LFI Works in Progress

LFI Works in Progress is sponsored by Latino Film Institute (sponsored by Amazon MGM Studios). This program supports independent U. S.

-based filmmakers in the completion of a feature film (fiction or documentary) by providing finishing funds towards the final stages of post-production.

2025 LFI Works in Progress | Latino Film Institute In its third year, LFI Works in Progress sponsored by Amazon MGM Studios, supports independent U. S-based filmmakers in the completion of a feature film (fiction or documentary). The program grants finishing funds towards the final stages of post-production.

The fund supports films with high production value, a distinctive directorial voice, culturally significant and commercially viable. The fund allocates $50,000 between three projects selected through an open call. A jury of industry professionals divides the funds among the projects, based on their post production needs.

LFI Works In Progress 2026 application is now open! 2025 Works In Progress Recipients Written and directed by Carlos Alejandro Marulanda and Isael Gutierrez Using gambling as an escape from her social isolation, Valeria, a disabled woman with limited use of her hands, recruits a poor AfroMexican industrial worker to help her play the casinos and attempts to seduce him.

When her ultra religious mother threatens to destroy their burgeoning love affair, Valeria must move beyond the limits of her disabilities. 2024 Works In Progress Recipients Written and directed by Elaine Del Valle A Nuyorican girl learns resilience as she copes with her once-idolized musician father’s decline and the challenges of her notorious neighborhood.

Produced and directed by Ilse Fernandez Immigration is not a crime; seeking asylum is a right. The quest for a safer, better life through immigration is a generations-long story shaping the United States into the diverse nation it is today. It is also a complex, polarizing issue, acknowledged by all sides as broken.

Exodus Stories aims to provide an unfiltered, authentic account of the Central American-Southwest Border migration experience. It explores the resilience of three Central American immigrants -Deisy, Dennis, and Cindy-, part of the 2018-2019 mass migrant caravans seeking refuge in the United States.

2023 Works In Progress Recipients Produced and performed by Marta Cross, Valeria Maldonado and Virginia Novello Using gambling as an escape from her social isolation, Valeria, a disabled woman with limited use of her hands, recruits a poor AfroMexican industrial worker to help her play the casinos and attempts to seduce him.

When her ultra religious mother threatens to destroy their burgeoning love affair, Valeria must move beyond the limits of her disabilities. Directed by Sophia Stieglitz and produced by Constanza Castro and Doménica Castro In the heart of Mexico City, Melissa and Claudia, a married couple for over 20 years and the proud parents of five, navigate Melissa’s own version of gender identity.

Through laughter, conflict, and unconditional love, they challenge binary thinking and embrace Melissa’s paradoxical evolving self — a bold and uncanny celebration of identity, resilience, and the challenges of the path of becoming one’s true self. Directed by Bernardo Britto Diagnosed with a black hole growing inside her chest, a 55 year old woman from Miami, Florida decides to try to solve time travel.

Nuestras Historias Importan: A Conversation with Liliana Hueso For Liliana Hueso, storytelling is about creating connection, building community, and helping people feel seen. In this Staff Spotlight, Liliana shares the experiences that shaped her creative journey, the lessons she’s learned from young storytellers, and why she believes nuestras historias importan.

Latino Film Institute Announces LFI Spark Animation Fellowship’s 5th Cohort Latino Film Institute (LFI) today announced the fifth cohort of the LFI Spark Animation Fellowship, one of the organization’s signature programs designed to support emerging animation filmmakers. Supported by Netflix, the fellowship provides financial support, mentorship and industry guidance to help filmmakers develop and complete original animated short films.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 29, 2026 – Latino Film Institute (LFI) today announced the fifth cohort of the LFI Spark Animation Fellowship, one of the organization’s signature programs designed to support emerging animation filmmakers. Supported by Netflix, the fellowship provides financial support, mentorship, and industry guidance to help filmmakers develop and complete original animated short films.