Science fiction has stoked a sense of wonder and liberation for people of color for generations. Launched by MonteVideo to showcase sci-fi and speculative films by Latinx and BIPOC filmmakers, Raza Cósmica is the signature program in our ongoing efforts to support Latinx-themed independent film screenings for underserved communities via non-traditional venues. 

The third annual edition of the festival showcased films from Brazil, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Peru, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2023 edition of Raza Cósmica and to our community partners and sponsors, the Latino Collection and Resource Center, Mexican American Civil Rights Institute, Slab Cinema, Jump-Start Performance Co., Indie Grip, Bubbl’r, and Dulce Sueños!

Festival poster designed by San Antonio artist Trinity Rubio.

Xicanx Versus Aliens

Activist/Musician Joaquín Muerte hosts a live episode of his original podcast, Xicanx Versus Aliens, an exploration of “all things UFO, cryptozoology, paranormal, occult y mas from a person of color perspective.” Special guests Carlie Guevara (Spaceship) and filmmaker Ivan Flores join Muerte to discuss Latinx sci-fi cinema. Followed by a curated selection of cosmic-infused short films including El After del Mundo by Florentina Gonzalez, Spaceship by Jorge G. Camarena, Ro & the Stardust by Eunice Levis, and La Curandera Cumbiambera by Ivan Flores.

Excursions in Afrofuturism 

Afrofuturism expresses notions of Black identity, agency, and freedom through art, creative works, and activism that envision liberated futures for Black life. This vibrant selection of shorts includes films from the Democratic Republic of Congo, United Kingdom, and United States exploring Afrofuturism, memory, and resilience. Here is the Imagination of the Black Radical by Rhea Storr, Afronauts by Nuotama Frances Bodomo, The Love Machine by Jasmine Lynea, Amina by Shanrica Evans, The Burden by Tish Arana, Mulika by Maisha Maene. Filmmaker Tish Arana will be in attendance for a Q & A after the world premiere of The Burden!

Above the Clouds

A stellar collection of short films that navigate the intersections of identity, community, and esperanza. Includes sci-fi selections from Brazil, Colombia, and the United States. Astropackers by Luisa Fernanda Velásquez, Felipe Rodriguez, Silvia Prietov; Lux Noctis by Damiana Acuña; Do Digital Curanderas Use Eggs in Their Limpias? by Roberto Fatal; Keep/Delete by Kryzz Gautier; Unliveable by Matheus Farias, Enock Carvalho.

Tiempos Futuros (The Shape of Things to Come)

Preceded by Yoruga, a short film about a visit with one of the last animals on Earth directed by Federico Torrado Tobón, the Texas premiere of Tiempos Futuros by Peruvian director V. Checa closes the third annual Raza Cósmica. This feature film tells the story of 12-year-old Teo who works with his father maintaining a strange machine meant to generate rain over a severely droughty dystopian city. Spanish with English subtitles.