The Frida Cinema hosted its third annual Orange County International Film Festival this weekend in Santa Ana, a festival focused on showcasing various films from both local and international Latinx filmmakers, including students from Santa Ana High School.
Turning the corner onto 4th street, the smell of street tacos filled the air, and The Frida Cinema’s bright marquee came into view: the third annual Orange County Latino International Film Festival was underway.
The festival was created by Adrian and Allie Quiñonez, a pair of actors, filmmakers, and partners who bonded over a desire to see more Latino voices in the industry.
“We got to talking and we really connected on the craft of acting as well as, like, the studio and where we wanted things to go in our industry and seeing the point of view of Latinos,” Adrian said. “So we’re just like, let’s do a couple different festivals. And then we just centralized on this one and really started focusing on this.”
Adrian and Allie are the founders of Q Acting Studio, a screen acting and voice-over studio that aims to help up-and-coming actors and actresses refine their artistic process. Wanting to utilize the space they had, they hosted the first OCLIFF in their studio space.
“We were just kind of getting started as a studio and establishing ourselves in Costa Mesa. And we thought, ‘We have the room, we have a projector, we’ve got like a raked stage to show. Let’s just try something new.’ So we hosted it at our studio the first year,” Allie said.
The turnout and interest from the community encouraged Adrian and Allie to seek out a larger venue for the festival. So, with encouragement from a friend, they reached out to The Frida Cinema, a non-profit independent arthouse theater in the heart of downtown Santa Ana, to see if they could bring this idea to fruition.
Logan Crow, the executive director of The Frida Cinema, helped Adrian and Allie navigate the financial side of running the festival by securing additional support from healthcare corporation B. Braun, City of Santa Ana Deputy City Manager Sylvia Vazquez, and City of Santa Ana Councilmember Jessie Lopez.
“Storytelling, cinematic or otherwise, provides opportunities for people to see the world at large, to learn about new perspectives, new cultures, new histories, the simple fact that it’s a big planet, you know,” said Crow. “I think that endeavors like this one are a way to say, ‘Hey, this is a culture that exists, this is a culture that should be elevated and discussed and reached out to and whose story should be told.’”
The opening night’s programming included the action short film, “A Congress of Crows,” by local filmmaker Sean Martinez, and “La Sombre del Sol,” a Venezuelan drama that was the country’s official submission to the 96th Academy Awards.
Jessie Lopez, a Santa Ana councilwoman who advocated and helped secure funding for the festival, remarked on the importance of supporting the arts. She remarked that the film “La Sombra del Sol” is a story specific to Venezuelans, but reminded her of her time in El Salvador.
“There are so many threads that took me back to my time in El Salvador, and all the kids in El Salvador that have dreams and stories, and it’s so emotional,” said Lopez.
Director of “La Sombra del Sol,” Miguel Angel Ferrer, spoke after the screening about the initial spark that inspired him to create the film.
“Actually, it all started with a film festival. My friend invited me to LALIFF, The LA Latino International Film Festival,” said Ferrer. “And the main question I had coming from there was, ‘Why am I not presenting a film at this festival?’”
The deep passion, enthusiasm, and pride that Allie and Adrian worked tirelessly to evoke in the community was palpable. With their continued dedication, the Orange County Latino International Film Festival can continue to grow and thrive through a time where platforms for diverse arrays of voices feel especially essential.
“I think now more than ever, we really need that. We really need that community to come together, celebrate our voices, how unique we are as a culture,” said Allie.