HBO Max Announces Launch of Revamped Latino Short Film Competition

HBO Max and WarnerMedia OneFifty, in partnership with six film festivals from across the U.S., announced the expansion of their annual Latino Short Film Competition, with submissions opening in March 2022.

The restructuring of the new Latino Short Film Competition presented by HBO Max will allow the streamer to tap into the vast networks of each of the six participating film festivals and continue to elevate diverse Latino voices. This year, the competition will seek films that explore the theme of “Community” from the unique perspective of a Latino American cinematic storyteller. The search will span across the top film festivals in the nation including New York, Los Angeles, Georgia, Philadelphia, Houston, and Miami. Candidates interested in participating in the competition can enter via any of the six festivals listed below. The competition will culminate with seven winning films, which HBO Max and WarnerMedia OneFifty will license to premiere on the platform at a later date. Participating film festivals include:

• Georgia Latino Film Festival
• Houston Latino Film Festival
• Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF)
• Miami Film Festival
• New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF)
• Philadelphia Latino Film Festival

See Official Rules for complete details at hbomaxlatinoshortfilm.dja.com. The competition is open to Latino/a/x filmmakers (writers, directors or producers) who are legal residents of the 50 U.S./DC or PR 18+ (19+ in AL & NE, 21+ in MS). Submission ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on 5/2/2022.

As leaders in the media and entertainment space, HBO Max Pa’lante! and WarnerMedia OneFifty seek to amplify the reach and visibility of the competition to ensure that Latino filmmakers continue to have a platform where their voices and stories are being heard, including stories by Latinos that reflect everyone’s experiences, not just Latino experiences. This competition will solidify the streaming platform’s commitment to support creatives in the community and bring awareness to their work.

“We’re thrilled to be announcing the revamp of our Latino short film competition that goes hand in hand with the one year anniversary of Pa’lante!,” said Jessica Vargas, Director, Multicultural Marketing at HBO Max and HBO. “We hope this competition inspires and empowers Latinos far and wide in the entertainment industry while elevating their stories.”

“It gives us great pleasure to be able to expand our original programming with seven new amazing films created by outstanding individuals being honored at Latino film festivals all over the country,” added Joey Chavez, Executive Vice President of Drama at HBO Max and HBO.

Previous winners of the HBO Latino Short Film Competition films including: “Slipping Into Darkness,” “La Serenata,” “Pepito,” “1,2,3 All Eyes On Me,” “Rizo,” and “Princess Cut,” are currently available to stream on HBO Max. “Crabs in a Barrel,” “Mi Casa” and “When You Clean a Stranger’s Home,” will be available to stream on HBO Max on April 8th.