18th Annual Portland Latin American Film Festival Brings Movies From All Corners of the Globe

PDXLAFF highlights include period pieces, coming of age dramas and an ayahuasca documentary.

The Muleteer (La Arriera) (IMDB)
By Andrew Jankowski and Daniel Rester

The 18th annual Portland Latin American Film Festival kicked off on Sept. 25 at the Hollywood Theatre with screenings of the films Los Frikis (2024), an inspired-by-life drama about a Cuban punk band that intentionally infects themselves with HIV to live in government housing, and Boca Chica, a 2023 drama about a young girl (Scarlet Camilo) trying to hold on to her pop-princess dreams in a beach town plagued by the sexual abuse of children.

If you missed the first two screenings, there’s still time to immerse yourself in PDXLAFF. The remaining six entries carry viewers across borders, recounting a range of imaginative, emotionally stirring stories through the magic of cinema. Featuring dramas, documentaries and animation, PDXLAFF’s 2024 selections often look to the past to point a mirror at the present as history repeats itself, whether it’s familial strife in a war zone or 40 years of friendship.

Reinas (2024, dir. Klaudia Reynicke-Candeloro)

Reinas is a Peruvian coming-of-age film jointly produced by crews from Peru, Switzerland and Spain. It was chosen as the official Swiss entry for the 2025 Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film category, Set in 1992 amid Lima’s political and social chaos, an absent father (Gonzalo Molina) reappears as his family—ex-wife Elena (Jimena Lindo) and their two daughters (Abril Gjurinovic, Luana Vega)—tries to leave the country. 7:30 pm Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Avenida Beira-Mar (2024, dir. Maju de Paiva, Bernardo Florim)

This Brazilian drama stars Milena Pinheiro as Rebeca, a young girl who meets a transgender girl named Mika (Milena Gerassi) while she’s supposed to be grounded. Mika introduces Rebeca to skateboarding and opens up her world beyond her family’s more rigid understanding of gender. 3 pm Sunday, Oct. 20.

Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird (2023, dir. Nicolas Jack Davies)

Executive produced by Jesse Eisenberg, Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird is a German music documentary examining the friendship and careers of Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, known for their bands At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta. Screening Oct. 23, Omar and Cedric offers an intimate look into the creative duo’s lives through four decades of footage. Cecilia Andalón Delgadillo’s supernatural Dolores (2024), a stop-motion short about a little girl who falls into a grave while fleeing a fire demon, screens ahead of Omar and Cedric. 7:30 pm Wednesday, Oct. 23.

The Muleteer (La Arriera) (2024, dir. Isabel Cristina Fregoso)

The Mexican drama The Muleteer was written by Alfonso Suárez. Set in 1930s Jalisco, intrepid teenage Emilia (Andrea Aldana) sets off to find her biological father. As she makes her way into the mountains, Emilia adopts the guise of a muleteer (a guide for mules) to hide among both guards and war deserters. Emilia must eventually face her destiny after being stalked by her adoptive brother. 7:30 pm Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Good Savage (Buen Salvaje) (2023, Santiago Mohar Volkow)

Co-written by Mohar Volkow and actor Andrew Leland Rogers, the dramedy Good Savage follows a New York couple (Rogers, Naian González Norvind) in a strained marriage who move to Mexico seeking artistic inspiration. The new life they imagine for themselves proves far different from reality, with hilarious results. Mohar Volkow and González Norvind will both attend a post-screening Q&A session. 7 pm Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Ayahuasca Now (2024, dir. Carlos B. Cejas)

This Argentinian documentary, scored by Academy Award-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla (Babel, Brokeback Mountain), examines the personal trauma facing Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, highlighting how they navigate PTSD symptoms with a lack of structural and social support. Ayahuasca Now’s subjects trek to the Amazon jungle, seeking help from Indigenous shamans trained in spiritual ceremonies using ayahuasca, a plant-based drink known for its psychoactive properties. Cejas, producer Mario Stecher and featured veterans Brenda Russell, Jared Rinehart and Harold Maier will attend a post-screening Q&A session. 3 pm Sunday, Nov. 24.

SEE IT: Portland Latin American Film Festival at Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-493-1128, hollywoodtheatre.org. $7–$12.

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