Los Cabos Film Festival: Sandy Beaches to Red Carpet

Scheduled this year for November 9 – 13, the renowned Los Cabos International Film Festival is one of main pillars of Cabo’s cultural life. The festival was founded to unite the American, Canadian, and Mexican cinema worlds—and create a dialogue with the global film industry.

Now in its 11th year, the Los Cabos International Film Festival welcomes audiences back to in-person viewings and celebrations for the first time since 2019. The reunion will showcase outstanding film productions from across the Americas, with screenings scheduled at the Cinemex Puerto Paraíso in Cabo San Lucas.

A cultural pillar of Los Cabos, the festival will feature film screenings, panel discussions, presentations, workshops, competitions, and social gatherings. Most activities take place in the evening. The cost of tickets varies, depending on level of access and the number of days attended.

This jamboree of cinema, formerly known as the Baja International Film Festival, attracts many of the industry's top directors, producers, actors and screenwriters. Premieres of both Mexican and international films are offered, with the accent on regional creators and diverse content. While many of the events are open to the public, the festival’s primary mission is to facilitate meetings between film industry professionals, enabling them to exchange ideas and develop strategic alliances.

Although seeing industry professionals speak about their craft can be exciting, the real draw for movie buffs are the films themselves. Past screenings have included Rise of the Guardians, NO, Boyhood, and Wild.

Star power? Over the years, the festival’s red carpet has been graced by A-list celebrities such as Robert De Niro, Nicole Kidman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Reese Witherspoon, and Ewan McGregor.

Accompanying the screenings are special exhibitions as well as panels that address the topics featured in this year’s submissions. The festival also conducts three competitions with cash prizes for the winners. In addition to awards for the best director and best producer, the La Baja Inspira Competition will pay tribute to the festival’s host region and award $250,000 MXN ($12,461 USD) to productions filmed in the area.

Finally, this year’s festival will honor Mexican actor and producer Tenoch Huerta, who will receive the Sin Fronteras Award for his outstanding career and tireless efforts advocating for inclusion, diversity, and visibility of Latin American talent in the global film industry. Over the past decade, Tenoch has played a crucial role in some of the most essential films of Mexican cinema. Recently he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), playing the legendary character of Namor in the long-awaited film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

For more information on the festival’s events, visit
https://www.cabosfilmfestival.com/en