Co-Founded by Edward James Olmos, LALIFF (The Los Angles Latino International Film Festival) is an international event for film and animation premiers centered around the Latino experience. For over 20 years LALIFF has shown underrepresented artists and partnered with charitable programs in film and education. This year’s festival was hosted in Hollywood’s historic Chinese Theatre where major films such as the original Star Wars and newer hits such as The Fast and the Furious have premiered. 2023’s festival highlighted Eva Longoria’s feature narrative directorial debut of Flamin’ Hot as well as a special screening of the new animated feature Spider Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Each night’s program concluded with a large roster of award winning Latinx musicians, including, La Misa Negra, La Mera Candelaria, Deuce Eclipse, DJ Julicio, and ¿Qiensave?. Flaco el Jandro, a guitarist for ¿Qiensave? contributed to the soundtrack of one of the animated shorts featured in the fest.
SharksEatMeat had the fortune of attending many of the screenings, workshops and galas - below is a detailed review of the “Animated Shorts Program,” a highlight of the festival.
Back to Normal
Cecilia DeJesus
@cecdejesus
dejesusdesign.com
Opening the animation festival is a story using characters so visually simple (smileys with arms and legs) that you can easily insert yourself into the narrative. The story follows the personal struggles and battles that many across the World felt during the years-long pandemic of recent. Humorous and heartwarming, the writing and directing stand out.
Ashkasha
Lara Maltz
@laramaltz_
@laramaltz.animation
laramaltz.com/
A curious story of a protagonist who travels through a reflective puddle, much akin to Alice’s journey through the mirror or a portal to another world. The surreal animation boasts mesmerizingly stunning textures and patterns. The textured, luster and glossy luminance of this dynamic stop-motion work comes to life with absurd details. Sequined landscapes flutter and sparkle in a uniquely beautiful and otherworldly way. Ashkasha is highly worth watching and a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Blanket of Words
Director Carlos Zerpa
@unpedazodepaz_serie
pieceofpeace.co
Blanket of Words tells the story of families torn apart by ongoing battles between the FARC and AUC in Colombia. The work has melancholy tone fitting for a war-torn region. The artful textures and stylization bring to mind Picasso’s tragic Guernica. The work excellently uses animation to document and share important personal stories and histories.
The Borderline
Christian Arredondo Narváez
@poraquipasouncaballo
animacionparaadultos.es
A stylized journey of a man crossing a harsh land and dangerous river with his dog.
The journey can be seen as quite similar to a border crossing of the Rio Grande, or any dangerous border throughout history. The nature of the story allows the tale to be about crossing any obstacle, and a person seeking a safer or better life for their family in a new land - willing to risk everything to get there. The simplicity of the stylized figures and forms allows one to easily interject themselves into the narrative. The starkly textured angular line work showcases Narvárez’s great character design.
Brujas
Adrian Sandoval
@animatedbyadrian
adriansandoval.myportfolio.com
A family fun adventure of trying to save Abuela’s renowned flan from a magical disaster. The work introduces a family anyone can relate to, and the antics and chase scenes call back to a classic era of animation such as “Tom and Jerry.” In the end Abuela has the last laugh. The style of the animation is just adorable. This playful cartoon romp makes excellent use of crisp details, colorful outlines, and flawless character design. The protagonists make being a witch look so stylish. The short was so cute and fun, I just want to see more.
La Calesita
Director Augusto Schillaci
@augusto_schillaci
@lacalesitafilm
d25studios.com
A heartwarming story of an Argentinian merry-go-round operator handling hard setbacks and recovering. The vast, vibrant, and detailed scenes allow the characters the visual space and breathing room to highlight the story’s theme of community. It’s easy to see these creatives finding studio work with the quality of their 3D skills.
La Curandera Cumbiambera
Director Ivan Flores
Lead Animator John Coulter
@sharks_eat_meat
@aibioweapon
@discosresaca
@flacoeljandro
johncoulterart.blogspot.com
lacuranderacumbiambera.blogspot.com
A small team of animators and musicians used experimental technology to put together a sci-fi cumbia experience like no other. La Curandera Cumbiambera is an artful space opera which pays homage to Star Wars, Heavy Metal and Akira. Cute animal heroes, and sharply designed spaceships (that would make perfect plushies and model kits) engage in an epic space battle and rugged dogfighting over a darkened moon. This mind-bending trip across the galaxy with explosive battle sequences is a must see. Director and composer Ivan Flores’s masterful soundtrack perfectly complements the wild visuals.
Available streaming for free through Canela.TV
Go Ahead
Mónica Santillana
@_onimoni
This charming short features a pianist protagonist anxiously accepting the “flaws” within their own work. Delicate flowers bloom as they begin to play the piano. As a musician and an animator myself, I always appreciate an animated work without dialogue, which allows for a special relationship between the audio and imagery. The viewer has to use abstract clues and cues other than words to comprehend the story, and it activates a part of the brain not always used outside of these types of musical animations. A fun, family-friendly cartoon that is worth checking out.
Lucky Brave’s Sunshine
CHOGRIN (Joseph Game) & ICHI (Andres Aguilar)
@chogrin
@luckybravessunshine
chogrin.com
luckybrave.com
Lucky Brave’s Sunshine is a coming-of-age story about a young space cowboy. Within a very short amount of time a ton of world-building is provided, with only detailed visuals informing the viewer. A small group lives on a ruined planet, and food and medicine seem scarce. A young boy on a distant planet searches through space for a way to heal an elderly family member. On his adventure the hero encounters a dog-like creature and escapes the clutches of monstrous beasts in a fast-paced and well executed action sequence. The design of the cowboy hat space suit, and spirited alien dog were delightful. The action and story were captivating the whole way through. The delicate lighting and atmosphere were animated with a passionate detail.
I still can’t stop thinking about the stylish robo-cowboy helmet’s incredible design.
Song of the Lake
Carlos Sallas
@carlossallasart
carlossallas.com
This haunting tale is beautifully told with stop-motion animation. The film has a folkloric, mythical, timeless quality to it. The tragic tale follows an old fisherman, who trades something dear as a sacrifice to save his ill granddaughter. Excellently executed, in both story and design, the work will stay in your mind long after viewing.
To Fall
Ivan Morales Jr.
@thererichard
richardthere.com
To Fall is an art animation that tells a personal story of having a crippling or debilitating injury. Blended with poetic narration, the animation beautifully uses techniques similar to rotoscoping to achieve a soft, natural, painterly look. The composition of the shots and smoothness of the animation invites the viewer into the story with ease. The journey of recovery both physically and mentally through the story is uplifting.
The Walls
Bryam Jiménez
@lord_bryam
youtube.com/@lordbryam
The Walls is a political art animation in which the central protagonist is a wall in Puerto Rico. In the film we watch the rapid changes that occur to the wall, from evictions, political propaganda posters, vandalism, and natural disaster all occurring over a short period. Over time the wall is a backdrop for strife and lament. Bryam Jiménez is a talented artist to keep an eye on, who I’m certain will continue to create impressive works.
The World’s After
Florentina Gonzalez
@florenttttina
Entirely bizarre and surreal, The World’s After was one of my favorite short films in the festival. The dreamlike animation sports a vaporwave aesthetic with a bold neon color palette full of lovely fuchsias and teals. The shear strangeness of the world created keeps the viewer captivated with curiosity and wondering what will happen next. The quirky protagonists exist within a ghostly post-apocalyptic world that is familiar yet alien. The whole film seems like an Alex Gamsu Jenkins illustration come to life in an amazing way. The wonderfully eerie yet upbeat soundtrack and audio by Juana Molina and Piste Rouge has the playful synth style of Dreambow group MULA, and complements the imagery perfectly. I highly encourage seeing this short if you can, and look forward to more from Florentina Gonzalez.
Urie
Anthony Gallego
antthonygallego.com
youtube.com/@antthonygallego9059
This haunting cartoon features wild Halloween parties and a zombie dressed as a cute ghost, wandering through their past. This emotional story of loss is told with a spooky and sleek anime style similar to Hiroyuki Kitakubo’s action horror masterpiece Blood: The Last Vampire.
Make sure to look up each of these artist’s impressive portfolios, you won’t be disappointed. These are some of the rising stars in field of cutting edge animation. As always make sure to follow Sharks Eat Meat for all your art and culture news.
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