Latino Film Festival of the Hamptons Shines Light on Heroes, on Big Screen and off

For the staff behind Organización Latino Americana of Eastern Long Island, their work never gets easier.

Wage theft among the Hispanic community is at an all-time high, according to Minerva Perez, the executive director of the advocacy organization. The youth mental health crisis rages on. And housing exploitation is the worst that she has ever seen.

Yet, still, the local Latino community perseveres, she said, strong and resilient.

“They are the ones who have the power in their hands,” she said. “They are the ones who are turning around family structures and family challenges to become successful business owners to have their kids succeed through their schooling, and either start businesses, get vocations that mean something to them, go off to Yale and Johns Hopkins.”

And for that reason, this year’s annual Latino Film Festival of the Hamptons — now in its 21st iteration, kicking off on Friday at Guild Hall in East Hampton — is for them.

“Our community is our hero,” explained Minerva Perez, “We really want to focus there, so that was what brought us to these films.”

The festival begins with one of last year’s blockbusters, “Blue Beetle,” or “Escarabajo Azul,” which follows the story of Jaime Reyes, who is chosen by an alien scarab to be its symbiotic host, forever changing his destiny as he becomes a superhero.

Lead actor Xolo Maridueña won the 2024 Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor and the film won the 2024 Saturn Award for Best Superhero Film.

“I just loved how that film highlights the life in his family and the relationships, and just how that exists,” Perez said. “So that doesn’t just get eclipsed. It’s not just like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s Latino. He’s Hispanic and, look, he turns into a beetle.’ It really does focus in on the family — and a Latino family at that — and it’s beautiful.”

In 2022, “Daughter of Rage” — the next feature in the festival — made history as the first fiction film ever directed by a Nicaraguan woman, Laura Baumeister de Montis, who will give a talk after the screening on Saturday at Sag Harbor Cinema.

“The film will certainly just jump off the screen,” Perez said. “The beauty of what you’re seeing is this weird beauty, because it all takes place pretty much on and around a landfill — one of Nicaragua’s largest landfills — and yet, it’s this sort of adventure.”

In the film, 11-year-old Maria, portrayed by Ara Alejandra Medal, and her mother, Lilibeth, acted by Sevilla Garcia, are separated as they try to eke out a life in the country’s largest landfill. The feature won awards at the San Francisco, Morelia, and San Sebastian International Film Festivals.

“This was a film, as soon as I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, yes. This little girl, of course, is the hero,’” Perez said. “I have not seen acting like this in I don’t know how long. She’s phenomenal.”

“There’s just so many different stories to tell, so many different ways to gather people,” she added. “It’s so amazing how many different storylines are coming out.”

The festival finale, the animated family feature “Vivo,” centers on the title character, a Cuban kinkajou, and his beloved musician pal, Andrés, as they share music and the journey of a lifetime, set against a backdrop of original songs from award-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda.

It closes the festival with a free screening on Sunday at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, followed by an encore at the North Fork Arts Center in Greenport on Thursday, September 26.

“We’re going to really make sure Greenport knows that we’re there for them, for the arts, as well,” Perez said.

The annual celebration falls during National Hispanic Heritage Month, which strives to honor the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors originate from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

It is about making sure that Latinos are comfortable and welcomed into arts spaces, as well, Perez said.

“We want everyone to feel that they have an ownership and a responsibility within their community,” she said. “This is your land. You’re living here. You’re raising your children here. You’re making businesses happen. These spaces — the art spaces — are yours, and we need that.

“The commitment to important dialogue, ways of gathering people, ways of celebrating culture and language and community and neighbors, it is never going to be something that should be thrown off to the side,” she continued. “It is the only reason to be doing any of it, quite honestly.”

Organización Latino Americana of Eastern Long Island will kick off its 21st annual Latino Film Festival of the Hamptons with “Blue Beetle,” or “Escarabajo Azul,” on Friday, September 20, at 7 p.m. at Guild Hall, 158 Main Street, East Hampton. Tickets are $15 and $10 for students.

The festival continues with “Daughter of Rage,” or “La Hija de Todas Las Rabias” on Saturday, September 21, at 8 p.m. at the Sag Harbor Cinema, 90 Main Street, Sag Harbor. Tickets are $12. The closing film is “Vivo,” screening on Sunday, September 22, at 2 p.m. at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, 76 Main Street, Westhampton Beach. Tickets are free. A second screening will be held on Thursday, September 26, at the North Fork Arts Center, 211 Front Street, Greenport. Tickets are $5.

All films are in Spanish with English subtitles. For more information and tickets, visit tinyurl.com/OLALFF2024.