The sixth edition of the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival is almost here.

From Friday June 2 to 4, PHLAFF will be showcasing the most innovative work of emerging and established Latin American and Latino filmmakers.

Established in 2012, PHLAFF's programming focuses on promoting and celebrating the richness and diversity of Latin American/Latino cultures and experiences and to foster cross cultural understanding and dialogue.

The 2017 Opening Night (at the Kimmel Center for the Arts) will include the Philadelphia Premiere of two prominent short films: “Defend Puerto Rico” and  “Concertinas (No Ease)”.

Directed by Mikey Cordero, “Defend PR” is a multimedia project designed to document and celebrate Puerto Rican creativity, resilience, and resistance. Recognizing the complex and dynamic landscapes that comprise Puerto Rican daily life and struggle, Defend PR seeks to deepen connections between Puerto Ricans on the island and throughout the diaspora, in the hopes of nurturing greater solidarity, collaboration, and kinship.

“Concertinas” is a 4 min Venezuelan documentary about a lonely old driver that enters through a tunnel to the underworld of Caracas, Venezuela. He travels through all the misery, failure, and violence that this broken town has to offer, until it gets home, locks himself and turns on the tv to relax, until someone cut the lights out.

A percentage of the proceeds of the evening will support Casa de Venezuela Philadelphia's efforts to send medical supplies to Venezuela.

PHLAFF's Festival director is Marángeli Mejía Rabell, a Puerto Rico-born, Philadelphia-based creative and community development strategist whose work focuses on strategic alignment, cross sector partnership development and collective impact.

Throughout her years in the city of Brotherly Love, Marángeli has engaged in a wide range of community development efforts and arts/culture initiatives designed to support the empowerment process of Puerto Ricans/Latinos and collective impact. She serves as the Director of Community Economic Development at the Village of Arts and Humanities and is a main partner of AfroTaino Productions, an organization that helps corporation to produce cultural events targeting multicultural audiences.