We celebrate the artistry and diversity of Latin American cinema – stories born from creativity, courage, and a rich sense of identity.
At the London Latino Film Festival™, we don’t believe in passive viewing. We make Latin American stories impossible to ignore – amplifying voices too often overlooked, confronting audiences with truth and beauty, and turning film into an experience that lingers long after the credits roll.
Our cause is to elevate the stories and perspectives that define Latin America – its creativity, its complexity, its humanity. We celebrate cinematic heritage while championing bold new voices, creating a space in London where audiences connect with the richness of Latin American culture through film.
1. Authenticity
We present films that reflect the true heart of Latin America – its triumphs, struggles, and contradictions – without dilution or gloss.
2. Cultural Legacy
We honour Latin America’s cinematic history while connecting it with the present, ensuring classics and contemporary works coexist in dialogue.
3. Pragmatic Excellence
We deliver the very best Latin American films to London audiences with rigour, care, and attention to the realities of production, exhibition, and storytelling.
4. Generosity of Culture
We bring London the richness of Latin American cinema—sharing its stories, creativity, and heritage as a cultural gift to the city.
5. Courageous Curating
We take bold programming decisions, championing underrepresented voices and challenging audiences to engage with difficult, provocative, or unseen perspectives.
6. Boundary-Breaking Impact (Diversity & Inclusion)
We don’t just screen films; we disrupt the cultural landscape by creating space for Latin American people & stories that are overlooked, ignored, or undervalued – we do not conform to tokenistic or superficial diversity agendas.
Trained at the National Theatre School of Havana, Ketty Rodriguez is a Latina actress, dubbing director, and narrator with experience in film, television, and voice projects. She has stood out as casting director and supervisor of the Latin American Spanish dubbing for Hollywood films such as Robin Hood, Winchester, and Father Figures, among others, and for directing the legendary actress Rita Moreno in the Spanish-language version of the first season of the Netflix series One Day at a Time.
Her most recent project includes the Cuban film Performance, in which she plays the lead role, a film which is currently in post-production. Ketty is also a voice-over actress and the narrator of the audiobook Everyone Leaves by Wendy Guerra.
Javier Torres is a Cuban-born cultural leader, creative producer, and advocate for Latin talent in the UK. With more than two decades working across international performing arts and creative sectors, he has built his career on elevating dance voices, developing talent, and strengthening cultural visibility on global stages.
Today, Javier serves as Managing Director of the Carlos Acosta Dance Foundation and Acosta Dance Centre in London, where he leads skills development programmes, artist training initiatives, and community engagement that empower the next generation of creative leaders. He is also the Executive Director of the Ismael Cala Foundation, which brings emotional intelligence and leadership tools to children and young people in over 17 countries across Latin America and the US. His work champions equitable access to cultural education and pathways into the creative industries, particularly for young artists.
A committed cultural strategist, Javier holds an MBA specialising in creative leadership and a UNITAR–ICD Executive Diploma in Cultural Diplomacy. As a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and member of UNESCO’s International Dance Council (CID), he contributes to shaping policies that promote diversity, artistic innovation, and civic participation in the arts.
Javier brings to the London Latino Film Festival™ CIC a powerful combination of international vision, community focus, and sector experience, ensuring the festival not only entertains but influences culture, opens doors, and amplifies the voices that London needs to hear.
As an actress and storyteller, I’ve always believed in the power of cinema to bridge cultures and celebrate identity. The London Latino Film Festival was born from a desire to showcase the richness, diversity, and passion of Latin American voices on screen right here in the heart of London.
The festival is a space for filmmakers, audiences, and communities to come together — to share stories that move us, challenge us, and remind us of how deeply connected we are through art and experience.
— Ketty Rodriguez
As a Cuban and advocate for Latin American culture, I’ve always believed in the power of film to unite our community and strengthen our shared identity. The London Latino Film Festival was created to be a celebration and gathering point for the Latino community in London, a vibrant space where our voices, stories, and rhythms come alive.
The festival stands as a cultural home and representation of our people, a joyful and empowering celebration that honours who we are, connects us through cinema, and reminds us of the strength and beauty of our community.
— Javier Torres
From an early acting career, James went on to the city, before finding a niche in the educational development space, and subsequently the film industry. As a recognised actor and Film Producer, with a slate including feature films and feature documentaries, he received BAFTA and Emmy recognition with Featuristic Films, across feature films and feature documentaries. A TEDx speaker, and multi-published author and editor, James frequently is asked to present on the global stage and is an advocate for helping young people follow their ambitions.
Today, with 20-years of experience, he continues to support Independent Film in the UK whilst aligning twin interests, working as a Global Ambassador for UK Education alongside Embassy’s, Governments, NGOs and private institutions to develop educational partnership corridors and promote brand UK. He is currently part of the board of directors and ambassador of the Lucy Gwatidzo Foundation, developing schools in Zimbabwe.
With an MBA in Finance and Strategy, he brings to the Board of the London Latino Film Festival™️, strong leadership and governance and a career narrative rooted in the abiding belief that whilst stories are re-runs of those which have gone before, that doesn’t lessen the need to tell them. It heightens the need to continuously update them.
Bio coming soon
Jacqueline Arenal is a renowned Cuban actress, recognised for her versatility and strong presence in both film and television. Throughout her extensive career, she has worked with iconic directors including Humberto Solás, Gerardo Chijona, Enrique Álvarez, Paolo Consorti, Fernando Pérez, and Lars Von Trier/Jørgen Leth. She has appeared in key films such as El siglo de las luces (1992), Un paraíso bajo las estrellas (2000), Miradas (2001), Havana Kyrie alongside Franco Nero, El mundo de Nelsito, and The Five Obstructions, showcasing her ability to take on complex and diverse roles. On television, she gained international recognition for her role as Leonor Moscote in the Netflix series One Hundred Years of Solitude, based on Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece. Currently, she continues to strengthen her career with roles in contemporary productions such as the Netflix series Medusa, where she portrays Esperanza Mebarak, adding to a broad filmography that reflects her deep commitment to Latin American art and culture.
Oscar Martínez is an Argentine-Spanish actor, author, and theatre director (he was granted honorary Spanish nationality in 2021) who has been based in Madrid since 2020.
Since the age of 21, he has built an extensive and successful professional career, filled with recognition across film, theatre, and television. He has won Best Actor awards in all three disciplines in Argentina—many of them multiple times—as well as several major international honours.
Selected Film Awards:
Four Sur Awards from the Argentine Film Academy, four Silver Condor Awards from the Argentine Association of Film Critics, Silver Shell at the San Sebastián Film Festival (2008, Empty Nest), Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival (2016, The Distinguished Citizen), Platino Award for Best Ibero-American Film Actor (2017), Fénix Award (2017), two Silver Biznagas at the Málaga Film Festival, and the Ciudad del Paraíso Award for lifetime achievement (2020).
Among more than 30 films: The Truce, Empty Nest, Wild Tales, Captain Koblic, Carlos Saura’s The South, The Weasel’s Tale, The Distinguished Citizen, Toc Toc, Live Twice, Love Once, Official Competition.
He became a member of the Argentine Academy of Letters in 2017 and serves as a corresponding member of the Royal Spanish Academy.
His first three plays achieved notable success in Argentina and internationally. His fourth play, still unpublished, will premiere in Madrid in 2025 under his own direction.
In 2017, Editorial Planeta (under its Emecé imprint) published his book Ensayo General – Notes on the Actor’s Craft.
Jorge Perugorría is a Cuban actor, director, and cultural advocate, internationally acclaimed for his role in Strawberry and Chocolate, the first Cuban film to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Over his career, he has appeared in more than 60 films across Latin America and Europe, and has directed notable works including Amor Crónico and Se Vende. He is also the founder of the Isla Verde International Film and Environment Festival, and is widely respected for his dedication to promoting Latin American culture and cinema.
Natali Juste Simmonds is a British/Spanish fiction author and founder of storytelling consultancy, Loom Narrative. Natali began her career in glossy magazines before gaining her CIM qualification and managing campaigns for brands such as Nike, Chivas Regal, Sugar Puffs, and The Savoy. As Natali Simmonds, she writes dark and twisty novels that have been translated into four languages, with her debut, Good Girls Die Last, being turned into a TV series by STV. Natali has her own ‘Creativity & Balance’ column in Kings College London’s Inspire The Mind magazine, she lectures for Raindance Film School, Jericho Writers, and the Professional Writers Academy, and in 2022 she was shortlisted for the RNA Fantasy Award. In her role at the London Latino Film Festival, Natali combines her passion for storytelling and film, along with her experience in sales, marketing, and brand development, working alongside brand partners and sponsors to amplify the very best of Latin stories.
With a professional journey spanning from Uruguayan higher education to the heart of the UK’s Latin American non-profit sector, Sofia Miranda brings a unique, multidisciplinary perspective to cultural production. As a Latin American migrant herself, Sofia’s work is deeply rooted in community. She was a doctoral researcher in Critical Discourse Analysis and Social Movements, bringing an analytical lens to the team in her role as Institutional Learning & Audience Engagement Manager. Her career began in creative communications, where she managed design teams and curated large-scale events that bridged the gap between academic institutions and the wider public. Today, her expertise ranges from the technical aspects of institutional funding and monitoring to the strategic design of audience development frameworks. By championing evaluation and institutional learning, Sofia ensures that community initiatives are evidence-based, sustainable, and deeply representative. She is committed to ensuring that Latin American stories have both the space and the inclusive platforms they deserve in the UK.
Born in Geneva and of Colombian and British heritage, Elise León Morales is a multidisciplinary artist and curator working across photography, film, writing and artistic research. With a background in social work and an MA in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central Saint Martins, her practice is grounded in an interest in human experience and the ways we understand ourselves and one another.
Moving between artistic and curatorial practices, Morales explores how we experience, relate to and make sense of the world around us, often questioning the social narratives and assumptions we come to take for granted. Through photography, moving image, research and collaborative projects, she is interested in creating spaces for reflection and encounters, while paying attention to the personal stories and perspectives that sit beneath broader social and cultural narratives.
As Curator and Programmer of the London Latino Film Festival, she works to create space for a diverse range of Latin American voices and perspectives, questioning narrow representations of the region and its cultures. Her programming seeks to present Latin American cinema on its own terms, embracing the breadth, complexity and freedom of what Latin American film can be.
Merixell Lombana brings over a decade of hands-on film production experience to LoLaFF, having worked across London’s film industry since 2010. Specialising in the art department, she has built a career across different positions – coordinating crews, managing labour and graphic budgets, and serving as the key point of contact between the Production Designer’s team and every other department on set. For years, Merixell has held onto the idea of curating a small “Muestra” of Latin American cinema in London, a passion that led her to LoLaFF through the Embassy of Panama. She joins the team eager to put her production expertise to work building bridges between the UK and Latin America, and helping the festival grow into a lasting success.
Xander Dickenson is a production and communications professional whose work spans film, television, live events and PR. His path has taken him from production runner and assistant director roles on set, to coordinating live events, community development, and into press and communications work, giving him a genuine, hands-on understanding of how a story is made and how it reaches its audience. He studied Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Manchester, and studied communication at the Universitat de Barcelona and film at the Universidade de Lisboa. As PR and Communications Coordinator at LoLaFF, Xander leads press outreach and media relationships for the festival, driven by a belief in film’s power to amplify voices that don’t always get the platform they deserve.
Miranda Ashby is the Social Media Manager and PR Assistant for the London Latino Film Festival. As a recent graduate with a BA in Spanish and International Communications, Miranda joined LoLaFF as a way to reconnect with her Latin American roots while feeding her passion for film.
Rodrigo Vázquez-Salessi is an Argentine filmmaker, producer and programmer whose work focuses on social movements, historical memory, human rights and international solidarity. He has directed and produced documentaries filmed across Latin America, the Middle East, Europe and Asia, developing a cinematic practice that combines immersive storytelling with a strong commitment to political and social realities. His films have screened and received awards at international festivals, including recognition at the Santiago Álvarez International Documentary Film Festival in Cuba, and have been presented in venues and festivals across Europe and the Americas.Alongside his filmmaking work, Rodrigo is a film curator and programmer. He serves as a programmer and member of the selection committee of the Santiago Álvarez International Documentary Film Festival, one of Latin America’s leading documentary festivals, where he collaborates on international programming, industry activities and filmmaker development. He is also co-founder of Bethnal Films, a UK-based production company dedicated to documentary cinema and impact-driven storytelling, with a particular focus on underrepresented voices and stories from the Global South.
Ivonne Cotorruelo is a film curator from Cuba based in the US. She has worked across festivals committed to independent and underrepresented voices, with current roles as Iberoamerican Programmer for the Miami Film Festival (MFF) and Film Programmer at Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF). Her previous curatorial work includes Senior Programmer for the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (TTFF), Features Programmer for the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), Features Programmer for Outfest LA, and the Atlanta Film Festival, and shorts programmer for Aspen ShortFest. Alongside her programming work she works year-round for Chicken & Egg Pictures. She collaborates as a film reviewer for projects such as Film Independent Media Markers, and the WarnerMedia New Voices. A Berlinale Talents alumna, her curatorial ethos is shaped by questions of proximity and encounter – how we come to films, and how they come to us- with an investment in fostering spaces of visibility, inclusion, and shared resonance. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Connecticut.
