NFMLA Takes 8 Alumni Shorts to Mar del Plata in New Partnership

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles announced an inaugural partnership with the Mar del Plata International Film Festival in Argentina, bringing a selection of eight short films by its alumni to the festival in November, according to deadline.com.

The shorts will screen in a special out-of-competition event on November 8 that combines the screenings with filmmaker Q&As. NFMLA will also take part in an industry panel on the role of film festivals, markets and creative organizations in building sustainable careers for emerging storytellers.

The showcase includes The Almost Adults by Brazilian director Rafaella Buzzi, Lobo: Christmas Special by Mexican writer, director and producer Alan Maldonado, Musings by Los Angeles-based Brazilian writer and director Rodrigo Carvalhedo, and Earboy by Korean-American filmmaker, writer and cinematographer Yohahn Ko.

The lineup also features When Big People Lie by writer and director Gianfranco Fernández-Ruiz, an AFI Conservatory graduate; Más Allá by Venezuelan screenwriter and filmmaker Bettina López Mendoza; Haint by Jahmil Eady; and Is It Like, A Date?!? by Los Angeles-based writer, filmmaker and playwright Eliana Pipes.

The partnership's creative and curatorial framework was developed by Mar del Plata co-artistic directors Gabriel Lerman and Jorge Stamariano. The agreement was formally executed by NFMLA executive director Larry Laboe and Carlos Luis Pirovano, President of Argentina's National Film Board, the Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales.

Prior festival ties

In 2025, Laboe attended the Mar del Plata festival as a jury member. When Big People Lie premiered at Telluride and received Best Short Film Drama at NFMLA's Annual Awards, while Buzzi is currently developing her first feature film, Large Land Crisis.