Latinx is the focus of reinvigorated Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival

Immigration stories have been a defining part of the on-screen narrative Hollywood has assigned to Latinos in the United States, one that when told by those without sufficient knowledge or interest in the community’s ample range of experiences does it a disservice in that it generalizes and furthers stereotypical portrayals. Subverting the victimization and impotence so often prevalent in border-crossing or ICE-fearing tales is “The Infiltrators,” which intersperses raw footage with scripted sequences from U.S. Latinx filmmakers Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, The bold docufiction hybrid follows a group of Dreamers, part of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, as they organize an elaborate plan to prevent the deportation of detainees at the for-profit Broward Transitional Center in Florida. Unsurprisingly, this rebellious ode to resistance that bridges the gap between Latin American immigrants — those brought here as children and the adults that came in search of a livable future — and their U.S.-born allies was selected as the opening-night presentation of the 2019 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, and will enjoy its local premiere at Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan’s documentary “Pahokee,” zeroing in on the lives of a diverse group of high school seniors in Florida, and Diana Peralta’s “De Lo Mio,” following two American sisters as they grapple with their conflicted relationship with the Dominican Republic, are among the Latinx features screening July 31-Aug. 4 at the TCL Chinese multiplex. “LALIFF acknowledges the structural differences between the Latin American film industry and U.S.-based productions and is actively participating in reform by introducing a space dedicated to celebrating and highlighting U.S. Latinx narratives and talent.” Although the industry at large is beginning to show glimpses of progress as Latinx and Latin American storytellers fight to break through, for Agustín the change isn’t coming fast enough, especially to film.