This week GLAAD’s Spanish-Language & Latine Media team has some exciting updates on films premiering at LALIFF, newĀ music from Caribbean and Latino artists, as well as updates on some highly anticipated drag news happening in Mexico.
LALIFF film festival includes queer stories
As summer approaches, so does film festival season in Los Angeles! The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) has announced its full schedule for this yearās festival. This year, LALIFF celebrates its 22nd festival with a sensational number of Latinx talent including filmmakers, musicians and speakers. The five-day celebration, from May 31-June 4,Ā will feature Flamin’ HotĀ directed by Eva Longoria and a live musical performance from La Misa Negra.Ā Some of the LGBTQ-inclusive films include:Ā MoeĀ directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela; HummingbirdsĀ directed by Silvia Del Carmen CastaƱos andĀ EstefanĆa “Beba” Contreras;Ā and the closing night film ProblemistaĀ featuring Tilda Swinton and co-starring writerĀ Julio Torres of Los Espookys andĀ SNL.
Check out LALIFF’s full feature film lineup here.
New music from KaytraminƩ, Serenatas, and Bad Bunny!
KaytraminĆ© ā the new duo, formed by Kaytranada and AminĆ©, has announced the date and tracklist for their debut album, KaytraminĆ©. The cover artwork lists various contributors, including Big Sean, Amaarae, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, and Freddie Gibbs. Born in Haiti, Kaytranada has talked about his sexuality in previous interviews with The Fader and The Guardian.Ā The self-titled album is expected to be out on May 19. KaytraminĆ© released their single ā4evaā featuring Pharrell Williams this past April. You can check out KaytraminĆ©ās latest single below. –Mauricio Montes
Lastly, on our list for music is āun x100toā (one percent) by Grupo Frontera and GLAADās Vanguard Award recipient, Bad Bunny. The romantic cumbia tells the story of a person who misses their ex and tries to call them with only one percent of battery left on their phone. Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny released the single and music video you can watch here.
Speaking of music, serenatas have been a beloved Mexican tradition for many years, they allow expression of love and romance through the art of music. In 2020, short film La SerenataĀ was named one of the three winners of HBOās Latinx Short Film Competition. The heartwarming short film, written by Ernesto Javier MartĆnez and directed by Adelina Anthony, shows the journey of two parents trying to understand their sonās desire to sing a love song to another boy. You can watch the short film hereĀ whichĀ also features HĆ©ctor Hugoās song āJardĆn de Mariposas.ā You can listen below. –Mauricio Montes
Drag RaceĀ Mexico is officially happening!
Last week, Paramount+ and World of Wonder officially announced theĀ hosts forĀ Drag Race Mexico,Ā theĀ MexicanĀ version of the award-winning reality show,Ā RuPaul’s Drag Race. In this show,Ā dragĀ queens from all overĀ MexicoĀ will compete in challenges involving acting, fashion, comedy and more, in hopes of becoming the nextĀ dragĀ superstar and winning the grand cash prize.
The first host announced isĀ Lolita Banana, a drag queen born inĀ MexicoĀ City and based in Paris.Ā SheĀ is the firstĀ Mexican-born person to have participated in theĀ DragĀ RaceĀ franchise and is positioned as one of the most importantĀ dragĀ queens in France. Her career took off thanks to Brunch and Queen at the Paris restaurant Acqua e FarinaĀ and she gained international fame by being part of the first season ofĀ DragĀ RaceĀ France in 2022.
The next host announced is Valentina, aĀ Mexican-American singer, actress, and drag performer. Valentina rose to fame after her participation in the ninth season of RuPaul’sĀ DragĀ Race and the fourth season of the All-Stars edition. Valentina has toured the world with Werq The World and hosted her own show, La Vida de Valentina. SheĀ has alsoĀ graced the cover ofĀ MexicanĀ fashion magazines Vogue and ELLE, among others. Her acting career includes roles in RENT: Live (Fox), La Casa de la Flores (Netflix), and the feature musical film La Usurpadora: El Musical.
While it’s not the first drag reality show to air in Mexico (we’ve long been fans of programs likeĀ La MĆ”s Draga, which will air its sixth season soon) any opportunity to showcase Latin American drag talent is wonderful news! We look forward to hearing more about theĀ DragĀ RaceĀ MĆ©xicoĀ contestants, which will be revealed soon!