A new London film festival dedicated to Latin American cinema is to open in October, it has been announced.

The London Latino Film Festival runs from 2 to 6 October and will open with a night at the Barbican.

Guests appearing during the event will include Cuban ballet dancer Carlos Acosta, Argentine actor Óscar Martínez and Cuban actor Jorge Perugorría, who will hold question and answer sessions after screenings.

The festival will also feature cultural events including a rare exhibition of Cuban film posters. Organisers say they have been hand-printed in Havana by Cuba’s national film institute despite the island facing regular long power cuts.

Each design is stamped and made only for the event, and will be shown at the Eclectic Gallery from 28 September for three weeks. Proceeds from the sales will go to the festival and to Cuba.

The festival has been set up by the Cuban actress Ketty Rodriguez, who having moved to London in May 2025, said she had been surprised by how little Latin American culture she could find in the city.

“I couldn’t find my people,” she said. “Europe has an incredible art scene and a rich, cinematic past, yet very few people know about Latin cinema.

“It’s extremely underrepresented despite a big community here, so I decided to do something about it.”

She said she built a team and a network of backers within three months of arriving. Organisers say the festival has drawn hundreds of entries, including features, documentaries, animation and shorts.

Other events taking place will include an appearance by Carlos Acosta, a former Royal Ballet principal who will appear alongside a screening of Yuli: The Carlos Acosta Story – the 2018 film about his childhood in Havana.

The programme will also feature three masterclasses at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, as well as dance classes.

An estimated 157,800 Latin Americans live in London, according to analysis of the 2021 census by King’s College London, rising to about 187,800 if people with irregular status are included. There is no Latin American category on the census form, with responses written under “any other ethnic group”.

The festival said it was supported by the British Film Institute through National Lottery funding and by the City of London, along with the Cervantes Institute and several Latin American embassies.

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