LUSCA Film Fest Unveils its Anticipated 18th Edition Official Selection with Over 175 Films
Still from the movie Reset, part of the official feature film selection
The 18th edition of the LUSCA Film Fest, centered around the theme of "extraterrestrial contact," proudly announces its official selection of films, which will screen from October 17 to 23, 2024, at Caribbean Cinemas, Plaza Guaynabo. This year’s lineup features over 175 films —127 from Puerto Rico— and 20 industry workshops as part of LUSCA Campus, the festival's educational wing. Audiences will enjoy a range of genres, from science fiction and thrillers to fantasy, upholding the festival’s tradition of celebrating creativity and diverse storytelling.
This edition presents a selection of feature films and shorts from Puerto Rico, the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, reflecting a wide range of cinematic perspectives. The program spans from documentaries to sci-fi, horror, and fantasy, with many productions having earned acclaim at international festivals, solidifying LUSCA as a key showcase for global cinema.
The selection has been carefully curated by a prestigious programming team whose expertise and passion are the heart of the festival. Leading this effort is Orlando Maldonado, a board member and film critic with over a decade of experience. His vision has been fundamental in shaping a diverse and captivating selection that aligns with this year’s theme.
Supporting Orlando is Génesis O'Neill, known for her work as a critic with outlets like Movie Network and Primera Hora, and for her coverage of prominent international festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. Her sharp eye and deep knowledge of film add perspective and depth to the selection.
Mario Alegre Femenías, another key member of the team, is a veteran critic and member of the Critics Choice Association. With contributions to media like Primera Hora and his acclaimed blog Próxima Tanda, Mario’s discerning voice ensures that the selection maintains high standards of quality and diversity.
Rounding out the team is Ashley Santiago, a film critic for Movie Network who joins LUSCA following a collaboration aimed at expanding the festival's reach. Ashley brings her enthusiasm and unique perspective to the process, keeping the program fresh and reflective of the ever-evolving cinematic landscape.
“This programming team not only represents the best in film analysis but also embodies the innovative and diverse spirit of the LUSCA Film Fest,” said Zoilo Rodríguez, Executive Director of the festival. “We are excited to see how their vision will shape this edition, offering our audience a unique and unforgettable experience.”
The full schedule, including Q&A sessions with filmmakers, workshops, and additional activities, will be announced soon.
Feature Film Selection
Short Film Selection
| Project Title | Director(s) | Country |
|---|---|---|
| ...And You Had Tourette's | Luis Figueroa Caunedo | United States |
| 3pm Thursdays | Michèle Kaye | Canada |
| 7 Movidas | Antonio Medina | Puerto Rico |
| Ambrosia | Robert Franz | Germany |
| Another Alice | Matteo La Capria | France |
| Apotemnofilia | Jano Pita | Spain |
| Arranca | Liliana M Molina | United States |
| Asterión (ó si te metes con el toro...) | Alejandro D. Orengo Colón | Puerto Rico |
| Atados | Alexis Gabriel Albaladejo Guadalupe | Puerto Rico |
| Bastardi Buon Natale | Aldo Surricchio | Italy |
| Bath Bomb | Colin G Cooper | Canada |
| Bialo | Barkın Tunga | Turkey |
| Birthday Boy | Dan Sellers | United States |
| Brotherly Blood | Alejandra López | United States |
| Café de la Mañana | Marcos Alberto Valentin | Puerto Rico |
| Cakes! | Johnny Herbin | United Kingdom |
| Captor | Alondra Rodriguez | Puerto Rico |
| Carpeteo | Adriana González-Vega | Puerto Rico |
| Casta Diva | Aracelis C Ortiz | Puerto Rico |
| Caustic | Wesley Gondim | Brazil |
| Cheo | Cristian Omar Santiago Rodríguez | Puerto Rico |
| Contigo Siempre | David Daniel Cortés Sáez | Puerto Rico |
| Contra la Marea | Michelle Mendoza | Puerto Rico |
| Corazón de mango | Luna Olivier García Fuentes | Puerto Rico |
| Dead Zone: Rise of Darkness | Carmelo Rosario | Puerto Rico |
| Deforme | Augusto Suárez | Puerto Rico |
| Dimly Lit | Bryan M. Garcés | United States |
| Distancia | Melvin Audaz | Puerto Rico |
| Don't take pictures | Daniel López Izquierdo | Spain |
| El Error | Diriel M Medina Colón | Puerto Rico |
| El Fixer | Diriel M Medina Colón | Puerto Rico |
| El Jacho: A Puerto Rican Urban Legend | Adrián Borges | Puerto Rico |
| El Magofin (The McGuffin) | Reynaldo Leon | Puerto Rico |
| El Palacete | Sofia Marie Roman | Puerto Rico |
| El Rey de Borikén | Rafael Díaz Medina | Puerto Rico |
| El Silencio de tu Adiós | Marc A Quintero | Puerto Rico |
| Elena, Lydia & Tere | Josian RodMazz | Puerto Rico |
| Emergency Call: The Last Call | Carmelo Rosario | Puerto Rico |
| En el nombre de... (In the name of...) | Marcos Muñoz Flores | Mexico |
| Every Movie with my Brother One Last Time | Julio Enrique Santiago Ortiz, Yodiel Acevedo Hernández | Puerto Rico |
| Helen | Ivelisse García Segarra | Puerto Rico |
| Hoy no espero a nadie | David Norris | Puerto Rico |
| I'm not a robot | Victoria Warmerdam | Netherlands |
| Incompleto | Joaquín Ferrer Almodóvar | Puerto Rico |
| Island Hunters | Eb Alers | Puerto Rico |
| La Consulta | Anari Méndez | Puerto Rico |
| La Espera | Samara Pérez Santiago | Puerto Rico |
| La Rebelión de la Ficción | Roberto Carlos Martinez Ruiz | Puerto Rico |
| La Sombra del Testigo | Brian Rodríguez | Puerto Rico |
| La Sombra también Siente | Vance McLean Ball, Cecilia Argüelles | Puerto Rico |
| Lazos | Jowy J. Santiago | Puerto Rico |
| Letras al Infinito | Manuel J Peña | Puerto Rico |
| Limbo | Orestes María | Puerto Rico |
| Lio en un Lio | Julio Enrique Santiago Ortiz | Puerto Rico |
| Los Malditos - Episodio 1: La Grilla | Ayden García Fuentes, Emil Soler Felicié | Puerto Rico |
| Los Últimos | Emilio Suárez | Puerto Rico |
| Lucio | Omalik Josue Rosado | Puerto Rico |
| Luz Amarilla | Kineysha Ríos, Ferdinand O Hernández | Puerto Rico |
| Malas Vibras | Gabriel J Morales Sanchez | Puerto Rico |
| Mara Has Three Jobs in San Juan, Puerto Rico | Ana Verde | United States |
| Más Allá del Simulador | Luis Angel Burgos Rodríguez | Puerto Rico |
| Memory Card | Taras Lashchak, Stanislav Puzdriak | United States |
| Mia | Harry Xavier | Puerto Rico |
| Monotonía en pesadilla | Minnelly de los Angeles | Puerto Rico |
| Nervous Ellie | David Yorke | United Kingdom |
| Odaparta | Giovannie Ortiz | Puerto Rico |
| Ojos | Marc A. Quintero | Puerto Rico |
| Ovo | Stiv Spasojevic | France |
| Paradoja | Stephanie Nicol Vázquez Galarza | Puerto Rico |
| Parasomnia | Michael Skanes | United States |
| Parque de los Recuerdos | Mario Fabrizio Marini | Puerto Rico |
| Performere | Alfredo J López Nieves | Puerto Rico |
| Pole | Christopher Rivera | Puerto Rico |
| Polvo de Angel (Angel Dust) | Miguel Varela | Spain |
| Presidio | Eduardo José Villanueva | Puerto Rico |
| Primera Cita | Ayden García Fuentes, Emil Soler Felicié | Puerto Rico |
| Primos | Ricardo J Varona | Puerto Rico |
| Pulp- Perspective | Yeniel Alejandro Cruz Rivera | Puerto Rico |
| Put@GPS | Carlos Alberto Lopez | Puerto Rico |
| Réplicas | Natasha Julyanne Pacheco Irizarry | Puerto Rico |
| Sempre Avanti | Matthew Barber, Nathaniel Barber | United States |
| Seven Bridges Inn | Kenneth Rivera | Puerto Rico |
| Silence to the Soul (Silencio al Alma) | Jadriel Jose Figueroa | Puerto Rico |
| Siluetas Rotas: Un Minuto Por La Vida (Broken Silhouettes: A Minute Through Life) | Daihoro Peguero | Puerto Rico |
| Sin la Soga y sin la Cabra | Ayden García Fuentes | Puerto Rico |
| Sincopat | Pol Diggler | Spain |
| Sintoniza | Ángel Ricardo | Puerto Rico |
| Strange Creatures | Nicholas Payne Santos | United States |
| Surrender | Gabriel J Morales Sanchez | Puerto Rico |
| Te llaman las olas | Ana Verde | Puerto Rico |
| Tempestad | Jesús Sojo Lugo, Gabriel R. Rodríguez Ferrer | Puerto Rico |
| Thank you! | Nicolle Marquez | United States |
| The Clogging | Eric Larson | United States |
| The Cost of Flesh | Tomas Palombi | France |
| The Fearsome Family | Michael Gabrielo Iglesias | Puerto Rico |
| The Ferris Wheel | Victoria Mukhonko | Russia |
| The Game | Inga Sunagatullina | Russia |
| The Image Seller | Donavan Richard | Canada |
| The last Hope 2042 | Esteban Obrian Mundo | Puerto Rico |
| The Lure | Tony Hipwell | United Kingdom |
| The Masked Guy | Cesar Miguel Miguel Calderon Molina | United States |
| The Outliers | Anastasia Olen | Russia |
| The Possession | Dean Rivera | Puerto Rico |
| Trapo Sucio | Jordan Santacana | Puerto Rico |
| Twist Tie | Elizabeth E Schuch | United Kingdom |
| Un Taco | Antonio Rotunno | Mexico |
| Uninvited | Ekaterina Ganzhela | Russia |
| Viéndolo Desvanecer | Natasha Díaz | Puerto Rico |
| We Need Some Space | Ian Geatz, Antonio Zapiain Luna | United States |
| ¿Cómo No Filmar? (How Not to Film?) | Gustavo Miguel Cardona | Puerto Rico |
| ¿Quién mató al mundo? (Who killed the world?) | X-tra Francis, Jorge Cancela, Jorge Antonio De Jesús | Puerto Rico |
| ¿Y tú, a qué le tienes miedo? | Kalyd Eliel Olivera Medina | Puerto Rico |
Animated Short Film Selection
| Title | Director(s) | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Abuela Querida | Adriana Fonseca | Puerto Rico |
| Ana Morphose | Joao Rodrigues | Portugal |
| Black Eyed Dog | Alessandro Cino Zolfanelli | Italy |
| Crushed | Patricia Rodriguez | Puerto Rico |
| Earth Expert's Guide to the Universe | Dayra Abbate, Jasmine Feliciano | Puerto Rico |
| El mar de uno | Stella Alexandra Perez | Puerto Rico |
| Eternal Devotion | Isadora Rojas | United States |
| Flecha Squirrelzilla | Yosef Flecha Oppenheimer | Puerto Rico |
| Hunting Forest | Yingxin Huang | China |
| In Half | Jorge Morais Valle | Spain |
| IRAM | Nairobi Maldonado Velázquez | Puerto Rico |
| Jayuya | Jordan Fernandez | United States |
| Kimiko The Nine Tailed Fox | Alannis Rivera Borrés | Puerto Rico |
| Les Bêtes | Michael Granberry | United States |
| Loop Line | Renuka Shahane | India |
| Monster | Piers Goffart, Eric Giessmann | Germany |
| Mommy's Wittle Chef | Osvaldo Rodriguez | Puerto Rico |
| Ronin's Path | Amanda Isabel Díaz Quiñones | Puerto Rico |
| Second Law | Carlos J. Torres | Canada |
| Sheltered | Gabriella Ruiz | Puerto Rico |
| Sirens? | Glenda Román | Puerto Rico |
| Starlight Surfer | Angelique Leal, Carlos Zapata | Puerto Rico |
| The Crest | Nanichi S Nieves Díaz | Puerto Rico |
| The Mail Gator | Liz Gavillán | Puerto Rico |
| The Wedding Veil of the Proud Princess | Anna-Ester Volozh | United Kingdom |
| Tormented | Liz Lugo | United States |
| Where'd You Go? | Amira Mia Trujillo | Puerto Rico |
| World Naked Bike Tour | William Bradford | Canada |
Script Competition
| Project Title | Writer(s) | Country of Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Avon For Men | Geena Karsama, Guillermo Ortiz | United States |
| Camelia | Anto Gamunev, Jeannice Mustafá | Puerto Rico |
| GAMMA 13 | Ayden García Fuentes | Puerto Rico |
| Hot Questions | Alexander Julian III | United States |
| Inevitable | Paola Karina De Leon Melendez | Puerto Rico |
| Labor Circumstance | Antonio Luis Asencio | Puerto Rico |
| My Master Piece | Estefania Lopez Gonzalez | Puerto Rico |
| Outside | Emilio Suárez Mercado | Puerto Rico |
| The Red Horse's Horseman | Christian De Jesus Figueroa | United States |
| The Woman | Julián Resto | Puerto Rico |
Music Video Competition
| Title | Director(s) | Artist | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12AM | Michael Justiniano | Epilogio | Puerto Rico |
| Tití Me Preguntó (Bad Bunny's VMAs 2022 Performance Gets Animated) |
Quique Rivera | Bad Bunny | Puerto Rico |
| Alaba el algoritmo | Pablo Andrés Rubín | Victor Blue | Puerto Rico |
| Caída | Raymond O’Brien | Andrea Cruz | Puerto Rico |
| CANTICO NOCTURNO | Oswaldo Colón Ortiz | Las Abejas | Puerto Rico |
| Hoy | Adrián Borges | Paulina | Puerto Rico |
| I wanna run | Geoffroy Virgery | Nehl Aëlin | France |
| Guzzle Blood | Christy Karacas, Luca Depardon | Les Savy Fav | United States |
| Old Death | Kyle Garrett | Car Colors | United States |
| Psycho | Jorge Antares | Candy Saely | Puerto Rico |
| Splinter Tears | Cesar Arroyo | eKlepto | Puerto Rico |
| You Don't Know Me | Coco Bigles | Cat Serrano | United States |
