Starting Halloween night, the 48th annual Denver Film Festival will bring filmmakers and movie lovers together for 10 days of on-screen storytelling, as well as workshops, Q&A sessions, and networking. Organizers have selected more than 130 films for this year’s fest, including several that were directed by, written by, or star Latine talent.

“This year’s focused selections reflect the extraordinary range and vitality of Latin storytelling. From insightful documentaries to edgy comedies and emotional dramas, these films celebrate the richness and diversity of Latin culture and experience,” Denver Film Festival Artistic Director Matthew Campbell told Latina Media Co. “With two works hailing from our local filmmaking community, we’re especially excited to see Denver audiences connect with these powerful stories.”

There are also several short films to keep an eye on at this year’s Denver Film Festival. Como Si la Tierra se las Hubiera Tragado (As if Swallowed by Earth) is an animated documentary by writer/director Natalia León. It follows a woman returning to Mexico after living abroad and was the Winner of the Short Film Jury Award for Animation at Sundance earlier this year. Colombian filmmaker Enrique Pedráza-Botero’s No Se Ve Desde Acá (You Can’t See It From Here), meanwhile, is an experimental documentary set in Miami. It is centered around navigating the American Dream, blending modern and archival footage.

So, with that in mind, here are the feature-length films highlighting Latine talent to check out at the 2025 Denver Film Festival:

Comparsa

This powerful documentary follows Lesli and Lupe Canela Pérez, two sisters trying to find justice and meaning after 41 girls are killed in a fire after attempting to run away from an abusive, state-run safe home in Guatemala. Directed by Vickie Curtis (The Social Dilemma) and Doug Anderson (Our Planet), and written by the Pérez sisters along with Anna Handingham, this Colorado-produced film does a phenomenal job at highlighting the real issue of gender-based violence and the brave women fighting against it.

Un Poeta/A Poet

Un Poeta/A Poet is a dark, satirical dramedy by Colombian director Simón Mesa Soto (Amparo). The film revolves around Oscar (Ubeimar Rios), a middle-aged, struggling poet-turned-teacher who attempts to mentor a talented teen named Yurlady (Rebeca Andrade) in a bid to live vicariously through her potential success. It premiered at Cannes this past May, where it won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize. Rios also recently won for Best Performance at the Biarritz Film Festival.

Backside

Directed by Denver-based, Mexican filmmaker Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana (Border South), this impactful documentary spotlights the hardworking immigrants who care for the Thoroughbreds of Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. The film gives viewers an up-close look at the bond that develops between these beautiful racehorses and those who ensure their success behind the scenes. Produced by Gabriella Garcia-Pardo and Patricia Alvarez Astacio, it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this past summer.

Underland

Based on the book Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane and produced by Darren Aronofsky (The Whale) and others, this film weaves together the stories of three people who explore the deepest, most underground parts of our planet. There’s Mexican archaeologist Fátima Tec Pool, who studies cenotes in the Yucatán Peninsula, theoretical physicist Mariangela Lisanti, whose work focuses on the search for dark matter, and cultural geographer Bradley Garrett, who photographs underground living spaces. Narrated by Sandra Hüller, the film made its debut at Tribeca and currently holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Charliebird

Libby Ewing’s directorial debut is an earnest tale about the connection forged between a music therapist and a teenage patient with a terminal illness. The film stars up-and-coming Latina actress Gabriela Ochoa Perez as Charlie, along with Samantha Smart (Katy Keene) who also wrote and helped produce the film as Al. Charliebird won the Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, with Ochoa Perez also taking home Best Performance in a U.S. Narrative Feature.

The Secret Agent

Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (Civil War) shines in this political thriller about a widowed teacher named Marcelo living in 1977 Brazil’s military dictatorship, who moves from São Paulo to Recife in the hopes of leaving a violent incident behind. Unfortunately for him, the past is not so easy to escape. Written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau), the film deservedly swept up numerous awards at Cannes this year, including ones for Best Actor and Best Director.

God Will Not Help Us

A Chilean woman named Teresa arrives unexpectedly at a home in rural Croatia, claiming to be the widow of the family’s eldest son in this slow-burning film by writer/director Hana Jušić. Starring Chilean actress Manuela Martelli as Teresa and Ana Marija Veselčić as her sister-in-law Milena, it’s a dark, atmospheric picture that brings two outsiders together, despite their lack of a common tongue. Martelli and her co-star Veselčić both won the Pardo for Best Performance at the 78th Locarno Film Festival for their roles in the film.

Mad Bills to Pay (Or Destiny, Dile Que No Soy Malo)

Joel Alfonso Vargas’ directorial debut tells the tale of a young hustler named Rico who needs to start dealing with the realities of adulthood, including his pregnant girlfriend moving in with him and everything that comes along with it. Starring Juan Collado (Ghosts of Fort Greene) and Dominican-American actress Destiny Checo, Mad Bills to Pay won the NEXT Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. It’s an honest, coming-of-age story set in the Bronx that offers a look at what happens when toxic masculinity goes unchecked.

La Misteriosa Mirada del Flamenco / The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo

Set in 1980s Chile, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo gives us a glimpse into the lives of a young girl named Lidia and the trans women that make up her family in the early days of the AIDS pandemic. Using humor to dampen violence and fear, Chilean filmmaker Diego Céspedes shows us how easily the misinformed townspeople become suspicious of the notion that a simple gaze from the women will spread the disease to them. Starring Tamara Cortes as Lidia and Matías Catalán as Flamenco, the film has garnered several awards and nominations, including the Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes.