The GuadaLAjara Film Festival (GLAFF) will return to Los Angeles for its 14th edition, running from November 1-3, 2024. This year’s event promises a dynamic blend of films and events featuring a stellar lineup of talent, including Zoe Saldaña, Rooney Mara, Raúl Briones, Dylan O’Brien and Nava Mau.

The festival will open with "Sujo" Mexico's official submission for the Oscars' best international feature category. The film follows Sujo, the orphan of a cartel gunman, who attempts to make his life anew, until his father’s legacy catches up with him. The film is directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, director of the Gotham Award-winning film Identifying Features. SUJO is being distributed in the U.S. by The Forge and is set to open in theaters this December.

GLAFF's short film selection includes highlights like “All the Words but the One,” directed and starring recent Emmy nominee Nava Mau (“Baby Reindeer”), and “Dovecote,” produced by and starring Zoe Saldaña. The festival will also feature “Ecstasy,” the directorial debut of celebrated cinematographer Carolina Costa ("Fancy Dance"), starring Mabel Cadena and Natalia Solian.

Other standouts include La Cocina, which premiered at Berlinale, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios and starring Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones. Other notable films include Esteban Arango’s Ponyboi, written by and starring River Gallo alongside Dylan O’Brien, and the queer comedy Rent Free, directed by Fernando Andres, which premiered at Tribeca in June. 

The festival will conclude with Prime Video’s anticipated series La Liberación from visionary director and creator Alejandra Marquez Abella, known for her films like Northern Skies Over the Empty Space, The Good Girls, and A Million Miles Away. The series boasts a stellar cast, including Ilse Salas, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Johanna Murillo (all three from "The Good Girls), Diego Boneta ("Luis Miguel: La Serie"), and Dolores Heredia ("Rudo y Cursi"). The series tells the story of three women who team up to persuade a young actress to drop an allegation of sexual harassment against a renowned film director. Infused with dark humor, the series is a profound and precise reflection on the post-#MeToo world.

For the second consecutive year, GLAFF will partner with Gloria Molina Grand Park to have their signature Dia de los Muertos centerpiece gala on November 2nd. The free public screening will feature the premiere of Manuela Irene’s Monstruo de Xibalba which follows a young boy who wants to unravel the mystery of death, as well as the short film The Mourning Of. 

GLAFF will spotlight films from the Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara (FICG), including “La Arriera,” which earned Isabel Cristina Fregoso a Best Director award, and “Tratado de Invisibilidad,” directed by Luciana Kaplan. Notably, 57% of the films at this year’s GLAFF are directed by women and 38% feature LGBTQ+ narratives.

Tickets for GLAFF 2024 are now on sale through the festival’s website.

Official Selection - Feature Films

*Opening Night Gala: Sujo, directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, 2024

*Closing Night Gala: La Liberación, created by Alejandra Marquéz Abella. Mexico / USA, 2025

*Centerpiece Gala: Monstruo de Xibalba, Dir. Manuela Irene. Mexico, 2024

-La Arriera, Dir. Isabel Cristina Fregoso. Mexico, 2024

-La Cocina, Dir. Alonso Ruizpalacios. USA / Mexico, 2024

-Ponyboi, Dir. Esteban Arango. USA, 2024

-Rent Free, Dir. Fernando Andrés. USA, 2024

-The Low End Theory, Dir. Francisco Ordonez. USA, 2024

-Tratado de Invisibilidad, Dir. Luciana Kaplan. Mexico, 2024

Official Selection - Short Films

-All the Words But the One, Dir. Nava Mau. USA, 2024

-Azi, Dir. Montana Mann. USA, 2024

-Beso de Lengua, Dir. José Luis Zorrero. Mexico, 2023

-Beverly Heights, Dir. Alyssa Aldaz. USA, 2024

-Boi de Conchas, Dir. Daniel Barosa. Brazil / USA, 2024

-Dovecote, Dir. Marco Perego. Italy, 2024

-Ecstasy, Dir. Carolina Costa. Mexico, 2023

-Ella Se Queda, Dir. Marinthia Gutiérrez. Mexico, 2024

-Flores Amarillas, Dir. Jessica Arzate and Kim Caicedo. USA, 2024

-ILY, BYE, Dir. Taylor James. USA, 2024

-Misocompra, Dir. Andrea Ro Riggen. Mexico, 2024

-Panadrilo, Dir. Marcela Heibron. Panama, 2024

-The Mourning Of, Dir. Merced Elizondo. USA, 2024

-The Woods are Lovely, Dark and Deep, Dir. Mykel Salazar. USA, 2024

The GuadaLAjara Film Festival is supported by the University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara,  the University of Guadalajara Foundation USA, the Grodman Legacy Family Foundation, and the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG)