As attendees were led onto the Harmony Gold theater from the red carpet, the shine of the Mexican-American Film & Television Festival (MAFTF)’s “Illustrious Awards” statuettes glimmered. The statuettes celebrated culturally significant stories led by Latino filmmakers.

The film festival was held on April 26 at the Harmony Gold theater in Los Angeles and on April 27 at Milagro Cinemas in Norwalk. On both days, screenings of all the movies during this year’s festival started in the afternoon and ended with a red carpet event.

According to the program, this year’s festival theme was “Bridging the Generations By Our Shared Roots: Somos De Aqui y Somos De Alla,” which speaks to the complexities of identity, belonging and cultural heritage inherent to the Latino experience.

The Sundial was invited on April 26 for red carpet coverage and the “Illustrious Awards” ceremony following.

The red carpet featured filmmakers involved in the festival, from event founders to actors, writers, directors and more. Films that were featured in the festival included “FIAT LUX 5000,” which revolves around a son trying to reconnect with his father with dementia, by using an experimental device. “Nana Carmen,” is a short about a young girl who only speaks English, who tries to communicate with her grandma, who only speaks Spanish. A film with a lot of buzz was “Say a Little Prayer,” a romantic comedy where three friends recite a prayer to find their true loves, starring Latin pop superstar, Luis Fonsi.

“Nana Carmen” was up for best short film, best director and best screenplay. Director, Kaila Gutierrez, expressed her excitement about her nominations, before the award show, when she said, “It’s kind of crazy because this was one of the fastest scripts that I ever wrote. So it’s very cool to see that, something that is very playful, instinctual and something to honor my own ‘Nana’ and it is being accepted by so many people and people are really liking it!”

“Say a Little Prayer” was nominated for best feature film, best cinematography and best screenplay. Co-star of the film, Vannessa Vasquez, was asked the importance of the MAFTF and said, “I think right now, more than ever, is a time for us to stick together and make sure that the stories that are told of us is a narrative that we want to see ourselves.” Vasquez continued, “Not just politically, but also in the media and film and television, we have an incredible power with that, to make sure that we stay in the positive light and that’s what we should be doing and hopefully that’s what we do tonight.”

The “Illustrious Awards” gave a spotlight to important Latino filmmakers, who have made an impact in the industry, and awards to outstanding films part of this year’s festival, such as “Best Actor” and “Best Director.” Each award was presented by distinguished figures of the Latino community, such as activist and Executive Producer of “Selena,” Moctesuma Esparza, Emmy award-winning journalist and publisher of ConTodo Press, Naibe Reynoso and Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles, Carlos Gonza?lez Gutie?rrez.

Icons in their fields were awarded this prestigious honor, such as Paul Rodriguez being awarded the Illustrious Award: Trailblazer in Acting. Screenwriter of films such as “Blue Beetle,” Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, was awarded the Illustrious Award for Crossover Success in Screenwriting and Directing. Also, writer and producer of important Latino/Chicano films such as “Selena,” “Mi Familia” and the festival-nominated “Say a Little Prayer,” Nancy De Los Santos, was awarded the Illustrious Award for Trailblazer in Screenwriting.

Films that were awarded “best of” awards included the mentioned “FIAT LUX 5000” for Best Actor, Francisco Javier Gomez, “Nana Carmen” for Best Director, Kaila Gutierrez and “Say a Little Prayer,” which won the final award of the night, Best Feature Film.

The presenters and winners alike were overjoyed to be celebrating each other with applause and cheers from the audience for every award. The entire feeling from the red carpet and the award show was to uplift and emphasize the Latino film industry.

After Kaila Gutierrez won the award for Best Director, she gave a speech where she said, “This means a lot, directing is a big passion of mine. Right before this happened, I was like, ‘I just need a sign if this is the right path,’ so this is pretty cool!”

MAFTF 2025 celebrated Latino filmmakers by showcasing interesting, new ideas and celebrating “trailblazers” in the industry in their Illustrious Award show.

For information on the winners, films part of the festival and next year’s festival, check out their website.