A Concerto is a Conversation

Oct 17, 2021

A virtuoso jazz pianist and film composer tracks his family's lineage through his 91-year-old grandfather from Jim Crow Florida to the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

A Crying Doll

Oct 17, 2021

Marvilyn Eugene has been a captive along with her 9 year old son most of her life by her sexually abusive husband. On a cold mysterious dawn, she decides to break the sacred vow by brutally murdering her husband and runs away along with her son and escape such nightmares.

Águilas/Eagles

Oct 17, 2021

Amidst rising political repression and cartel violence, as well as the eternal difficulties of travel in the Sonoran Desert, the Águilas/Eagles carry out their solemn task.

Amparo’s Offerings

Oct 17, 2021

Elderly Amparo prepares a ritual meal and an altar to honour her late champion-wrestler husband at a special dinner in her house filled with memories. Told through sublime visuals this is a touching, melancholic story about love taken away, though never forgotten. We feel how devastating her loss has been. Hers is a life of remembrances and devotion, where the shrine and food could be interpreted as expressions of desire to join her husband in the afterlife.

Bedridden

Oct 15, 2021

Teri, a weary widow, faces the painful task of rebuilding her life as a single mother, following a traumatic encounter with an armed assailant. When her worst fears seemingly come true, Teri finds herself bedridden and trapped in a cat and mouse game of life and death.

BJ's Mobile Gift Shop

Oct 17, 2021

A young Korean-American hustler runs throughout the city of Chicago making sales out of his "mobile gift shop".

Blue Moon

Oct 17, 2021

Two young women drive through Los Angeles as they explore the depths of themselves and one another.

Broken Gaiete

Oct 16, 2021

Lost in an unknown and timeless land, IDIR finds himself with KASHOU a woman who claims to be his mother, crossing through a village that lives by absurd and maniacal rules. Not remembering his past Idir convinces Kashou to settle there and start a new life, but to do so he must get an -ASIV- which is to marry from the village. Beda, a woman who shares secrets with Tsicar (the village leader) marries Idir and quickly things take a…

Brown Eyes, Light Skin, Brown Hair

Oct 15, 2021

A young student from El Paso, Texas brings back memories of her love story on the US-Mexico border.

By the Tracks

Oct 15, 2021

A man runs into road blocks trying to see his granddaughter.

Canción De Invierno | Wintersong

Oct 16, 2021

Two broken hearts, two friends, a road trip, and a new lover. Danielle, a young musician, sets off on a journey with Diego, her best friend, while both of them face the pain of a break up with their partners. Ending up at the northern border of Mexico, they’ll have to use their abilities as musicians to survive as they get to know the complicated context between the US and Mexico.

Changing Tides

Oct 17, 2021

A girl’s life is seen through pieces of her memories. With each passing memory, we see snippets of her childhood innocence as well as her carefree spirit in her teenage years.

Cruzando la Frontera | Border Crossing

Oct 15, 2021

Young women from Juarez, Mexico aspire to attend schools in the U.S., and face daily struggles and experiences while crossing the border to El Paso, TX.

Dilemma

Oct 15, 2021

In a rural setting, a young nun, disenchanted with her faith, wishes to hang up her habits and looks into suicide as the immediate solution to her reality.

Dirty Feathers

Oct 17, 2021

With two homeless lovers' journey as the through-line, 'Dirty Feathers' weaves in and out of an overwhelmed shelter and a forsaken landscape with fervent echoes of the unheard and neglected.

Disrupted Borders

Oct 15, 2021

This is a coming-of-age story about two best friends living on the US-Mexico border in a scarred landscape of racial tensions, family wounds, and lack of opportunities as they embark on their extraordinary journeys in 3D innovation and artistic creativity to heal themselves, their families, and their community.

Femme Frontera Filmmaker Showcase 2020

Oct 16, 2021

The Femme Frontera Filmmaker Showcase began as a celebration of films made by women filmmakers from the U.S.-Mexico border region. Since then, we have expanded to include powerful short films from around the world, whose stories challenge perceptions about women, border communities, immigrants, people of color, the LBGTQ+ community, and other underrepresented communities.

First Date

Oct 14, 2021

After being conned into buying a shady '65 Chrysler, Mike's first date plans with girl-next-door Kelsey implode as he finds himself targeted by criminals, cops, and a crazy cat lady.

Homicidal Crimes

Oct 15, 2021

Homicide detectives Salazar and Anderson go rouge to catch a local serial killer.

Instructions to let go

Oct 15, 2021

Daphne and Mafer meet at a hotel, they quickly become friends and chemistry begins to emerge between them.

Joe Buffalo

Oct 17, 2021

Joe Buffalo is an Indigenous skateboard legend. He’s also a survivor of Canada’s notorious Indian Residential School system. Following a traumatic childhood and decades of addiction, Joe must face his inner demons to realize his dream of turning pro.

Jueves Afternoon

Oct 15, 2021

After a series of unfortunate events, Carmen will have to rush through the city in order to get – on time – to her US immigration interview.

Just A Guy

Oct 17, 2021

JUST A GUY is an animated documentary short film about love. Three women share glimpses of their affection, attraction and relationship with Richard Ramirez: A serial killer and rapist they contacted after he was convicted.

Just Passing Through

Oct 15, 2021

A man revisits the moments that made them whole and the moments that made them break. He must go through the doorways of his mind to relive all the moments as he's just passing through. . .

Last Night at the Strip Club

Oct 17, 2021

After losing her job as a stripper due to the pandemic, Andrea Werhun is exploring a new frontier of contactless sex work. She’s launched “Hire A Muse” a.k.a. H.A.M., which offers clients a range of services from topless book-reading to collaborative comic-making. With her future at the strip club uncertain, Andrea’s balancing life as a “muse” for lonely men with her own creative dream: to become a full-time writer.

Like the Ones I Used to Know

Oct 17, 2021

December 24, 1983, 10:50 p.m.; Julie and her cousins ate too much sugar, Santa Claus is late and Denis, alone in his car, is anxious at the idea of setting foot in his ex-in-law's house to pick up his children. The film is an early coming-of-age that is as squeaky as it is poetic.

Los Años de Otto

Oct 16, 2021

An eccentric Mexican painter, who was Diego Rivera's assistant during the 1940s, returns to his city seeking to create an artistic scene, when a turbulent incident leads him to pay a sentence for almost eight years in prison, a fact that will define his life forever.

My Way - The Life & Times of Frank Censale

Oct 15, 2021

After a sudden passing, of a beloved father, husband, brother, and mentor, a daughter sought to unearth the life and legacy left behind. With the help of hundreds of photos and dozens of interviews from those loved and lost, the story of Frank Censale is found.

No Pasa Nada

Oct 15, 2021

A girl discovers at a very early age that she can get away doing very bad things.

Oh Clem

Oct 15, 2021

A timid housewife confronts her husband about the disappearance of her best friend.

Opening Night VIP & Filmmaker Reception

Oct 14, 2021

Come join us for our opening night VIP and Filmmaker evening reception where you’ll get to meet the filmmakers of El Paso Film Festival. Enjoy drinks and hors d'oeuvres on us. VIP Badges, Film Passes, and Filmmaker Badges required for entry.

Pawn

Oct 15, 2021

A lonesome hitman recalls his life's work.

Raspberry

Oct 17, 2021

Undertakers wait on a family's final farewells, as one son struggles to say goodbye to his dead father.

Saving Salvador

Oct 15, 2021

Three sisters take matters into their own hands when bureaucratic chaos prevents them from doing what’s right for their father.

Significant Other

Oct 17, 2021

A couple struggles to see eye to eye when an invisible light appears in their new home.

Sisters

Oct 15, 2021

Andy, a selfish and failed actress with a drinking problem, returns home and is confronted by Emily, her uptight older sister who’s put her life on hold in order to provide home-care for their ailing mother.

Sleeping with the Devil

Oct 17, 2021

Based on a recorded Skype exorcism and found footage, the filmmaker confronts her past growing up in the Evangelical prophetic and deliverance ministry.

Snowy

Oct 17, 2021

Snowy has lived an isolated life in the family basement for the past 10+ years with minimal sunlight and no companionship other than that of his primary caretaker, Uncle Larry. In an effort to improve Snowy's life we ask: Is Snowy happy? And is Snowy even capable of experiencing happiness?

Ten Leaves Dilated

Oct 17, 2021

A household name in the 80s and 90s, Cabbage Patch Kids are plush dolls that are said to be born out of a head of cabbage. The headquarters, located in Cleveland, Georgia, offers an experience where children can watch their dolls being born through a simulated medical birth where store employees dressed as nurses act out birthing a babydoll from a cabbage patch.

The Beauty President

Oct 17, 2021

“If a bad actor can be president, why not a good drag queen?” In 1992, Joan Jett Blakk made a historic bid for the White House as one of the first openly queer write-in candidates. Today, Terence Smith, the man behind the persona, reflects back on his place in gay rights history at the height of the AIDS crisis.

The Climbing Perch

Oct 15, 2021

On the verge of death, a man must decide whether or not to trust a stranger with questionable intentions.

The Fine Ones

Oct 15, 2021

A group of wealthy people celebrate their exclusive club anniversary. When the last member arrives, an unusual problem comes up. Maybe they don't know each other very well.

The Kevorkian Effect

Oct 15, 2021

In a dystopian future where suicide is made legal. A man is forced to confront his trauma in order to free himself of his burden.

The Rifleman

Oct 17, 2021

The story of one man who changed the National Rifle Association (NRA) forever. Told through meticulously crafted archive, The Rifleman takes us into the life and trajectory of Harlon Carter, the leading force behind a coup who paved the way for the NRA’s staunch anti-regulation stance and unyielding influence in American politics.

The Thing That Ate The Birds

Oct 17, 2021

On the North Yorkshire Moors, Abel, Head Gamekeeper, discovers the thing that is eating his grouse.

The Ultimate (by Lou Fescano)

Oct 15, 2021

When her childhood boyfriend dies, Nicole Friedman returns to New Jersey and discovers he left a script to be made. And, as a working filmmaker, they immediately think of her to make it. The only problem is, it's not just bad but like, mafia bro action movie bad. Though it does have a somewhat redeeming ending.

The Unlikely Fan

Oct 17, 2021

She’s a Sri Lankan born, Dallas-based, retired teacher and mother. She’s also crazy about basketball. Meet “The Unlikely Fan” who knows a thing or two about hoops.

Time Capsule

Oct 15, 2021

David is buried inside a time capsule and discovers he isn’t alone.

Under The Desk

Oct 15, 2021

Working at the office late one night, Steven encounters a mysterious voice from below his desk.

Vinyl Nation

Oct 15, 2021

A deep dig into the crates of the vinyl record resurgence to discover what an old technology says about our relationship to music and each other in a divided time in America.

Wake Up

Oct 15, 2021

A young man wakes up from a bad dream.

White Wedding

Oct 17, 2021

Amidst a racially tense southern wedding, a biracial bride has the chance to confront her estranged black father after accidentally hiring his wedding band to perform.

Yazo: Ghoul of Mischief

Oct 15, 2021

Twenty years ago, his rampage the day before Halloween left many dead. Now, "Yazo the Clown" has returned on the anniversary of "The Devil's Night Massacre," and he has his eyes set on his first victim. Get a glimpse into the world of Yazo, aka the "Ghoul of Mischief."