2026 Official Selections
Dedicated to cinematic storytelling that reflects the rich tapestry of migration, identity, and cross-cultural experiences, the Intercultural Voices Film Festival continues its mission of amplifying diverse voices while fostering dialogue, empathy, and cultural exchange through the power of film.
This year's festival presents three curated short film programs—American Diversity Short Films, Dreams, Identity & Resilience, and Crossing Borders, Finding Home—featuring independent filmmakers from around the world.
Mujer Mariposa
Year: 2025
Genre: Documentary
Language: Spanish, English
Director: Diana Cervera
Producer: Diana Cervera
Cinematographer and Editor: Magdalena Ramirez Cerda
Time: 120 minutes
Genres: Immigration, diaspora, social justice, women, BIPOC, women of color, WOC, refugee, migrantmothers, motherhood, identity, Latina, Chicana, Transborder, Borderlands, crosscultural, transcultural, migration.
Synopsis
Mujer Mariposa is a feature-length documentary that follows three first-generation daughters of migrant and refugee women as they navigate life between cultures, languages, and homelands. Set across the Philippines, Eritrea, El Salvador, and the U.S., the film explores the emotional landscape of diaspora through personal journeys and archival memory. Created by two Transborder Chicana filmmakers rooted in the San Diego–Tijuana borderlands, the film reflects on intergenerational identity, U.S. imperialism, and belonging offering an intimate portrait of women redefining home in the in-between.
Bella
Year: 2024
Genre: Drama
Language: Spanish
Director: Bruno Irizarry
Producers: Lizaida Rivera, Bruno Irizarry, Chaz Mena, Ariel Annexy
Time: 100 minutes
Production Company: Vanguardia Films, Twin Productions, Bellaboo Productions
Talent: Aris Mejías, Ernesto Concepción, Mariangelie Vélez, Chaz Mena, Modesto Lacén, Luis Sebastián Borges, Yetta Gottesman
Synopsis
Carlos and Marena are trying to have a baby. After considerable time employing all means possible in order to conceive to no luck, they decide to find the joy missing in their lives by adopting a baby in the middle of the covid crisis. They meet a lawyer who specializes in finding parents for unwanted pregnancies to work with them. Carlos and Marena will embark in an emotional journey to find the missing piece to bring joy to their lives.
Opening Feature - Narrative
Short film program 3
Crossing Borders, Finding Home
Closing Feature - Documentary
BOUNDLESS BORDERS
Directed by: Alessandro Gentile
LETS TALK BROTHERLY
Directed by: KL INSPOLAB Ksenia Landau
REMINISCE
Directed by: Leslie Morris
DEAR K
Directed by: Pak Hin Mau
BIRTH
Directed by: Jumana Radi
HEALING SUNSET
Directed by: Rufino Romero
ACA ARRIBA
Directed by: Carlos Castro
MADE IN AMERICA
Directed by: Maritza Cruz
Short film program 1
American Diversity Short Films
MAL CULO
Directed by: Anna Salinas
CRY POWER
Directed by: Lora Frigerio
LOS CHUCOS SUAVES
Directed by: Adelaide Pilar Benavides
CHANGE
Directed by: Daniel Lir, Bayou Bennett
HEART ON THE DIAMOND
Directed by: Martha Rodriguez
STAY
Directed by: Aden Gonzalez
ONE LAST CONVERSATION
Directed by: Jocelyne Margaret Cordero
LA MIGRA - THE IMMIGRATION
Directed by: Macela Robison
LETTERS TO A STRANGER
Directed by: Caroline Kauffman
Short film program 2
Dreams, Identity & Resilience
ISLAND OF DREAMS
Directed by: Alvaro Jimenez, Cliff Orloff
THEM
Directed by: Donal O'Dea
STARBORN
Directed by: Starry Venus
THE TALK
Directed by: Hila Cage Coppola
I’M POSSIBLE
Directed by: Qianyu Amy Huang
THE STRONGEST
Directed by: Daney Alanes
#1 BAD DAD
Directed by: Natalie Camou
LADY
Directed by: Daniela Ortiz, Olivia Speake
