San Antonio’s CineFestival returns in person for 42nd annual film fest
- Yulelé Media LLC
- The documentary Juanito’s Lab will debut at CineFestival this year.
San Antonio’s original Latinx film festival is back and in person this year for its 42nd annual iteration.
This year’s CineFestival, made possible with a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, will include 80 short and feature films — 60% of them made in Texas.
One of those, the documentary Juanito’s Lab focuses on the life and career of 32-year-old San Antonio musician and former child prodigy Juanito Castillo, who was born blind.
The film is directed by husband-and-wife team Guillermina Zabala and Enrique Lopetegui, the latter of whom once worked as the Current’s film and music editor. (See our review of the film in the paper’s Music section.)
“We wanted to take Juanito out to do a movie but, in the end, he took us out,” Zabala said. “This was a magical, unpredictable project with an open ending. Every time we felt it was a wrap, Juanito would come up with something and we had to film it. I hope this little grain of sand will help Juanito get the recognition and acclaim he deserves.”
$40, various times July 7-11, Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St., (210) 271-3151, guadalupeculturalarts.org.
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