Short Film: PETE HATES THE DODGERS, 10min,. USA, Comedy/Romance

Directed by Maceo Montoya
Pete is surrounded by Dodgers fans who infuriate him to no end, and none more than his die-hard Dodger fan father. But Pete’s Dodger-hating is put to the test when Jenny, the new girl at work, invites him to watch the first game of the 2017 World Series.

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Short Film: TECATA, 24min., USA, Drama

Directed by Mario Theodosio Gallegos
Presented with an opportunity to escape her stagnant
New Mexico town, a young genizaro girl must decide if she wants
to break away from her tight knit family or stay and continue
struggling to keep her family afloat as her mother sinks deeper
into the grips of heroin addiction.

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Director Biography – Mario Theodosio Gallegos

Mario was and raised in the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico in a Genizaro neighborhood known as El Washe. After losing his mother as a child he was raised by his grandparents who had a great influence on him. He expressed himself through community theater and photography and earned a presidential scholarship to the University of New Mexico. After graduation he moved to Los Angeles where he works as a commercial actor and photographer. He went to Grad school to pursue filmmaking, which in many ways is a combination of his two passions. He will complete his MFA January 2022.

Director Statement

As a child, I witnessed my single mother slowly deteriorate after my younger sister passed away. First was valium, marijuana, alcohol, heroin, then methadone, and back to heroin. Throughout my childhood there was no word I hated more than, ‘Tecata.’ I’d hear it whispered about my mother around school and throughout the neighborhood. It wasn’t until very recently that I was able to talk about my mother’s struggles without getting very emotional. This film served as a way for me to deal with the shame and trauma I’ve carried all my life and to shed light on the effects addiction has on children, specifically when a mother is the addict. My mother was loving, caring, and so kind and funny but the cards were stacked against her. I chose to title my film ‘Tecata’ as a way to desensitize myself to the word and to give it a new meaning in my life. Tecata, my film is something I am proud of and hold dear to my heart just like the memory of my mother who was so much more than just a tecata.

Short Film: HALF, 5min., Brazil, Experimental

Directed by Edson Campolina Santos
“Half” is a poetic auto fiction composition dedicated to all the women that somehow, at some moment, at some place, took part of my life.

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Project Links

Director Biography – Edson Campolina Santos

Edson Campolina is a photographer and documentary filmmaker with a postgraduate degree in photography and image from Universidade Cândido Mendes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He works autonomously producing short films and is a photography teacher, participating in collective exhibitions with individual exhibitions.

Director Statement

The film HALF is entirely independent with all rights and obligations attributed to the director.

December 2021 – LATINO Feedback Festival – Highlights and Videos

NUESTRAS VOCES (OUR VOICES), 88min., Australia, Documentary
Directed by Diana Paola Paez
Through the stories of a group of Spanish-speaking migrants who arrived in Victoria, Australia between the 60s and the 80s, we embark on an emotional journey to understand the challenges and joys of their stories, showcasing their contribution to the social and cultural fabric of Australia.

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Director Biography – Diana Paola Paez

Diana is a Colombian Filmmaker that migrated to Australia in 2014. She’s passionate about using film as a medium for social awareness, cohesion and change.

August 2021 – LATINO Feedback Festival – Highlights and Videos

B>Showcase of the best LATINO SHORT FILMS in the world today.

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS:
Best Film: GOODBYE, SUSANA
Best Direction: ADA OFFICE
Best Performances: 2HOOM
Best Cinematography: LOLI
Best Sound & Music: SUONO

Theme of night: Life

NOTE: Festival took place during the COVID-19 virus lockdown so all screenings were held in private.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Videos:

festival posterLOLI, 9min., USA, Drama


festival posterGOODBYE, SUSANA, 22min., Spain, Drama


festival poster2HOOM, 10min., Puerto Rico, Drama


festival posterADA OFFICE, 11min., Mexico, Sci-Fi


festival posterSUONO, 8min., USA, Drama


The beginning of a (temporary) new era.

See you at the festivals. Whenever that happens!

– Matthew Toffolo

Director Biography – Laurd Milian (SUONO)

Laurd Milian is a Cuban Filmmaker who was inspired at an early age by the creative work of Walt Disney. Growing up Laurd studied performance arts graduating as an opera singer and composer at the age of 18, which lead him to study Sound and Music Production in Miami. Currently follows his dreams of studying film at The Los Angeles Film School. His short film “Suono” is his debut as Writer, Producer and Director.

Director Statement

My goals are to have my own production company where I can work on creating cinematic universes for the delight of all kinds of audiences.

Director Biography – Carlos V. Diupotex (ADA OFFICE)

Carlos V. Diupotex, was born in Mexico City. He studied Communication and Public Relations at ULA. Since 2008 he started working as a video editor E-learning programs for ASF. Later he continued his professional career in different projects such as: ESPN Deportes, documentaries, fashion videos and yoga programmes. In 2015 he ventured into the genre ficiton where he has edited teleseries such as La Hermandad, Sincronía, Guerra de Ídolos, El Señor de los Cielos, among others. In 2019, he wrote, directed and produced his first fictional short film: Ada Office.

Director Statement

Seeing how almost all my activities and those of others became a solely digital interaction, made me deeply question the Zeitgeist of digital era. Becoming less humanistic and more subordinated to an implacable computational logic.

So, I decided to write Ada Office (Sharani Ballesteros). Story about an operating system with functions of personal boss, programmed to optimize the productivity and performance of its employees and its interaction with Emilio (Emmanuel Zavala), incarnation of that part within us that in the search for total perfection through automation causes its own “obsolescence” or “cognitive atrophy.”

Emilio stops trusting his intuition, represses his emotions, eliminates any critical thinking … he forgets that he is a biological being. Therefore, fights against his own nature.

Short Film: ADA OFFICE, 11min., Mexico, Sci-Fi

Ada Office is the new virtual boss that has arrived at companies around the world with the main goal of optimizing their productivity and performance to the maximum. Emilio, a shy employee, has a seemingly perfect routine guided by this IA. He competes to be the best computer programmer, until some bad news reveals the darkest side of both.

Director Biography – Fernanda Tapia (LOLI)

Fernanda Tapia is a Comedian and Filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She performs Stand-up at popular comedy clubs in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami. In addition, she’s a recurring actress in the late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live. Fernanda Tapia makes her directorial debut with “Loli,” in which she also performed and produced. Fernanda is currently in pre-production for her next comedy short film.


Director Statement

The purpose behind this film is not only to bring awareness about the US immigration program called DACA but also to show the reasons why people migrate to the United States of America– to live a better life, to have better opportunities, ultimately to live “The American Dream.”