Cine+Mas: Bonds of Belonging Shorts Program
Step into a captivating block of short films that explore the unexpected roads to healing, bravery, and profound human connection! This spirited collection follows remarkable characters navigating life’s biggest turning points—from lowrider cruises in Los Angeles and surreal medical mysteries to deeply moving bonds that transcend language. Inspiring, heartfelt, and beautifully resilient, these storytelling gems remind us of the incredible strength found when we open our hearts to one another.
Program:
zul: Isolated by grief after her sister’s passing, Azul struggles to cope amid the turmoil of a fractured family. Yearning for connection, she spots The Lady Lowriders. Enamored by their energy, Azul begins to find respite from her grief alongside the ladies, and a new path forward emerges while on her first cruise around the streets of Los Angeles.
Show Me How To Die (Enseñame Como Morir): After her grandmother passes away, a grieving Mexican-American woman becomes fascinated with learning what it feels like to die, believing it will allow her to feel close to her grandma in death in a way she never felt in life.
Her grief leads her to “The Death Lab”, a mysterious medical facility that claims to recreate the sensation of dying without actually killing you. Here she embarks on a surreal and deeply personal journey that stretches beyond the confines of life itself.
Hangtown: A 12-year-old Latino kid, who doesn’t speak a word of Spanish, finds a father figure in a fleeing Mexican immigrant and takes charge when armed vigilantes close in on both of them.
Prick: After learning her husband has been in a life-threatening car crash, Ana must make a difficult decision.
Quince Candles: A plucky 14 year old runs aimlessly through a dark vineyard as she struggles to break free from her rocky home life, social pressure, and the shooting she’s just witnessed.
Our film stars Tatiana Alicia Beltran, fresh off her acclaimed performance as young Jenni Rivera, alongside Annie Gonzalez in the recent biopic Jenni.
The Shave: A former caregiver returns to a residential home to deliver heartbreaking news to a nonverbal autistic man he once cared for. What begins as an awkward reunion transforms into a deeply human moment of connection through a simple act of care, a shave. In the quiet between gestures, both men rediscover trust, tenderness, and the enduring bond that transcends language. The Shave is an intimate exploration of love, loss, and the beauty of communication beyond words.