were there on the pitch that fateful day.

The Centerpiece selections are Manuela Martelli’s Cannes-premiered THE MELTDOWN, a riveting coming-of-age thriller set in post-Pinochet era Chile, and Diego Luna’s fourth directorial feature, ASHES, a powerful and unconventional immigration drama about a young Mexican woman who journeys to Spain with her brother to join the mother who left them behind as children.

The festival closes with Pedro Almodóvar’s latest feature BITTER CHRISTMAS, a brilliant piece of autofiction that reunites him with legendary Argentine actor Leonardo Sbaraglia (PAIN AND GLORY). The film follows the parallel stories of two self-obsessed filmmakers who contemplate the limits of inspiration to cure a long period of creative drought. BITTER CHRISTMAS is a Sony Pictures Classics release.

The AFI Latin American Film Festival also features the U.S. premieres of several recent favorites from the international festival circuit, including Dominga Sotomayor’s Cannes Palm Dog Award winner, LA PERRA, about a solitary seaweed harvester who forms a transformative bond with an abandoned dog in coastal Chile; heartbreaking humanist drama ON BEHALF OF MY SON, direct from its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, where it is competing in the Oscar^®-qualifying Platform competition; Spanish auteur Fernando Trueba captures the glittering sound of flamenco, jazz and Brazilian music in BAJAÑÍ, direct from its premiere at the San Sebastián Film Festival; Marcelo Martinessi’s FIPRESCI Prize winner at the Berlin Film Festival, NARCISO, a rollicking period drama about a rock-and-roll DJ living under Stroessner’s dictatorship; NOTHING BETWEEN US, a crowd-pleasing romantic dramedy with two of Latin America’s biggest stars, Gael García Bernal and Natalia Oreiro; and Venice Giornate degli Autori selection THE PHANTOM, a playful art-world satire from Argentine indie stalwarts El Pampero Cine (LA FLOR, TRENQUE LAUQUEN). Additional highlights include Jonás Cuarón’s SXSW Audience Award winner CAMPEÓN GABACHO, a visually stunning immigrant tale starring Juan Daniel García Treviño, Leslie Grace, Rubén Blades, Rosario Dawson and Cheech Marin; the East Coast premiere of twisted fairy tale DONKEY PRINCESS, the latest mind-blowingly handcrafted creation from Chilean directing duo Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña (THE WOLF HOUSE); and Tribeca Film Festival award winner SUMMER OF THREE, a rollicking coming-of-age tale and an exuberant portrait of Puerto Rico; and the East Coast Premiere of DEATH HAS NO MASTER, an anticolonial fever dream starring Asia Argento as the spiraling owner of a crumbling cacao plantation in Venezuela.

Complete list of U.S. premieres:

• BAJAÑÍ (DIR Fernando Trueba. Spain)
• EL VIAJE DE KOKORRDIT (DIR Guido Bilbao, Elio B. Cunampio. Panama)
• ISABEL (DIR Gabe Klinger. Brazil)
• LA PERRA (DIR Dominga Sotomayor. Chile)
• THE MATCH [EL PARTIDO] (DIR Juan Cabral, Santiago Franco. Argentina)
• NARCISO (DIR Marcelo Martinessi. Paraguay)
• NOSOTROS (DIR Joaquín Ruano. Guatemala)
• NOTHING BETWEEN US [NADA ENTRE LOS DOS] (DIR Juan Taratuto. Argentina)
• ON BEHALF OF MY SON [VICENTINA PEDE DESCULPAS] (DIR Gabriel Martins. Brazil)
• THE PHANTOM [EL FANTASMA] (DIR Ignacio Masllorens, David Lamelas. Argentina)
• PROJECTO GLOBAL (DIR Ivo M. Ferreira. Portugal)
• THAT SHADOW FADING [AQUELLA SOMBRA DESVANECÍA] (DIR Samuel Urbina, Peru)

Complete list of Special Presentations:

• ASHES [CENIZA EN LA BOCA] (DIR Diego Luna. Mexico) — Centerpiece Selection
• BITTER CHRISTMAS [AMARGA NAVIDAD] (DIR Pedro Almodóvar. Spain) — Closing Selection
• CAMPÉON GABACHO (DIR Janás Cuarón. Mexico)
• DEATH HAS NO MASTER [LA MUERTE NO TIENE DUEÑO] (DIR Jorge Thielen Armand. Venezuela)
• FLIES [MOSCAS] (DIR Fernando Eimbcke. Mexico)
• I AM MARIO [SOY MARIO] (DIR Sharon Kleinberg. Mexico)
• ISABEL (DIR Gabe Klinger. Brazil)
• THE MATCH [EL PARTIDO] (DIR Juan Cabral, Santiago Franco. Argentina) — Opening Selection
• NARCISO (DIR Marcelo Martinessi. Paraguay)
• NOTHING BETWEEN US [NADA ENTRE LOS DOS] (DIR Juan Taratuto. Argentina)
• ON BEHALF OF MY SON [VICENTINA PEDE DESCULPAS] (DIR Gabriel Martins. Brazil)
• PERROS (DIR Gerardo Minutti. Uruguay)
• SUMMER OF THREE (DIR Carlitos Ruíz-Ruíz. Puerto Rico)
• THAT SHADOW FADING [AQUELLA SOMBRA DESVANECÍA] (DIR Samuel Urbina, Peru)

A complete slate of all festival selections is below. For photos, contact Josh Gardner at [email protected]. For updated information, tickets and festival passes, visit AFI.com/Silver/LAFF/.

2026 AFI LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL 

September 16–October 7

Argentina

Opening Night | U.S. Premiere
THE MATCH [EL PARTIDO]
The infamous World Cup match between Argentina and England in 1986 — where Diego Maradona scored the controversial “Hand of God” goal — is recounted in this exhilarating account that uses rare archival footage, narration by footballers Gary Lineker and Jorge Valdano and new testimonials from other players who were there on the pitch that fateful day. DIR Juan Cabral, Santiago Franco. Argentina, 2026, 91 min. In Spanish and English with English subtitles.

Special Presentation | U.S. Premiere
NOTHING BETWEEN US [NADA ENTRE LOS DOS]
A food-poisoning scandal brings two corporate executives together, a passionate affair blooming out of corporate catastrophe. This gentle romantic comedy from Juan Taratuto features winning performances from two of Latin America’s biggest stars, Gael García Bernal and Natalia Oreiro, deftly portraying modern love in all its complexity. DIR Juan Taratuto. Argentina/Uruguay, 2026, 90 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

North American Premiere
THE PHANTOM [EL FANTASMA]
A scathing art-world satire becomes a nostalgic treatise on death, memory and creation in Ignacio Masllorens and David Lamelas’ playful and often hilarious hybrid docu-fiction. Lamelas plays himself, a renowned conceptual artist tasked with collaborating with two pretentious upstarts on a documentary about his late contemporary Rubén Santantonín. But he begins to question his motivations as he dives deeper into the project and his own history. DIR Ignacio Masllorens, David Lamelas. Argentina, 2026, color, 96 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

THE RIVER TRAIN [EL TREN FLUVIAL]
Desperate to escape his humdrum rural existence and his father’s unrelenting training, nine-year-old dance phenom Milo sneaks off to Buenos Aires for an eye-opening odyssey into the city’s oddball underbelly. DIR Lorenzo Ferro, Lucas A. Vignale. Argentina, 2026, 75 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Preceded by:
FOR THE OPPONENTS [PARA LOS CONTRINCANTES]
Federico Luis won the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival for this exhilarating portrait of a young boxer struggling to hang on to his boyhood innocence. DIR Federico Luis. Mexico/Chile/France/UK, 2026, 15 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Bolivia 

THE CONDOR DAUGHTER [LA HIJA CÓNDOR]
Q&A with filmmaker Álvaro Olmos Torrico on Sept. 17
This delicate tale about the tensions between tradition and modernity follows Clara, a teenager trained as a midwife who sings ancient Quechua songs to aid birthing mothers and their babies. When she journeys into the big city to pursue her dream of becoming a music star, her mother, Ana, is tasked with bringing her back to their community in the Bolivian Andes. DIR/SCR/PROD Álvaro Olmos Torrico. Bolivia/Peru/Uruguay, 2025, 109 min. In Quechua and Spanish with English subtitles.

Brazil

PAPAYA
A curious papaya seed journeys across a lush rainforest to escape her fate of turning into a tree, encountering diverse creatures who teach her about herself. This vibrantly colored, dialogue-free animation is a playful and optimistic tale of movement, transformation and carving your own path. DIR Priscilla Kellen. Brazil, 2025, color, 74 min.

Special Presentation | U.S. Premiere
ISABEL
Q&A with filmmaker Gabe Klinger
Unappreciated at a Michelin-starred restaurant, talented sommelier Isabel (Marina Person) dreams of opening her own wine bar. Shooting on 16mm, filmmaker Gabe Klinger (PORTO) took inspiration from the boundless energy and spirit of São Paolo to bring this effervescent portrait to life. Person shines as Isabel, a woman with deep passions, dry wit and complex imperfections. DIR Gabe Klinger. Brazil/France, 2026, 85 min. In English and Portuguese with English subtitles.

Special Presentation | U.S. Premiere
ON BEHALF OF MY SON [VICENTINA PEDE DESCULPAS]
A public bus veers off an overpass, killing all but one of its passengers. Filled with guilt, the bus driver’s 75-year-old mother, Vicentina, decides to find the victim’s families and apologize directly. A humanist meditation on grief and the power of forgiveness, ON BEHALF OF MY SON was selected to premiere in the Oscar®-qualifying Platform competition at the 2026 Toronto Film Festival. DIR Gabriel Martins. Brazil, 2026, 148 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles.

Chile

East Coast Premiere
DONKEY PRINCESS [PRINCESA BURRO]
A grieving king outlaws romance in his kingdom, a decision that sends his daughter on a genre-busting detour into the multiverse to find her lost love. The latest mind-blowingly handcrafted creation from Chilean directing duo Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña (THE WOLF HOUSE) is a twisted fairy tale all their own. DIR Cristóbal León, Joaquín Cociña. Chile/France/Uruguay/Netherlands/Germany, 2026, 90 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

U.S. Premiere
LA PERRA
In Chilean filmmaker Dominga Sotomayor’s adaptation of Pilar Quintana’s novel, a solitary seaweed harvester on a remote Chilean island forges a transformative bond with an abandoned dog. Weaving past and present together, Sotomayor creates a luminous, intimate portrait of loss and resilience, anchored by Yuri, a rescue dog whose natural, untrained performance earned her the coveted Palm Dog Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. DIR Dominga Sotomayor. Chile/Brazil, 2026, 113 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Centerpiece Screening
THE MELTDOWN [EL DESHIELO]
Post-screening reception sponsored by the Embassy of Chile on Oct. 6
In Manuela Martelli’s new feature, a lonely child staying at her grandparents’ southern resort in post-Pinochet era Chile, befriends a teenage German ski champion and witnesses her family’s dealings with foreign investors, as well as the ways they cope with potentially damaging truths. DIR Manuela Martelli. Chile/U.S./Spain/Mexico, 2026, 108 min.

THE RED HANGAR [HANGAR ROJO]
Captain Jorge Silva’s (Nicolás Zárate) strict moral code is challenged when he is ordered to turn an empty hangar at Chile’s Air Force Academy into a brutal interrogation camp at the onset of Pinochet’s military coup. Inspired by true events, this impressive feature debut is a breathless political thriller, elevated by striking black-and-white photography, immersive sound design and a tightly wound central performance. DIR Juan Pablo Sallato. Chile/Argentina/Italy, 2026, 83 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Colombia

BARRIO TRISTE
In 1980s Medellín, a group of disaffected teens steal a TV reporter’s camera to document their lives. The feature debut from Bad Bunny collaborator STILLZ, set to the first original score by electronic musician Arca, BARRIO TRISTE is a generational portrait of Colombia’s forgotten youth, both personal and specific in its perspective, yet unclassifiable in its formal audacity. DIR Stillz. Colombia/U.S., 2025, 84 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

NOVEMBER [NOVIEMBRE]
November 6, 1985. The M-19 guerilla group takes the Colombian Palace of Justice by storm with the intent of holding the Supreme Court hostage. Filmmaker Tomás Corredor melds fact and fiction by turning this real-life tragedy into a pulse-pounding chamber piece, punctuated by devastating archival footage and bolstered by bristling sound design. DIR Tomás Corredor. Colombia/Brazil/Mexico/Norway, 2025, 78 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Costa Rica

IF WE DON’T BURN, HOW DO WE LIGHT UP THE NIGHT
[SI NO ARDEMOS, CÓMO ILUMINAR LA NOCHE]
Thirteen-year-old Laura feels adrift in her reconfigured family in rural Costa Rica. But just as the forests and endless palm plantations begin to feel like home, she discovers a lurking secret that threatens the women she holds close. In her stunning feature debut, filmmaker Kim Torres deftly explores the end of childhood innocence and reckons with the ever-present threat of gender-based violence. DIR Kim Torres. Costa Rica/Mexico/France, 2025, 95 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Cuba

THE LONG CUBAN NIGHT [CUBA Y LA NOCHE]
After the Cuban culture ministry decrees that all public or private art exhibition will now require government approval, a group of artists, journalists and academics form the San Isidro Movement to protest the restrictions. Turning their cell phones into weapons of resistance, they document their hunger strikes, mass demonstrations and demands for a better life in a country on the brink of total collapse. DIR Sergio Fernández Borrás. Cuba/Spain/Colombia, 2026, 100 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

NEURÓTICA ANÓNIMA
Jorge Perugorría (one of the leads in STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE) wrote and directed this charming love letter to cinema. Illuminada (Mirtha Ibarra), a long-serving usher for Cine Cuba, enlists her fellow employees in a campaign to save her beloved theater after officials declare it must be shut down. DIR Jorge Perugorría. Cuba/Mexico, 2026, 96 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Dominican Republic

MILLY: QUEEN OF MERENGUE
This musical biopic explores the trials and tribulations leading up to Milly Quezada’s solo career and how she earned her title of “Queen of Merengue.” With inventive musical numbers including some of Milly’s classic hits, MILLY: QUEEN OF MERENGUE is a look at the origins of Milly Quezada that will please fans and newcomers alike. DIR Leticia Tonos. Dominican Republic/U.S., 2026, color, 118 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

UNDER THE SAME SUN [BAJO EL MISMO SOL]
A Spanish colonialist, a Chinese silk expert and a Haitian army deserter put their differences aside and join forces to start silk production on the island of Hispaniola. Spanish filmmaker Ulises Porra (CARAJITA) makes his solo directorial debut with this lush tale of jealousy and desire set against the swirling colonial backdrop of a pre-independence Dominican Republic. DIR Ulises Porra. Dominican Republic/Spain, 2025, 103 min. In Spanish, Mandarin and French with English subtitles.

Ecuador

THE IVY [HIEDRA]
Thirty-something Azucena is drawn to a teenage orphan, a spark of connection and unspoken history bringing them uncomfortably close. Ana Cristina Barragán won the Best Screenplay Award in the Orizzonti sidebar at the 2025 Venice Film Festival for her devastating meditation on trauma and desire, told with masterful restraint and featuring stirring performances. DIR Ana Cristina Barragán. Ecuador/Mexico/France/Spain, 2025, 99 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

El Salvador

VERTICES
Q&A with filmmaker Arturo López Rodas on Sept. 28
Salvadoran filmmaker Arturo López Rodas weaves a nuanced and delicate tale of three old friends who reunite after decades apart to joke and reflect on their lives and relationships. Artfully blending black-and-white with color photography, López Rodas captures the vitality of connection, the slow passage of time and the importance of companionship. DIR Arturo López Rodas. El Salvador, 2025, 60 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Guatemala

MOUNTAINS OF FIRE [CORDILLERA DE FUEGO]
When a young volcanologist discovers a newly formed volcano, she will stop at nothing to protect the indigenous communities who are settled in its destructive path. Guatemala’s most prominent filmmaker, Jayro Bustamante (IXCANUL), puts his own spin on the conspiracy thriller genre to continue his searing investigation into the urgent social issues facing his homeland. DIR Jayro Bustamante. Guatemala, 2025, 94 min. In Spanish and Mayan with English subtitles.

U.S. Premiere
NOSOTROS
Dreaming of a bigger life beyond the Guatemalan highlands, Romero leaves his wife and child behind and starts working as a security guard in Guatemala City. He finds romance with a trans woman who makes space for his desires — until the world starts to close in on them. This richly sensual inquiry into the heart of yearning features breathtakingly naked performances from its two leads. DIR Joaquín Ruano. Guatemala/Mexico, 2026, 79 min. In Spanish and Maya K’iche’ with English subtitles.

Honduras 

EVA
In Honduras, Eva, a trans woman, takes care of her granddaughter and grieving son after the shocking death of her daughter-in-law. Eva attempts to cope with loss, her queer identity and her strained relationship with her son while caring for the baby. EVA depicts a delicate journey to mutual understanding after profound loss. DIR William Reyes. Honduras/Colombia, 2025, color, 90 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Mexico

Centerpiece Screening
ASHES [CENIZA EN LA BOCA]
Multi-hyphenate director/producer/actor Diego Luna adapts Mexican writer Brenda Navarro’s acclaimed novel for his fourth feature, a powerful and unconventional immigration drama about a young Mexican woman who journeys to Spain with her brother to join the mother who left them behind as children. When the promise of a fresh start gives way to familial fractures and tough realities, the film takes its protagonist in unexpected directions to reconcile her past with her dream of a future. DIR Diego Luna. Mexico/Spain, 2026, 98 min. In Spanish, Catalan, and English with English subtitles.

Special Presentation
CAMPEÓN GABACHO
Q&A with filmmaker Jonás Cuarón and post-screening reception sponsored by the Mexican Cultural Institute on Oct. 2

Liborio (Juan Daniel García Treviño) is a Mexican immigrant in New York, struggling to get by until he goes viral for his impressive street-fighting skills. Mexican filmmaker Jonás Cuarón returns with this bold, visually inventive story of love, resilience and transnational identity that won the Audience Award at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival and co-stars Rubén Blades, Rosario Dawson and Cheech Marin. DIR Jonás Cuarón. Mexico, 2026, 108 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles.

EVERYTHING ELSE IS NOISE [LO DEMÁS ES RUIDO]
Over the course of one afternoon, three female musicians gather for a television interview where nothing goes as planned. Independent Mexican auteur Nicolás Pereda fashions a playful chamber piece, a biting comedy that gleefully skewers avant-garde musicians, filmmakers and especially the male ego. DIR Nicolás Pereda. Mexico/Germany/Canada, 2026, 71 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Special Presentation
FLIES [MOSCAS]
An uncompromising retiree discovers a crack in her tough exterior when she reluctantly rents her spare room to a father and his precocious nine-year-old son. Returning to the nostalgia-laden black and white of his breakthrough debut DUCK SEASON, Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke crafts a delicate yet wry exploration of grief in his bittersweet new feature. DIR Fernando Eimbcke. Mexico, 2026, 99 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Special Presentation
I AM MARIO [SOY MARIO]
Q&A with filmmaker Sharon Kleinberg and producer Jaime Tiktin

A 40-year-old trans taxi driver (Oustin de León), faces an unexpected pregnancy that opens the possibility of fulfilling his dream of becoming a father. Sharon Kleinberg’s directorial debut is an intimate story about identity, body, masculinity and the possibility of reinvention. DIR Sharon Kleinberg. Mexico, 2026, 98 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

SAD GIRLZ [CHICAS TRISTES]
Best friends La Maestra and Paula are forced to reckon with the aftermath of an unwanted assault in this blistering coming-of-age drama that frankly explores the heartbreak of girlhood and the beauty and power of female friendship. Filmmaker Fernanda Tovar’s debut feature won the Crystal Bear for Best Film in the Generation sidebar at the Berlin Film Festival. DIR Fernanda Tovar. Mexico/Spain/France, 2026, 90 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Panama

U.S. Premiere
EL VIAJE DE KOKORRDIT [THE DANCE OF THE KOKORRDIT]
Q&A with filmmaker Guido Bilbao

With his ancestral homeland in the Darien Gap under threat from loggers, ranchers and miners, Wounaan chieftain Areo journeys into the heart of the rainforest with his niece Ayned in search of his people’s sacred bird, the kokorddit, which has gone missing from the area. DIR Guido Bilbao, Elio B. Cunampio. Panama/Mexico, 2026, 76 min. In Wounaan and Spanish with English subtitles.

Paraguay

Special Presentation | U.S. Premiere
NARCISO
Charismatic radio DJ Narciso ignites a rebellious spirit in 1950s Asunción when he introduces rock and roll to the airwaves, sparking long-dormant desires. But he must face the consequences when his rising profile riles the oppressive military regime of Alfredo Stroessner. This exquisitely mounted period thriller won the FIPRESCI Critics Prize at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival. DIR Marcelo Martinessi. Paraguay/Brazil/Portugal/Germany/Spain/France/Uruguay, 2026, 101 min. In Spanish and Guarani with English subtitles.

Peru

Special Presentation | North American Premiere
THAT SHADOW FADING
Q&A with filmmaker Samuel Urbina and post-screening reception sponsored by the Embassy of Peru on Oct. 4

Against the backdrop of northern Peru’s vast desert, Sol and her son, Junior, spend one final summer together before Junior graduates from university. As they drive around and listen to cumbia music on the radio, they struggle to come to a mutual understanding about what it means for Junior to leave home. DIR Samuel Urbina. Peru, 2025, 76 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Preceded by:
Q-POP
K-pop and Quechua collide in this documentary about Lenin Tamayo, a Peruvian musician preserving his ancestral language through a unique fusion dubbed “Q-pop.” DIR Adri Murguia. Peru/U.S., 2026, 27 min. In Quechua, Spanish, Korean and English with English subtitles.

North American Premiere
PROJECTO GLOBAL
Post-screening reception sponsored by the Embassy of Portugal
Based on true events, this kinetic and morally complex political thriller recounts the actions of the far-left militant group FP25 in Portugal during the 1980s, a tumultuous period of economic recession that followed the Carnation Revolution, which had toppled the decades-old dictatorship and ushered in a democratic government. DIR Ivo M. Ferreira. Portugal/Luxembourg, 2026, 141 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles.

Puerto Rico

Special Presentation
SUMMER OF THREE
Returning to his native Puerto Rico for the first time in years, Javi meets beguiling misfits Luife and Kiki and gets swept up in their lifestyle of reckless abandon. A rollicking coming-of-age tale and an exuberant portrait of Puerto Rico, SUMMER OF THREE won the Best Performance and Best Screenplay awards at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival. DIR Carlitos Ruíz-Ruíz. Puerto Rico, 2026, 85 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles.

Spain

North American Premiere
BAJAÑÍ
Filmmaker Fernando Trueba partners with flamenco guitarist Niño Josele for this spiritual successor to CALLE 54 that captures the glittering sound of flamenco, jazz and Brazilian music. Primarily consisting of studio sessions, with brief connecting interludes, BAJAÑÍ features performances by Caetano Veloso, Ron Carter, Rubén Blades, Kenny Barron and Marisa Monte, accompanied by Niño Josele’s guitar. DIR Fernando Trueba. Spain, 2026, 112 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

BITTER CHRISTMAS [AMARGA NAVIDAD]
Eye-popping sweaters and interiors, the dramatic effect of a Chavela Vargas song, the sizzling screen presence of Rossy de Palma. Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar plays the hits before smashing his own playbook in this brilliant piece of autofiction, following the parallel stories of two self-obsessed filmmakers who contemplate the limits of inspiration to cure a long period of creative drought. DIR Pedro Almodóvar. Spain, 2026, 111 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Uruguay

Special Presentation
PERROS
Post-screening reception sponsored by the Embassy of Uruguay on Sept. 30

A dog-sitting gig goes sideways for the Saldañas, who get a little too comfortable in their neighbor’s home. They soon find themselves in an escalating nightmare when their neighbors return home to find that their dog is missing. A simmering feature debut from Gerardo Minutti, this tense tragicomedy uncovers dark suburban truths about class, jealously and rage. DIR Gerardo Minutti. Uruguay/Argentina, 2025, 102 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Venezuela

Special Presentation | East Coast Premiere
DEATH HAS NO MASTER [LA MUERTE NO TIENE DUEÑO]
Q&A with filmmaker Jorge Thielen Armand on Sept. 24

Caro (Asia Argento) returns to Venezuela to sell off her family’s crumbling cacao plantation but finds the former staff unwilling to leave the property. But she will stop at nothing to reclaim her land in Jorge Thielen Armand’s anticolonial fever dream. DIR Jorge Thielen Armand. Venezuela/Italy/Canada/Luxembourg, 2026, 106 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.

U.S and the World

OLMO
In this heartfelt coming-of-age story set in 1979 New Mexico, a teen navigates family duty and first love on his quest to beg, borrow and steal his way into a neighborhood party. Channeling teen dramedies like NAPOLEON DYNAMITE and SUPERBAD, filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke crafts something wholly original, deftly balancing a sharp, dry wit with an earnest, but unsentimental take on family dynamics and identity. DIR Fernando Eimbcke. U.S./Mexico, 2025, 84 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles.

Silent Movie Day Presentation
IDOLS BEHIND ALTARS
FREE for Silver Cinema Club members!
Famed Russian revolutionary film director Sergei Eisenstein travelled to Mexico in December 1930 to experience firsthand its “geographical, ethnological, cultural and historical diversity.” But his film was never completed. IDOLS BEHIND ALTARS is a two-screen rearrangement of images from Jay Leyda’s 1955 genre-breaking EISENSTEIN’S MEXICAN FILM: EPISODES FOR STUDY, now newly restored and featuring a new score by Paul D. Miller, a.k.a. DJ Spooky. DIR Sergei Eisenstein. 54 min.

About the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is one of the nation’s premier film theaters, building an appreciation of the art and artists through exploring and celebrating new and classic films and filmmakers from around the globe. AFI Silver offers a year-round program of the best in American and international cinema, featuring a dynamic mix of retrospectives, special events, tributes, on-stage guest appearances, specialty first-run movies, festivals, premieres and education and community-based programs in a theatrical setting of the highest standards. Anchored by the stunningly restored 1938 Silver Theatre, the three-screen AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is a state-of-the-art film and digital media exhibition venue that serves as a national model for preserving and honoring our shared film and film-going heritage. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com/Silver, and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/afisilvertheatre, youtube.com/AFISilverTheatre, X.com/AFISilver and Instagram.com/afisilvertheatre/. AFI Silver’s programs are supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org).

About the American Film Institute (AFI)
The American Film Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States. In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. The Conservatory, which counts Deniese Davis, Affonso Gonçalves, Susannah Grant, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Melina Matsoukas and Rachel Morrison as Alumni, is ranked as one of the top film schools in America. AFI’s enduring traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations. AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST presented by Canva and year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Maryland. AFI Movie Club is a destination for movie lovers from around the world to celebrate and engage with the art form every day. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at elevating emerging storytellers and technology, including AFI DWW+ and the AFI Cinematography Intensive Workshop. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, X.com/AmericanFilm, TikTok.com/@americanfilminstitute and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.

###