The San Antonio Film Festival is a celebration of movies, according to its executive director and founder Adam Rocha.
Starting with 13 films during Rocha’s first festival in 1994, it has grown to 18 times that size at an estimated 240 movies in 2024 featuring local and international filmmakers.
“We have one flying in from Spain … and we have a team of kids coming from Chapman University in LA,” said Rocha.
Rocha refers to his festival as “Just like Sundance but in San Antonio,” and just without the mountains. Sundance is a film festival hosted in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. Rocha’s favorites are the local ones.
“We have 22 local filmmakers that we are proudly putting on blast,” said Rocha. “It tries to get them to eventually get into movie theaters with their feature-length films.”
This well-attended “mom and pop” festival will display feature and short films for six days straight from July 30 to August 4 at the Radius Center, City Base Cinema and Tobin Center’s three theaters, including the Carlos Alvarez Theatre, McLaughlin Rotuna and Feik Rotunda.
Day One - Tuesday, July 30th
Six feature films will be available to view starting at 7:00 p.m. on July 30. One of the films includes “Look at Me” directed by Taylor Olson. A fictional autobiography about an insecure, awkward and lonely bisexual actor who goes on an unwitting journey of self-love in the midst of an eating disorder relapse.
“Look at Me” will be shown on Tuesday at the Tobin Center’s McLaughlin Theater at 9:00 p.m.
The first day will also show short films from both local and international filmmakers from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Radius Center and Carlos Alvarez Theater.
There will be a free industry networking event “Coffee Talk” presented by the San Antonio Film Commission at the Radius Center from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Day Two - Wednesday, July 31st
A total of 12 feature films will be available to watch from 12:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
“Loteria” is a film about an Iranian man’s multiple attempts to cross over the border illegally from Mexico to the United States in pursuit of a better life. Due to the travel ban in 2017, immigrants were forced to cross the border illegally into the United States.
The film directed by Ali Atshani will be shown on Wednesday, July 31 at 3:00 p.m. at the Tobin Center’s Carlos Alvarez Theater.
- Over 12 hours full of short films are in the queue, broken up into five categories starting at 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.
- "The Subtitle Sessions" will take place at the Radius Center from 10 a.m. to noon.
- "Complexities" will be played at the Carlos Alvarez Theatre from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- "Not All Heroes Wear Capes" will be available to view at the McLaughlin Rotuna from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- "Her Story" and "The Cinema Grab Bag" will close out the night at the Feik Rotunda from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Day Three - Thursday, August 1st
On Thursday, Aug. 1, nine feature films will play starting at the Carlos Alvarez Theater at 12:30 p.m. with "Pain and Peace" directed by Mark Feijó and ending the night with a film directed by Colton Van Til, "Meltdown: A Nuclear Family’s Ascension Into Madness", at 9:00 p.m. at the Radius Center.
17 more short films will be shown separated into three different categories as well.
- "Around the World in a Couple of Hours" at the Feik Rotunda from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- "An Emotional Pull" at the Radius Center at 12:30 p.m.
- "College Night" at the Carlos Alvarez Theater from 7:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Day Four - Friday, August 2nd
Friday, Aug. 2, nine more feature films are on display starting at 12:30 p.m. at the McLaughlin Rotunda with a documentary film about the story of "Jesse Trevino" directed by Randy Beamer.
The last feature film of the night concludes with "Heartbreak Falls" directed by John Michael Nolan at 9:30 p.m. inside the Feik Rotuna.
Once again there are 24 short films broken up into four separate categories worth 15 hours of film in one day.
- "All Over the Place" starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Feik Rotuna
- "Food Film Fest" at 12:30 inside the McLaughlin Rotunda
- "A Love Story" at the Radius Center at 3:00 p.m.
- "Concluding with Chapters" at the Feik Rotunda starting at 7:00 p.m.
Day Five - Saturday, August 3rd
Saturday, Aug. 3, there are a total of six feature films starting at 12:30 p.m. at the McLaughlin Rotunda. "American Underdog" directed by Gustavo Martin Benites will be played inside the theater and the film revolves around a redemption story set in the world of MMA. Everyone in this world has been damaged by life in some way, and this film highlights the beauty and healing power of connection, forgiveness, and self-reflection. This film is set to play at 7:00 p.m.
80 short films are also available to watch all in one day. Once again, it’s split up into separate categories including:
- "The Kind of Man" from 10:00 a.m. till noon at the Radius Center.
- "Kids Fest" from 10:00 a.m. till noon at the McLaughlin Rotunda.
- "The Future: High School Shorts" from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Radius Center.
- "The Feels" from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Carlos Alvarez Theater.
- "Class of 2024: High School Shorts" from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the McLaughlin Rotuna.
- "Breaking Point" from 3:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m. at the Feik Rotuna.
- "Chills, Thrills, Lotsa Kills!" from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Carlos Alvarez Theater.
- "LMAO" from 9:30 p.m. to close out at 11:00 p.m. at the McLaughlin Rotuna.
A workshop hosted by San Antonio Film Festival’s programmer, Cedric Smith, will cover short script screenplay readings from 10:00 a.m. till noon.
Another industry panel will be open for people to stop by during their movie-hopping session. Hosted by David Moskovitz, the panel, "Wanna Score?" gives insider tips on how to achieve the perfect soundtrack for your production, including music licensing and working with music supervisors. This panel will take place from 10 a.m. till noon at the Carlos Alvarez Theater.
Saturday also provides a sit-down interview with actor, writer & director Tony Plana, known for his roles in "Zoot Suit," "Three Amigos" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." This conversation will take place at the Feik Rotunda from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Day Six - Sunday, August 4th
Sunday hosts four feature films kicking off with "Rhino Man" directed by John Jurko II, Matt Lindenberg and Daniel Roberts. It’s about the true story of the courageous field rangers who risk their lives every day to protect South Africa's rhinos from being poached to extinction. This film will start at 12:30 p.m. at the Radius Center.
Compared to Saturday’s 80 short films, a total of seven will be played at the Radius Center at 3:00 p.m. with the category being the "Lone Star State of Mind."
Sunday also hosts Cedric Smith with a workshop around feature screenplay readings. This event will take place at the Feik Rotunda from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
End Credits
To conclude the long six days' worth of films, the SAFILM Award Ceremony will take place at the Carlos Alvarez Theater from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. This ceremony will also honor Tony Plana with the Texas Yanaguana Award.
Tickets for VIP badges, day passes and individual tickets are available on their website, including the complete detailed schedule for the San Antonio Film Festival.
