San Diego Latino Film Festival founder and executive director Ethan van Thillo calls this event, now in its 32nd year, “a celebration of more than cinema. It’s a celebration of identity and culture.” Not only that, “Probably 90 percent of what we’re screening will not be on the streaming services,” he said. “We’re ing independent filmmakers and independent voices.”
The annual festival of features, short films and documentaries opens Wednesday at AMC Mission Valley with a full slate of screenings highlighted by the comedy from Mexico “Mesa de Regalos” (“The Gift Table”). Star Jose Eduardo Derbez will be in attendance.
Screenings during the festival will also be held at downtown’s Digital Gym CINEMA.
Among the films showing next Thursday is the documentary “I Am Raquel Welch,” a tribute to the actress born Raquel Tejada who moved to San Diego as a child and later attended La Jolla High School. She ed away two years ago.
The screenings on March 21 include the short film “Kumeyaay Land” from Mexico, part of Media Arts San Diego’s “Frontera Filmmaker” initiative. “It’s important to understand that the Kumeyaay community lives on both sides of the border,” van Thillo said. “Now there’s a wall in the middle of their land. What does that really mean, and how does it affect them?”
On the legacy side of things, this year’s festival will screen on March 22 the 1984 Oscar-nominated “El Norte” from Guatemala. Van Thillo calls the restored film “so relevant and so important. It’s almost like it needs to be required viewing every year.”
“El Norte” director Gregory Nava, a graduate of St. Augustine High School, and labor activist Dolores Huerta will be part of a screening special event.
Here’s the screening schedule for the festival, which runs through March 23: sdlff2025.eventive.org/schedule.
Blue Water Film Festival
Spanning four days and featuring more than 30 films, the sixth Blue Water Film Festival opens next Thursday with a program that includes the documentary “Arctic: Our Frozen Planet” narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. The festival screenings will be held in multiple venues, including on the University of San Diego campus.
As its name would suggest, this festival celebrates environmental artists who are committed to preserving the Earth and its seas and who want to encourage attendees to do the same. Among those artists are local filmmakers Nathan Dappen and David Hutchinson, whose “San Diego: America’s Wildest City” screens March 21 at the Lawrence Jewish Community Center’s Garfield Theatre.
The festival’s screening schedule: bluewaterfilmfestival.org/festival-schedule/
Pop music
You may recall reading or hearing that the estimable singer-songwriter/producer Babyface was dissed last month by a couple of clueless Associated Press interviewers during a red-carpet livestream. Spotting Chappell Roan during their interview with him, the two called out to her in mid-question. You probably also heard that the 12-time Grammy winning Babyface handled the tacky snub with class.
So on behalf of more responsible journalists everywhere, I’m offering all my respect to Babyface here. He’s a legend, and the list of artists whose careers have benefited from his songwriting and producing is way too long for this space.
Babyface will perform on Saturday night at Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center. As always, I can’t bring myself to call the locale by its renamed moniker Funner.
Theater
The City Heights Performance Annex is the site Friday and Saturday for staged readings of “Ashland,” a work by author, educator and longtime San Diego theater presence Laura Preble. The piece examines the experience of parenting an autistic teenager.
Preble, herself the mother of a son on the spectrum, says she was inspired to write the script by the friendship she has long shared with a mother like herself. “We’ve often talked,” she said, “about how if the circumstances were right we would just go get a house in Ashland (Ore.) and live there and have these two sons in their houses behind us.”
In the story, which Preble envisions either on the stage or on screen one day, she plays one of the two mothers, with Jennifer Scibetta playing the other. “Ashland” is being presented by Riot Productions. “They’re trying to do women-centered pieces, and that’s what this is,” Preble said. “This is really about what the mothers’ experiences are.”
ission to the 6:30 p.m. Friday performance or the 4:30 p.m. Saturday performance is free, though donations are encouraged.
Festival
As if St. Patrick’s Day revelers need more time to party, the annual ShamRock festival in the Gaslamp Quarter is giving them just that on Saturday. ShamRock After Dark, beginning at 8 p.m. and going on until 10, debuts this year. DJs Chris Cutz, Fresh One and Sike will be churning out the beats.
As usual, the festival features Celtic and Irish bands, Irish dancers and food and drink. Tickets start at $46.
I’ve got no Irish blood in me, nor do I wear much green, but I’m pretty sure that’s the case for many ShamRock partiers. When St. Paddy’s Day rolls around, everybody’s Irish.
U-T stories you may have missed this week
- Comic-Con Museum set to unveil U.S. premiere of ‘Doctor Who’ exhibit this weekend
- Humphreys Concerts 2025 season to feature Boz Scaggs, America, Elvis Costello and many more
- Del Mar Grandstand Stage 2025 concerts to feature Ziggy Marley, Maxwell, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- Former Addison chefs are exploring Chinese cuisine and culture at Oceanside’s 24 Suns
- An alum of multiple Michelin-star kitchens steps into the spotlight in La Jolla
- Three operatic Salomes dish on the punishing role, veil dancing and severed heads
- Anoushka Shankar reflects on storied legacy: ‘Am I a torch bearer, a tradition breaker, a pioneer, or a silver-spoon kid?’
- Review: La Jolla Playhouse’s fascinating ‘Unfair Advantage’ is both tricks and treat
- Review: Backyard Renaissance Theatre’s ‘Dark Heart’ is stylish but cryptic
- The Dish: Check out these four new restaurants, and Lana coming soon
- Review: Diversionary’s ‘We Are Continuous’ takes a subtle, nontraditional look at family ties
- Canadian violinist Blake Pouliot, a rising star, is returning to San Diego
- ‘An Artful Life’: La Jolla exhibit to showcase pieces from Strauss art collection
UCTV
University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:
As the world grapples with the climate crisis, millions face challenges in energy affordability, reliability, and equitable access to modern energy technologies. Tony Reames, professor of environmental justice at the University of Michigan, examines the intersection of energy, class, race, and geography, revealing systemic inequities in energy distribution. He explores how socio-economic conditions, policy landscapes, and environmental factors shape access to energy resources. See how inclusive policies, funding, and scholarship can drive energy justice and empower marginalized communities, ensuring a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
“Dodging the Sisters: Why Queer Nuns Keep Going Viral”
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence made headlines in June 2023 when the L.A. Dodgers honored the local chapter at their annual Pride Night, sparking controversy in conservative media. While much of the coverage focused on sports and culture wars, the deeper story of the Sisters — a global order of queer and trans nuns — was often overlooked. Melissa M. Wilcox, professor and Holstein Family & Community Chair of Religious Studies at UC Riverside, explores the history, mission and impact of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. See why this unique activist group continues to provoke strong reactions, challenge norms, and inspire communities around the world.
“Falling in Love with Nature: The Values of Latinx Catholic Environmentalism
Amanda Baugh, professor of religious studies and director of the MA Program in Sustainability at California State University, Northridge, sheds light on environmental activism within Spanish-speaking Catholic communities. Drawing from ethnographic research in Los Angeles, Baugh challenges the notion that minority communities are merely victims of environmental issues. Instead, she highlights la tierra environmentalism — a deeply rooted ethic of living lightly on the Earth, driven by love and respect for God, humanity, and nature. See how this perspective expands the definition of environmental leadership and redefines what it means to be an environmentalist in today’s world.
And finally, top weekend events
The best things to do this weekend in San Diego: March 14-16
