{"id":68277,"date":"2026-10-09T17:42:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T16:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/?p=68277"},"modified":"2026-10-10T20:59:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T19:59:26","slug":"behind-the-scenes-at-lolaff-ten-films-and-the-stories-behind-them-told-by-their-creators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/behind-the-scenes-at-lolaff-ten-films-and-the-stories-behind-them-told-by-their-creators\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the scenes at LOLAFF: ten films and the stories behind them, told by their creators"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo by RogerAPhoto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Full of joy, colour and unstoppable energy, Ketty Rodriguez brought the entire festival together, powering it almost single-handedly through the sheer force of her personality. The story of the first LoLaFF began with this very personal, deeply human impulse. Having moved to London in 2025, the Cuban actress realised that, for all the city\u2019s beauty and grandeur, she missed Latin American cinema, familiar voices, a sense of celebration and, quite simply, the feeling of being among her own people. So Rodriguez decided to create the space she was missing herself. A festival, cinema, Latin America \u2014 why not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And just a year later, the first London Latino Film Festival took place. It was anything but a modest, tentative debut. Instead, it arrived in style: an opening ceremony at the Barbican, screenings and events at the ICA, Cin\u00e9 Lumi\u00e8re and BFI Stephen Street, a red carpet, directors, actors, audiences and all the excitement of a bustling festival. The programme featured competition screenings, family films, special presentations and retrospectives, conversations with filmmakers, Q&A sessions, as well as a dedicated educational and social programme. LoLaFF was conceived as a cultural ecosystem in which the experience of cinema continues long after the credits roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the festival\u2019s visual identity reflects this philosophy. The official poster for the inaugural LoLaFF was created by Cuban designer and poster artist Nelson Ponce. It depicts a toucan with a bright yellow beak sheltering from the London rain beneath an enormous black umbrella. The image captures the idea perfectly: a tropical bird, colourful and cheerful; the rain, cold and damp; and the umbrella, a kind of portable home, a refuge where one can find warmth and sing one\u2019s own song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Rina Ilina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Photo by Rina Ilina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The message of the LoLaFF poster is immediately clear: Latin America in London becomes a world of its own, with its distinctive colours, rhythms, voices and dances. More broadly, the festival draws on the rich traditions of Latin American visual culture, particularly those of Cuba. Its programme included an exhibition of rare Cuban film posters, with their instantly recognisable, vibrant and politically charged graphic style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another important part of the programme was Industry Workshops @ Guildhall School of Music & Drama, aimed primarily at film and creative industry professionals rather than general audiences. Three sessions offered three different gateways into the creative world. Writer Alec Marsh and musician James Grant explored storytelling and the ways narratives unfold through words and music. Natali Juste Simmonds discussed resilience in the writing profession \u2014 the often invisible side of creative life, shaped by rejection, uncertainty, self-doubt and long periods without tangible results. Meanwhile, Chilean screenwriter Gonzalo Maza, co-writer of A Fantastic Woman, led a screenwriting masterclass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The educational programme carried forward LoLaFF\u2019s central ambition: not simply to showcase completed films, but also to give emerging creatives access to the knowledge and experience of those who understand the industry from the inside \u2014 from the initial spark of an idea and the writing of a screenplay through to production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the festival was by no means limited to its professional programme. The Workshops & Socials strand offered activities designed for a much wider audience, including Latin dance workshops, social gatherings and other opportunities to experience the festival beyond the cinema screen. No previous dance experience or partner was required. What mattered was the simple pleasure of moving together, meeting new people and engaging directly with a culture \u2014 a physical, social experience that could be shared with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LoLaFF blurred the boundaries between the cinema auditorium and everything that happens after the final credits: a conversation with a director, a lively debate about a film, a dance, a new friendship or a chance encounter in the foyer. This was where much of the festival\u2019s charm lay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And perhaps it is Nelson Ponce\u2019s toucan beneath its umbrella that best captures what Ketty Rodriguez has achieved: finding a place in London where this colourful bird can take shelter from the rain, spread its wings and, above all, remain true to itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But behind the vibrant colours, music and festive atmosphere lay the very reason LoLaFF existed in the first place: cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remarkably diverse in genre, tone and subject matter, the films explored love and loneliness, memory and freedom, the search for identity and the desire to find one\u2019s place in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And who better to tell us about these stories than the people who imagined them and brought them to the screen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We spoke to ten filmmakers shaping contemporary Latin American cinema, all of whom took part in the inaugural London Latino Film Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

London Latino Film Festival Award Winners:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n