At Tribeca, COLECTIVO Films Premiere Marks a Powerful New Chapter for Latinx Storytelling

 

DSC_0008.JPG-Elvis Nolasco (El Tiguere) 

Elvis Nolasco Executive Producer and lead of the short film “El Tiguere” at the premiere of COLECTIVO. Photo LMS

DSC_0009.JPG-Lin Manuel Miranda 

Award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda introduces COLECTIVO, an initiative launched by the Miranda Family Fund in partnership with the Hispanic Federation. Photo LMS

At Tribeca, COLECTIVO Films Premiere Marks a Powerful New Chapter for Latinx Storytelling

By MARGRIA

Special to Amnews

On June 9, inside the Indeed Theater at Spring Studios, a sense of history—and future—hung in the air. The occasion was the highly anticipated premiere of COLECTIVO, an initiative launched by the Miranda Family Fund in partnership with the Hispanic Federation. Designed to support the next generation of Latinx storytellers, the program debuted three short films at Tribeca Festival’s official hub, each one bold, deeply personal, and crafted with undeniable skill. The audience included Lin-Manuel Miranda, along with Luis A. Miranda Jr., Luz Miranda-Crespo, Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda, and members of the Miranda Family Fund. Their presence wasn’t performative—it was familial, deliberate, and rooted in community. The pride was palpable. “The level of quality was nothing less than spectacular,” said one audience member. And as the popular musical family @mariachireyesnyc told me afterward, “Well, it’s Lin. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

The three COLECTIVO films—El Tiguere, Las Hijas de Rosalia, and Villa Encanto—offered distinct visions, each focused on Latinx identity through the lens of family, belonging, and resilience. El Tiguere, starring and executive produced by Elvis Nolasco, directed by Andrew J. Rodriguez, delivered a raw and affecting portrait of masculinity, memory, and inherited trauma. Nolasco’s performance was restrained and devastating. Backed by executive producers Amalia Bradstreet, Matthew D’Amato, and Justine Sweetman, with Yuki Maekawa-Ledbetter producing, the film stood out for its quiet strength and emotional precision. When asked why this kind of work matters, Nolasco didn’t hesitate: "It's very important. We have a very underrepresented community, and we have stories to tell... The Lin Miranda Foundation joining forces with Tribeca to help bring these stories—by these wonderful, amazing, talented, up-and-coming storytellers—is incredible.”

Las Hijas de Rosalia, written and directed by Maria Mealla and produced by Edna Diaz, focused on generational divides and the haunting power of maternal silence. Performances from Fabiola Andujar, Leslie Ann Leal, and Valeria Velasco made this a standout. The film was both intimate and expansive, a layered meditation on the ties that bind—and those that unravel.

Villa Encanto, written and directed by Joel Perez, was the most whimsical of the trio, yet never lost its grounding in cultural truth. Featuring performances by Adriana Medina Santiago and Josh Segarra, with a textured visual style by cinematographer Matheus Bastos and a vibrant score by composer Jaime Lozano, the film was a reminder that joy, too, is revolutionary.

The premiere drew an intergenerational crowd of creatives and changemakers, including Vanessa Nadal and Vanessa Reyes of the Miranda Family Fund, Miguel Towns, and others who have long championed equity and visibility in the arts. For many, this wasn’t just a film screening. It was a cultural milestone. A long-overdue affirmation that Latinx filmmakers belong at the center—not the margins—of the American storytelling canon. COLECTIVO, in its first outing, has done more than support films. It has given breath to stories that needed to be told—and made space for voices long kept out. The next chapter is already being written.