Chicano Hollywood Film Festival Launches as Cultural Beacon Amid Immigration Tensions

The Chicano Hollywood Film Festival will debut from July 17–20, 2025, at The Union in Pomona, California, positioning itself as a cultural beacon and protest platform during a period of heightened ICE raids targeting undocumented farm laborers in Southern California. The festival seeks to celebrate and amplify the stories of Chicano and Latino communities through cinema, with founder Johnny Murillo describing it as a call to action to defend the community through narrative art.

Opening the festival is 'The Last Brown Beret,' a feature film directed by Del Zamora, inspired by Alfredo Ramos's book. The film revisits the legacy of the Brown Berets, drawing connections between their civil rights activism in the 1960s and contemporary struggles within the Chicano community. The festival lineup includes over 90 short films, television pilots, music videos, and digital projects from emerging filmmakers, encompassing genres from documentaries to comedies and dramas that explore themes of identity, resistance, and healing.

Notable selections feature works such as 'Ugly Little Monkey,' 'Horchata With Oat Milk,' 'A Little Family Drama,' 'Cholita Takes LA,' and 'Lost in the Barrio.' Beyond screenings, the event offers live DJ sets, Q&A panels, and networking opportunities. A key initiative is the launch of the Chicano Hollywood Academy, designed to nurture future Latino creatives in filmmaking and content creation. Festival Director Francisco Roel views this as the start of a movement to empower Chicanos and Latinos in owning their stories and spaces within the entertainment industry, as detailed on the festival's official website at https://www.chicanohollywood.com.

The festival's timing underscores its relevance, emerging amid ongoing immigration enforcement actions that disproportionately affect Latino communities in the region. By providing a platform for artistic expression and community dialogue, it aims to foster resilience and cultural affirmation. The inclusion of diverse media formats and the establishment of the academy highlight a commitment to sustainable impact, ensuring that Latino voices are not only heard but also supported in shaping their representation in media. This initiative reflects broader efforts to address systemic underrepresentation and advocate for social justice through creative means, as explored in resources like https://www.latinofilmfestivals.org.