Latino Film Institute (LFI) announced the full lineup for the 23rd Los Angeles International Latino Film Festival (LALIFF), taking place May 29-June 2 at TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, California. The main attraction is the film "In the Summers", starring René Perez Joglar, better known as Residente, marking his debut as an actor. This film, directed by Colombian American Alessandra Lacorazza, won awards at the Sundance Film Festival and tells the story of Violeta and Eva, who visit their father Vicente every summer as he struggles with addiction.

This year's festival is robust, with feature films, short films, animation, panels, networking sessions, musical performances, and LALIFF's first film market, the LALIFF Industry Forum. This forum will feature big names in the industry, such as Amazon MGM Studios, ESPN Films, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures Animation, STARZ, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Warner Bros, according to Latin Times.

Residente, in an interview with Collider, talked about his role in the film and his approach to acting, highlighting the preparation that involved acting coaches and the added challenge of acting in his second language, English. Alessandra Lacorazza allowed him to speak in Spanish, but he opted to use English in many scenes.

LALIFF 2024 will also feature a variety of genres and world premieres, as well as internationally acclaimed productions from Latin America. The festival will screen films from several countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Spain, the United States, France, Mexico, Portugal, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Edward James Olmos, co-founder of LALIFF, underscored to the Los Angeles Times the festival's mission to elevate the contributions of Latino creators in film and television, highlighting the importance of the festival's expansion. An example of this expansion is the new programming titled LALIFF Eastside, which will feature four screenings of films by Los Angeles-based filmmakers at Regal LA Live. These films are “F.L.Y” by Rafael Albarrán and Trent Kendrick, “Say a Little Prayer” by Patrick Pérez Vidauri, “The Unexpecteds” by Alejandro Montoya Marín and “The Wingwalker” by Alonso Álvarez-Barreda.