Festival Events
Youth Festival
May 13, 5PM - Oasis Cinema 9
Our Youth Filmmaker Program inspires the next generation of storytellers by giving emerging talent a platform to present their work in Nogales, Arizona. Our youth filmmakers will be showcasing their works on May 13th and there will be a red carpet before the screening. Our red carpet gives attendees the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the creative process behind the films.
Our student red carpet will begin at 4PM - 5PM.
Opening Night Screenings & VIP Mixer
May 13, 7PM - Holler & Saunders
NOGAIFF begins with an opening mixer for our Filmmakers and VIP guests followed by the screening of the Mexican short film Otreum and the U.S. feature film thriller House of Abraham just feet away from the border wall.
This will be followed by a Q&A with Director Lisa Belcher where you have the opportunity to ask questions and gain creative insight to the experiences that go on behind the scenes during the filming process.
PRESS EVENT
THURSDAY MAY 14TH
3PM - 4PM USA
4PM - 5PM MEX
Join us at the border restaurant LA ROCA at 4pm with an alternative option of Holler and Saunders at 3pm for the official Nogales International Film Festival Press and Community Events. This special gathering will bring together filmmakers, artists, community leaders, press, and festival guests for an afternoon celebrating the culture, creativity, and communities of Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora.
VIP Guests and PRESS will have the opportunity to meet award-winning filmmakers and special festival guests connected to films such as American Pachuco, Selena y Los Dinos, and Leguizamo Does America, while learning more about one of the most unique film festivals in North America. The event will also offer interview opportunities, photography access, networking, and an inside look at the growing impact of the Nogales International Film Festival and its signature Film on the Fence screenings projected directly onto the U.S.–Mexico border wall.
Guest Speakers & Panels
This year NOGAIFF will expand its filmmaker engagement programming with two fireside chats, one each day on May 15th to May 16th. Our event space at Holler & Saunders provides the perfect setting for an inspiring conversation where filmmakers shared their perspectives on filming at the border, the creative challenges of working in the region, and the development of new projects rooted in the border experience.
View the many amazing filmmakers that will be joining us as well as our guest speakers!
Fireside Chats
Our fireside chats offer a more intimate space to have meaningful discussions with fellow filmmakers on the cultural representations of film along with the common struggles that filmmakers face when traveling to and from the border to capture their vision and the stories that they want to tell.
Latino Representation in Film
Filmmakers speak candidly on. the current state of the Latino, Mexico-American, Indigenous, and Chicano representation in film and media.
May 15th, 3PM - 5PM, Holler & Saunders
Filmmaking Across Borders
The challenges, obstacles, logistics, and benefits of cross border filming between Mexico and the U.S.
May 16th, 3PM - 5PM, Holler & Saunders
Closing Party
Our closing party will be performed by Peter Blick!
Peter Blick has been dj'ing since the late 90s and has played some of the best parties from Colorado west supporting everyone from Satori, Acid Pauli, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Mark farina, Mira, Stavroz, Rhadoo, DJ Tennis, Wolf + Lamb, Monolink, Claptone, Kerala Dust, Andhim, Rampue Mikey Lion, Recondite, Purple Disco Machine, Jungle, Hybrid, Hot Chip DJs, Poolside, Oona Dahl, Pretty Lights, Justin Martin, and many more. He has also played some top boutique festivals including Desert Hearts, June Jam, Lightning in a Bottle and the Sky Stage at Texas Eclipse in 2024.
Known for eclectic sets- mixing everything from deep house, minimal techno, slo-mo house, disco, funk, downtempo, breaks & classics. As a Promoter and DJ, he knows the importance of playing the right music at the right time and being versatile..
