A Texas-centered film festival returns to the Alamo City.
CineFestival, which is in its 40th year, runs July 5-8 at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. This year's theme is "Hecho en Tejas, or Made in Texas," festival programmer Manuel Solis said.
Of the 56 films, Solis said 41 were made by Texas filmmakers.
"Out of those, 23 were made by San Antonio filmmakers,” he added. “At our last count, we had 35 confirmed filmmakers that are going to be here at the festival."
IF YOU GO What: CineFestival Where: Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center When: Thursday, July 5-8, time varies Cost: some events free, $8-$10 for others
The film fest opens with "We The Animals,” which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival, starring Raul Castillo, a native of McAllen.
Also at the fest is the Femme Filmmaker Showcase, highlighting women making films about life on the border.
But the event isn’t just for cinephiles, Castillo said. The festival can be a real resource for those in the film industry.
"We have some really good master classes. We have some great networking opportunities. We have a lineup of several after parties where people can get together and listen to some good music and talk about film, and to just celebrate what it means to be a Texas filmmaker and a San Antonio filmmaker," he said.
Castillo added: "If you're a lover of cinema it's an opportunity to be around like-minded people. I think that's one of the great things about the San Antonio film community is that you see people who genuinely want to help and support one another in terms of telling their stories."
Jack Morgan can be reached at jack@tpr.org