Back to All NewsLatino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 emerging filmmakers with support from Netflix. Photo courtesy of Latino Film Institute.
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29 May 2026
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On May 28, 2026, filmmakers from the Latino Film Institute's (LFI) Inclusion and Spark Animation Fellowships screened their short films at the Egyptian Theatre as part of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF). The LFI programs, supported by Netflix, provide production funds and mentorship to the fellows.
The two back-to-back screenings featured 10 live-action and five animated narrative short films across a variety of genres, including drama, thriller and dramedy. The Egyptian Theatre was filled with festival attendees, cast and crew of the films, and industry veterans such as actor and LFI Founder & Board Chairman, Edward James Olmos, offering a meaningful space for filmmakers to present their stories.
"Netflixs support of the LFI Inclusion Fellowship and LFI Spark Animation Fellowship is an investment in artists, storytellers, and creators whose perspectives deserve space to evolve and thrive. Opportunities like these dont just shape individual careers - they expand whats possible for every creator who comes after them," said Axel Caballero, CEO of Latino Film Institute.
"For LFI and Netflix to provide direct support and carve out viable pathways demonstrates a commitment to fresh talent and perspectives," said Angela M. S nchez who directed Spin Cycle: The Change We Carry. "It says, We believe in you and your stories. We trust you to execute on them."
The evening concluded with a reception in the Egyptian Theatre courtyard where attendees had the opportunity to network and mingle with the filmmakers.
Netflix's support of the LFI Inclusion and Spark Animation Fellowships reflects the companys ongoing efforts to invest in talent development and skills-building with the goal of nurturing the next generation of talent. These and other Netflix-supported programs provide emerging filmmakers with production funds, mentorship from Netflix executives, and opportunities to showcase their work.
Over the past five years, Netflix has organized more than 1,000 training programs and events with programs reaching over 90,000 people across more than 75 countries, helping everyone from aspiring students to seasoned professionals connect, learn new skills and advance their careers.
The filmmakers and short films of the 2025 LFI Fellowship Screenings are:
Angela M. S nchez | Spin Cycle: The Change we Carry: According to pundit Ambrose Bierce, In each human heart are a tiger, a pig, an ass and a nightingale," and its with these animals that one woman goes through literal head changes to get the last fifty cents for her laundry-all the while avoiding the one person who can help her.
Karolina Esqueda | Hooperella: With the help of her best friend, lab mice, and a pair of golden hoops, Gabriela Quiroz, a burnt-out PhD student, musters the courage to defy her advisor and lazy lab partner to secure funding for her research.
Ricardo A. Martinez | The Drop Off: When desperate young mom, Samantha, leaves her 8-year-old unsupervised at a pizza arcade to attend a job interview, the girl must outwit suspicious adults and find a way out before the truth catches up to them both
Elizabeth Taide Vazquez | Ruedas: After a brutal assault, an elderly palatero (popsicle vendor) is followed by a trickster spirit through a surreal Los Angeles where grief, magic, and resilience intertwine.
Chevez J. Sanchez | The Resilient Coqui: The cheerful coqu frog Papu must learn resilience as he faces natural disasters in the Puerto Rican rain forest El Yunque.
Anthony Rojas | Sweet Plantains: When a guarded young man unexpectedly runs into his estranged mother, a quiet invitation leads him into a local community theatre, where he's pushed to stop avoiding his past and confront the truth.
Karina Lomelin Ripper | Silver Blankets: In this imaginative escapist film, two sisters must learn to work together in order to make a daring escape from an immigrant child detention center.
Angel Ruvalcaba Jr. | Necesitas Ayuda?: Se ora Concha is determined to get through the Tijuana airport alone, but when her stubbornness clashes with an eager wheelchair attendant named Jorge, chaos ensues for both of them! Will they learn to see eye to eye, or will Concha's flight leave her stranded?
Sandra Powers | Bestias de la Muerta: After her mother's death, sixteen-year-old Claudia summons the Beasts of Death and is dragged into their realm, where she must survive a dangerous game.
Alejandro Marquez Vela | Methuselah: When a boy and his father go camping in search of Methuselah, the oldest living tree on Earth, their quest becomes a magical journey of love, loss, and legacy.
Sofia Rovaletti | Game of Chance: On Christmas day, a couple's future hinges on a high-stakes poker game to save their marriage or say goodbye forever.
Fiorella Vescovi | Pilotos de Papel: An 18-year-old becomes the driver for his imprisoned brothers family, navigating dictatorship, prison walls, and the fragile survival of love and resistance under fear in 1970s Uruguay.
Anna Victoria Salinas | I Don't Hate Her: A struggling writer tries to befriend her nemesis, only to discover shes hiding a dark secret.
Merced Elizondo | And Then Everything Turned Itself Inside Out: In a world where birthmarks are investigated to reveal who people were and how they died in a past life, one man fears that the truth about his previous life could change everything.
Guillermo Casarin | The Mariachi Mask: Fofo, a boy from Boyle Heights born into a proud mariachi dynasty, would rather fight in the ring than sing on
