The 18th annual Hola Mexico Film Festival is set to begin Friday evening, marking its return with a red-carpet event and an opening night screening at The Montalbán theater in Hollywood.
The festival will run through October 3, featuring more than 20 films, alongside 20 short films from its Saturday’s Filmmakers Friday program, according to organizers. The programming includes a range of dramas, comedies, documentaries, and horror films by Mexican filmmakers. Organizers describe the Hola Mexico Film Festival, founded in 2008, as the largest Mexican film festival held outside of Mexico.
Opening night will feature the comedy “Loco México Mágico.” Directed by Carlos Santos, the film follows an eccentric mayor who attempts to transform Alvarado, Veracruz, into a tourist destination. His plan involves creating a Hollywood-style movie with local residents and limited resources. The Spanish-language film will be shown with English subtitles and stars Silverio Palacios, Daniel Sosa, Fernando Cuautle, Florencia Benítez, Sofía Carrera, Rocío Guzmán, Shaní Lozano, and Norma Reyna.
Several cast and crew members are expected to attend the red-carpet event. Director Carlos Santos, along with actors Silverio Palacios and Sofía Carrera, are scheduled to be present. They will be joined by actor Luis Gerardo Méndez, actress and filmmaker Gigi Saul Guerrero, and other filmmakers and performers.
Beyond the opening night, additional festival screenings are scheduled to take place at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live, offering more opportunities for residents to see the curated selection of films.
The festival will conclude on October 3 at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. The closing celebration will include a screening of the romantic comedy “A Marte,” followed by a concert from Spaghetti Cumbia.
“A Marte,” directed by Roberto Girault, features Cassandra Sanchez Navarro, Jesus Zavala, and Jose Maria De Tavira. The story follows an eccentric comic book creator who channels his fictional superhero persona to protect a famous telenovela star facing danger. The closing night concert will feature Spaghetti Cumbia, a group that also performed at the festival in 2025. The group is known for its blend of cumbia with influences from spaghetti western music, surf music, and other genres. Festival founder and director Samuel Douek noted that the group was invited back for the closing night after their performance last year, seeing them as the festival's concluding highlight.
Douek also commented on the broader connection the festival represents, stating, "Los Angeles and Mexico are connected in many ways, but cinema holds the strongest bond."