The Gainesville Latino Film Festival returns this September for its 22nd edition, featuring a program dedicated to Latin American film, art, and culture, presented by the Latina Women’s League. Under this year’s theme, “Voices of Our Land,” the festival will take place from September 10–28, 2026, at various locations throughout Gainesville. The celebration will begin on Thursday, September 10, at the Harn Museum of Art with a screening of A Song for My Land, an Argentine documentary directed by Mauricio Albornoz Iniesta. The film follows a music teacher, his students, and a community that finds in music a way to make their voices heard. The documentary explores themes of music, education, community, and caring for the place we call home, connecting closely with this year’s festival theme. Opening Night Opening Night will coincide with Museum [...]

Saturday night was transformed into a cinematic celebration with the anticipated screening of the documentary “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez”, written and directed by David Alvarado. The first screening was sold out but the film is showing all week. The documentary narrates the story of the famous Chicano storyteller, theater and film director, Luis Valdez. During 1965 farm strikes in Delano, California, Valdez founded The Teatro Campesino, a group that performed skits to dramatize the cause of the farmworkers.  Known for the play and movie “Zoot Suit” and “La Bamba”, Valdez transformed the American cultural landscape by bringing Chicano stories from the farm fields to Broadway and Hollywood. Later in his life, he was awarded the 2015 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities by President Obama for “bringing Chicano culture to American [...]

Escrito por Ana Sofia Matute Fotos: Cortesía de Ana Sofia Matute   Cuando me buscaron para escribir un artículo sobre mi experiencia universitaria y mis lugares recomendados, me dio un microinfarto: ¿por dónde empiezo? Ante el pánico, acudí al único archivo histórico que nunca miente: mi galería de fotos. Tras casi dos horas de scroll ininterrumpido entre capturas de pantalla, memes viejos y fotos de comida, la pregunta seguía ahí —¿por dónde empiezo? —, pero ahora venía acompañada de una sonrisa y una ola de emoción al recordar todo lo que he superado en esta etapa. Para arrancar, tengo que citar a la verdadera protagonista de este trauma inicial: mi mamá. La primera vez que pisó la Universidad de Florida (o “la UF”, como le dice ella muy metida en el papel), miró a su alrededor y [...]

  Laura dePaz Cabrera: being a mom, the core of everything she does. Written by Karolina Banda Photos by Libby Clifton In a city like Gainesville, where cultures, hard work, and shared dreams intersect, there are women who hold multiple worlds together with a quiet strength and effortless grace that inspires. In this special Mother’s Day edition, we share the story of Laura de Paz, a closer look at motherhood through her lived experiences, and how it reshapes who you are. A recognized immigration attorney in the community, a trusted voice who informs and guides, a singer on stage… and a mother. For Laura, motherhood isn’t just a role; motherhood is present in everything she is and everything she does; the one hat she never takes off. A mother of three, Laura has learned that [...]

The Story of How Bazar. A Space for Everyone. We met Laila Fakhoury in the middle of a busy downtown market. The event, a partnership between the City of Gainesville and How Bazar, was created to bring life to the streets during the quiet winter months. As we talked, she moved between directing vendors and showing exactly how she builds community in real-time. Laila’s vision is deeply shaped by her Palestinian heritage, where she learned early that “community is everything and all we have.” Her work is rooted in recreating that feeling—a space where people don’t just gather, but truly belong. Coming from such a collective culture, she admits the more individualistic pace of American life once felt disheartening. But in Gainesville, she found something different: people quietly searching for the same sense of belonging, [...]

Three Artists Building Their Own Path. There is something special about walking through a Saturday morning market in Gainesville and suddenly stopping in front of a piece that moves you. A ceramic sculpture that takes you back to a trip you once took, or perhaps to a home you once visited. A one-of-a-kind statement necklace that catches the light just right. Or print with a digital illustration that weaves Latin American roots into a bold, contemporary visual language. In those moments, you realize this is not a Manhattan gallery or an international art fair. This is your Gainesville. And here, behind every piece, there is an artist building their dream, one market at a time. One City, One Scene Gainesville is not Miami or New York. It doesn’t  have the scale or the cultural infrastructure [...]

There’s a weight that comes with being far from the place where we were born, far from our families, and from the traditions familiar to us. It’s a feeling that’s hard to explain but easy to recognize, like something within us is still missing or unsettled. Immigrating, in itself, is a difficult journey. For many, it requires starting over, often from zero, and sometimes alone. We learn how to navigate systems we don’t fully understand at first, adjust to a new language, and keep up with a pace of life that feels constant, fast, and overwhelming. Here, everything moves quickly, and it can take time to find our place within it. In the middle of that process, something as simple and as powerful as community can make all the difference. Finding community grounds us. It [...]

Elio’s story is a reminder that professional growth is never a straight line. It is something built day by day, through focus and discipline. We sat down with him to talk about his beginnings, and  took a stroll down the memory lane. With smiles and quiet nostalgia, he took us on a journey  to his humble roots in Cuba , subsequently leading to his life in the United States, a life defined by the ability to adapt without ever losing sight of who he is. Today, Elio stands as living proof that with dedication and a clear sense of purpose, anyone can accomplish their goals. He arrived carrying a plastic bag as his only possession, but with his diligence, tenacity and perseverance, he has come a long way and now leads meaningful projects that shape [...]