San Francisco Latino Film Festival seeks unity amid diversity, adversity

By Loureen Ayyoub

Lucho Ramirez stands inside Apple Cinemas on San Francisco’s Van Ness Avenue, flyers in hand, scouting out venues for this year’s CineMas17 – San Francisco Latino Film Festival. As the lead organizer, he’s not just planning logistics, he’s helping shape a cultural platform that he believes is more vital than ever.

“These films show us the diversity of different communities across the Americas,” Ramirez said. “And it’s something that I think is very necessary for us as film consumers.”

Presented by Cine+Más SF, the festival is now in its 17th year and showcases films by and about Latino communities in the U.S., Latin America, and beyond. The lineup includes narrative features, documentaries, and short films that highlight the depth and complexity of Latin American culture and identity.

Among this year’s featured films is American Agitators, a new documentary by Bay Area filmmaker Raymond Telles. The film explores the life and impact of Fred Ross Sr., a pioneering grassroots organizer whose mentorship helped shape the activism of civil rights icons César Chávez and Dolores Huerta.

“He was their mentor,” said Telles. “So the film is about his life, and how he learned to organize. But it’s also a film inspiring people to organize in their communities as well.”

Ramirez said he felt strongly about holding the festival in person this year, despite concerns over ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the Bay Area and around the nation.

“Even in these times that seem a little bit more pointed, I think the last thing that we should do is be canceling events or trying to shrink,” he said. “Because we don’t gain anything by hiding away.”

Telles, who will attend the screening of his film, said he hopes it motivates viewers to take action in their own neighborhoods.

“I think the film is very timely,” he said. “Because I know people want to make changes in the world. They want to have an effect on what’s going on in our country. And hopefully this film will inspire people to do that.”

For Ramirez, that’s exactly the goal. The festival is about more than cinema; it’s about creating visibility, joy, and unity in the face of adversity.

“It’s important for a lot of arts organizations to continue to do the work that they do, because it does bring joy,” he said. “You know, we are still here, and we’re not going anywhere.”

For him, the show must go on, not just for the sake of storytelling, but for the communities who see their lived experiences reflected on screen.