Thirty-nine films, including internationally recognized features, shorts, documentaries and works by local film students, will screen during this year's four-day CineFestival en San Antonio.
Most of the films screened are in English; the Spanish-language films are shown with English subtitles.
Here are some festival highlights:
Thursday
8 p.m.
Director Cruz Angeles presents his award-winning debut feature film "Don't Let Me Drown," which he co-wrote with his wife, Maria Topete. The film, starring E.J. Bonilla (an Emmy nominee for "The Guiding Light") and newcomer Gleendilys Inoa, is a coming-of-age drama set in New York in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.
San Antonio native Ricardo Antonio Chavira co-stars in the film, which screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, where it competed for the Grand Jury Prize.
Friday
7 p.m.
Award-winning film and television director Jesus Treviño presents his latest work, "Visions of Aztlan." The 60-minute documentary that shows Latino artists reflecting on the Chicano political movement of the 1970s makes its world premiere at CineFestival.
9:30 p.m.
The Mexican film "Corazon del Tiempo" concludes the festival's first full day of screenings. The 90-minute film by Alberto Cortes tells the story of a young woman engaged to one man but torn by her love for another.
The film, set against the backdrop of the Zapatista struggle, was shot amidst the natural settings of the Mexican state of Chiapas.
Saturday
8 p.m.
Benjamin Bratt and San Antonio native Jesse Borrego, co-stars in the cult favorite "Blood In, Blood Out," present their latest collaboration, the Sundance award-winning film "La Mission."
Directed and written by Peter Bratt (Benjamin's brother, who also will be in attendance), the film tells the story of a traditional Latino father who struggles to accept his teenage son's homosexuality.
The film follows the presentation of the 20-minute short film "Tijuaneros," and a music video for Girl in a Coma's "Clumsy Sky," by director Jim Mendiola, co-director of this year's CineFestival.
Both Mendiola and members of Girl in a Coma are scheduled to attend the screening.
Feb. 7
10:30 a.m.
Seven Mexican short films screen during this Sunday morning showcase dubbed "Cortometrajes Mexicanos," co-presented by the Instituto Cultural de México en San Antonio.
2 p.m.
San Antonio-based director Dora Peña presents her first feature film "Dream Healing," starring Gabi Walker as a clairvoyant young girl whose gifts are exploited by her greedy aunt.
Jesse Borrego and his wife, actress Valeria Hernandez (HBO's "Carnivale"), co-star.
The screening follows the presentation of two short films by San Antonio directors: the three-minute "Trash Day" by Sam Lerma, and the seven-minute "Nikki n' Nessa" by Gabriel Luna.
