About the LASFF

About the Festival

The Latin America & Spain Film Festival (LASFF) is a vibrant cultural event dedicated to displaying contemporary cinema from Latin America and Spain. Celebrating its 23rd edition, LASFF continues its mission to embrace the richness and diversity of Spanish and Portuguese-speaking cultures through the captivating art of film.

As a non-profit initiative, the festival aims to connect communities by offering a shared space for cultural exchange and storytelling. Organised by the Embassies, this year’s LASFF proudly presents a curated selection of films from eight participating nations: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, and Spain.

The festival offers a wide selection of films, providing audiences with an immersive experience of the language, culture, and social issues shaping these extraordinary countries.

While Wellington is home to this year’s opening event, hosted by Chile, LASFF extends its reach across Aotearoa. This nationwide event is made possible through the invaluable support of local councils, academic institutions, cultural organisations, and corporate sponsors.

“Giants of La Mancha” (Gigantes: Una aventura extraordinaria) – Argentina

“Kobra: Self Portrait” (Kobra: Auto Retrato) – Brazil

Our vision

Our aim is to celebrate Latin American and Spanish culture by bringing New Zealand communities together to experience it in the public realm.

The Latin American & Spanish Film Festival (LASFF) offers a unique opportunity to engage with Latin American and Iberian cultures through one of the most powerful means of communication: cinema.

Beyond providing a “home away from home” for New Zealand’s fast-growing Latin American community, LASFF has steadily gained popularity. Over the years, an increasing number of people from diverse backgrounds have attended the Festival.

Since its launch in 2002, LASFF has grown consistently. For example, in 2019, the festival featured 10 films and attracted an audience of approximately 7,000 people nationwide. Our vision is to continually reach an even larger audience each year and ensure the Festival remains available to all.

Organizing Committee 2025

The Festival is run by all the Latin American and Spanish Embassies residents in Wellington and this year we have 8 participating nations: Spain, Peru, Cuba, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia.

While still based in Wellington, LASFF will be traveling all over New Zealand with the support of academics, cultural associations, and students.