18th Hola México Film Festival Unveils Lineup

Hola México Film Festival revealed the official selections for its 18th annual edition, taking place September 25-October 3rd, 2026, during Hispanic Heritage Month in Los Angeles, California.

The lineup will feature 20+ films and 20 short films from its filmmaker-focused program Tomorrows Filmmakers Today.

The festival will kick off with opening night with the film “Loco México Magico” directed by Carlos Santos. It continues the following day with the Los Angeles premiere and red-carpet event for the concert film featuring Mexican rock superstars Zoé, MEMOREX + REXSEXEX Y MÁS. Directed by Rodrigo Guardiola and produced by Olmo Guerra, the film will be presented at The Montalbán in Hollywood.

A special showcase of the film Los Olvidados: Remastered Edition & LA premiere of Memoria de Los Olvidados (Memory of the Forgotten) is a documentary directed by Javier Espada. It explores Luis Buñuel’s landmark 1950 Mexican film Los Olvidados (The Young and the Damned), which is registered on UNESCO’s Memory of the World list and includes Alejandro González Iñárritu.

Samuel Douek, the founder and director of HMFF, expressed his excitement, saying, “18 years of celebrating Mexican cinema in LA is a strong statement about the community and their love for Mexican films! At the same time, we’re happy to continue celebrating Mexico’s cinematic achievements worldwide. Los Angeles and Mexico are connected in many ways, but cinema holds the strongest bond.”

As part of this year’s festival, Toyota collaborated with Andrea Porras Madero, a previous participant in Hola México’s Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today program, to create an original cinematic short film inspired by the suspense and intrigue of a sci-fi thriller. The film showcases two of Toyota’s All-Electric Family of vehicles, the Toyota bZ and C-HR, through a playful premise: while great movies may depend on characters making bad decisions, choosing a Toyota electric vehicle is an easy call.

The festival comprises the following sections: México Ahora, Documental, Hola Niños, and Nocturno. México Ahora features the best of Mexican films released in recent years, covering every genre. Documental includes notable non-fiction films made by Mexican filmmakers. Hola Niños features films for the entire family. The Nocturno section offers offbeat stories and horror films.

This year’s selections are as follows:

México Ahora

Juana Dir. Daniel Giménez Cacho
En El Camino Dir. David Pablos
La Peluca Dir. Emiliano Rocha Minter
Sobriedad, Me Estás Matando Dir. Raúl Campos
Una Familia A La Deriba Dir. Alfonso Pineda Ulloa
El Jardín Que Soñamos Dir. Joaquín Del Paso
Bailando Solo Dir. Gilberto González Penilla
El Conserje Dir. Mauro Mueller y David Figueroa García
A Toda Madre Dir. Max Del Rio
Jardines Del Bosque Dir. Alex y Diego Barragan

Documentary

Llamarse Olimpia Dir. Indira Cato
Flamingos: La Vida Después Del Meteorito Dir. Lorenzo Hagerman
Memoria De Los Olvidados Dir. Javier Espada
Azul Oscuro, Azul Celeste Dir. Carlos Carrera y Carlos Bátiz
Zoé: Memorex + Rexsexex Y Más Dir. Rodrigo Guardiola

Nocturno

Hablando Con Extraños Dir. Adrian Garcia Bogliano
No Me Sigas Dir. Eduardo y Ximena Garcia Lecuona
Psicópata: El Asesino Del Conejo Blanco Dir. J. Xavier Velasco

Hola Niños

La Marca Del Jaguar Dir. Victor Mayorga