The 32nd Annual CineSol Film Festival will be held at Texas Southmost College in Brownsville on December 5th – 7th Sponsored by Texas Southmost College.
There is a second weekend December 12th – 14th at Cine El Rey in McAllen with encore screenings of the documentary Take It Away. Sponsored by the Historic Cine El Rey Foundation.
CineSol Film Festival is proud to have the RGV premiere of the Johnny Canales documentary, Take It Away. Directed by Adrian Arredondo & Myrna Perez. There will be several encore screenings as well as artist performances! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgrwFDfwdIY.
We will be screening 45 independent films over three days! The independent films are from all over the world including Austria, Bosnia, China, France, the Netherlands, 3 from the UK, and 2 from Spain.
Fifteen films have Rio Grande Valley connections, such as filmed in the RGV or an actor is from the RGV.
Every event is $6 except for evening screenings. Friday screenings are $15. Saturday and Sunday screenings are $10. $25 for Saturday passes (Click here) $20 for Sunday passes (Click here). $40 for weekend passes (click here) For more information, call 956-778-7267.
Friday, December 5, 2025 – TSC Performing Arts Center
90 Taylor Ave., Brownsville TX
6:30pm. Doors open.
7:00pm – 8:14pm. Take it Away directed by Adrian Arredondo & Myrna Perez. 74 minutes. Documentary. Today, artists like Peso Pluma and Grupo Frontera dominate the airwaves. The meteoric rise of Tejano and Regional Mexican music can arguably be traced to one man: Johnny Canales, whose syndicated music variety show was appointment viewing in millions of households across North America and launched the careers of legendary musicians like Selena, Ramon Ayala, and Intocable. Through deep archival footage and interviews, TAKE IT AWAY explores the rise and fall not just of Canales, but the evolution of the genre itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgrwFDfwdIY. (Click here for tickets). Texas Southmost College Performing Arts Center.
Saturday, December 6, 2025 – Texas Southmost college
set b, 711 Ringgold Rd., Brownsville TX
12:00pm – 1:23pm. Shorts Block #1. Help Me Tom, Chasing the Escape, Sound Asleep, Subtext, Natural Selection, Yahweh, Life Support, Synthesize Me. 83 minutes. (Click here for tickets). Set B 2.336.
-Help Me Tom directed by Jiahang Yang. 14 minutes. Animation. China. Set in a small town in the future, a military robot is transformed into a human service robot Tom. But the war is still coming, and the robot Tom must make a choice.
-Chasing the Escape directed by Francisco Crisanto. 10 minutes. RGV. Chasing the Escape follows Frank, a charming hustler hooked on fast money and high-stakes schemes, and Lana, his devoted partner who believes in him without question.
-Sound Asleep directed by Nadaav Soudry. 6 minutes. United Kingdom. Deen Peels needs sleep, but the world just won’t shut up.. Over one relentless night, he’s determined to take back control — even if it kills him. https://nadaav.com/portfolio/sound-asleep/. https://www.facebook.com/SoundAsleepFilm.
-Subtext directed by Javier Riera. 11 minutes. Spain. Marc is not happy with his life: at work everyone ignores him, they don’t respect him and his life as a couple is going downhill. To make matters worse, he is secretly in love with a colleague at the office, but he doesn’t dare to break off his marriage nor express his feelings honestly.
-Natural Selection directed by Joan Alvarez Duran. 9 minutes. Spain. Ana is on the verge of making a tough decision for herself and her small business. But when a stranger knocks on her door, everything takes an unexpected turn.
-Yahweh directed by Juan Cantu. 6 minutes. RGV. A different perspective on the Nativity Story.
-Life Support directed by Jamon Tolbert. 11 minutes. Inspired by true stories, an emergency doctor struggling under the weight of life and death decisions must confront his own hidden traumas as he teaches a young medical student what it truly means to save a life. https://www.lifesupportfilm.com/.
-Synthesize Me directed by Bear Damen. 15 minutes. Violeta, the young daughter of a widowed electrical maintenance worker, retreats to her mother’s neglected music workshop to play music to remember her. When she causes a widespread power cut tensions rise between father and daughter bringing their grief to boiling point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0aUHZm8vsw.
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12:15pm – 1:48pm. The Waiting Game directed by Michael Husain. 93 minutes. Documentary. The men whose play helped create the modern NBA – culturally, athletically, and racially – have been virtually forgotten until now, when a tiny not-for-profit takes on the NBA to get them the recognition they’re sure they deserve. https://www.thewaitinggamemovie.com/. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ce_p7foH7A. (Click here for tickets) Set B 1.336
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12:30pm – 1:33pm. Moving On directed by Eli Elan Gonzalez Jr. 63 minutes. Feature. RGV. Iinspired by true events. The story follows Steve, a young man navigating the emotional challenges and trauma of losing a close friend. The film captures his journey of healing and resilience in the face of profound loss. (Click here for tickets) Set B Lecture Hall.
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1:45pm – 3:06pm. Shorts Block #2. A Killer Act, Twofer, Daddy War Bucks, Real, Vivir, The Bunker, Nightmare of La Lechuza, Magical Meat, Got Your Nose. 81 minutes. (Click here for tickets) Set B 2.336.
–A Killer Act directed by Jerry Garcia. 8 minutes. After a pair of siblings break down on a drive to an audition, a mysterious couple helps them by offering them a ride.
–Twofer directed by Jenny Waldo. 7 minutes. Twofer is a dark and twisty tale of a woman stranded by the side of the road and the handsome good Samaritan who stops to help her out. https://www.jennywaldo.com/twofer.
–Daddy War Bucks directed by Jake Abraham. 19 minutes. In a post World War 2 Louisiana, a polish veteran is set up by his boss to scheme an old man out of his home. As the situation quickly spins out of control, the con reveals itself to be something more sinister. https://www.jakeabrahamfilm.com/daddy-war-bucks.
–Real directed by Rodrigue Huart. 4 minutes. France. 1857. Coutances. Two farmer girls find a smartphone in their field.
–Vivir directed by Gerardo Maravilla. 9 minutes. In her darkest moment, a despairing Latina artist at the end of her rope considers ending it all. However, she crosses paths with a mysterious and immortal vampire that offers her a new perspective. https://www.gerrymaravilla.com/vivir. https://vimeo.com/1102078782?fl=pl&fe=vl.
–The Bunker directed by Ian Killick. 7 minutes. UK. On the brink of nuclear destruction, a mother must make an impossible decision to protect her children. https://vimeo.com/932031953.
–Nightmare of La Lechuza directed by Lainnie Contreras Felan. 6 minutes. An ancient owl known as La Lechuza swoops down on Fern’s humble abode, then transforms into Primitiva, an immortal, witchy owl woman. Enter Chello, an overeager Lechuza-in-training, crashing the hunt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7sxUW0KsQ8.
–Magical Meat directed by Eric Boadella. 13 minutes. Asahi suffers from panophobia; an excessive fear of absolute everything. His unfortunate disorder is so debilitating that his wife and daughter have no choice but to seek out Danny Trejo to help cure him of his insufferable disease. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34379374.
–Got Your Nose directed by Connie Bonds. 7 minutes. UK. An unassuming childhood game between a stranger and a baby becomes a life changing event culminating in a victims lifelong quest for revenge.
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2:00pm – 3:40pm. The Other directed by Paul Etheredge. 100 minutes. Horror Feature. RGV. After years of struggling with infertility, a Caucasian couple, Daniel and Robin, become foster parents to Kathelia (8), a mute, African American orphan, with the hope of becoming a permanent family. (Click here for tickets) Set B Lecture Hall.
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2:10pm – 3:36pm. The Stones Are Speaking directed by Olive Talley. 86 minutes. Documentary. Archaeologist Mike Collins risked it all to save 30 acres deep in the heart of Texas. What he found there changed history. https://thestonesarespeaking.com/. https://www.facebook.com/gaultfilm. (Click here for tickets) Set B 1.336.
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3:30pm – 4:52pm. Shorts Block #3. Pig, Spaceman at the Border, Shift, The Time Capsule, A Hurt Like Mine, This Bitter Earth, Egg Timer, The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent. 82 minutes. (Click here for tickets) Set B 2.336.
–Pig directed by Jorn Leeuwerink. 8 minutes. Animation. Netherlands. A big group of animals makes itself dependent on a power grid, hooked onto the socket-shaped snout of a single sleeping pig… How long will that last?
–Spaceman at the Border directed by Roberto Ramirez. 8 minutes. RGV. An astronaut is apprehended at the Texas-Mexico border. https://www.rrcfilms.com/.
–Shift directed by Martin Bannon Beaudet. 3 minutes. When Claire reluctantly agrees to meet a blind date arranged by her friend, the experience feels both weirdly familiar, yet so, so different. “Like déja vu with a different outfit,” she tells her friend. When things turn surreal, Claire is about to bail-until something her date says strikes a deeply resonant chord. Should she give herself over to the mystery? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37093535/.
–The Time Capsule directed by Michael Charron. 6 minutes. Four childhood friends reunite to dig up a time capsule after 30 years… and encounter some unexpected visitors.
–A Hurt Like Mine directed by Kahea Kiwaha. 15 minutes. RGV. The story follows Keoki as he navigates life in a women’s shelter alongside his determined mother, Reina, and baby sister, Ari. While the shelter offers physical safety, Keoki finds himself grappling with the emotional scars of his past.
–This Bitter Earth directed by Salvador Gonzalez. 16 minutes. Lola, a teenage hustler who finds herself on the run from both the law and her volatile associates. As she navigates the dangerous streets of New York City, she furthers her connection with Bell, a troubled acquaintance, leading her to confront the harsh realities of her choices and the possibility of a different path forward.
–Egg Timer directed by Rosie May Bird Smith. 13 minutes. As Megan faces her 30th birthday, the pressure to take the “next step” in life is overwhelming. But when her own opinionated ovarian eggs start chiming in on her every move, she finds herself navigating not just the expectations of family and friends, but also the brutally honest commentary from within. https://slickfilms.co.uk/portfolio-item/egg-timer-press-release/. https://vimeo.com/1003227289.
–The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent directed by Nebojsa Slijepcevic. 13 minutes. February 27, 1993, Strpci, Bosnia and Herzegovina. A passenger train from Belgrade to Bar is stopped by paramilitary forces in an ethnic cleansing operation. As they haul off innocent civilians, only one man out of 500 passengers dares to stand up to them. This is the true story of a man who could not remain silent.
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4:00pm – 5:28pm. Uvalde Mom directed by Anayansi Prado. 88 minutes. Documentary. The story of Angeli Gomez, the mother who captured national attention when she rushed into Robb Elementary to save her two sons from a mass shooting. With exclusive access to Angeli, the film spotlights an ordinary, working class, Latina single mom and centers her as an American hero while also uncovering a faulty system that has been exposed by one of the deadliest mass shootings of children in American history. https://www.uvaldemomfilm.com/. https://www.facebook.com/uvaldemomfilm. (Click here for tickets) Set B 1.336.
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4:00pm – 5:34pm. Westhampton directed by Christian Nilsson. 94 minutes. Feature. RGV. Starring RJ Mitte. Haunted by an accident he caused in high school, a damaged filmmaker (Finn Wittrock) is forced to go back to the scene of the tragedy and confront the old friends whose lives he ruined and a town that disdains him. Jumping between the present and the B&W 16mm film he made about the accident, we learn the true events played out far differently than he depicted in his movie. (Click here for ticket) Set B Lecture Hall.
Sunday, December 7, 2025 – texas southmost college
set b, 711 Ringgold Rd., Brownsville TX
12:00pm – 1:19pm. Documentary Shorts Block #4. Shanti Rides Shotgun, Valley Underground, Shell Yeah, The Non-Biological Mexican, Los Sandy’s. 70 minutes. (Click here for tickets) Set B 2.336.
-Shanti Rides Shotgun directed by Charles Frank. 8 minutes. On Manhattan’s jam-packed streets, NYC’s most iconic driving instructor prepares students for the road ahead.
-Valley Underground directed by Carlos Lopez. 22 minutes. RGV. A short documentary on the underground music scene of the Rio Grande Valley.
-Shell Yeah directed by Sam Graff. 5 minutes. A musician, his shells, and the surprising sounds they create. https://www.smallgiraffes.com/.
-The Non-Biological Mexican directed by Joseph Balderas. 15 minutes. RGV. In the heart of Seoul, South Korea, a man named Jung-Su Lee has dedicated his life to mastering the art of Mexican cuisine. Through his story, filmmaker Joseph Balderas reflects on his own relationship with heritage, identity, and the blurred lines between culture and personal meaning.
-Los Sandy’s directed by Jaime Puerta. 28 minutes. Julia, a Mexican immigrant and widow with seven children, must leave her family home of 18 years. Despite the uncertainty ahead, her children offer hope with their unique musical talent. https://jaimepuerta.com/portfolio/los_sandys/. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iJahe0_39E.
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12:15pm – 1:27pm. American Sons directed by Andrew James Gonzales. 72 minutes. Documentary. American Sons is a profoundly intimate documentary that traces the enduring scars of war through the story of Cpl. JV Villarreal, a Mexican American Marine from Texas, killed in action in Afghanistan. Told through JV’s own raw, never-before-seen combat footage and the decade-long emotional journey of his Marine brothers and family, the film is both a tribute and a courageous exploration of grief, resilience, and love. https://americansonsfilm.com/. https://www.facebook.com/AmericanSonsFilm/. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPCTnZZWpSA. (Click Here for tickets) Set B 1.336.
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12:30pm – 1:50pm. The Place In Between directed by Laura Perez. 80 minutes. Feature. RGV. When stoic L.A. lawyer Cassie is forced to return to Texas after the sudden death of her ex, she must face the angsty teenage daughter she gave up at birth. Tension flares as the two stubborn strangers embark on a reluctant road trip to scatter his ashes across Texas in a rundown ’62 Ford Fairlane. As miles and memories collide, grief and grudges give way to a darkly comic journey toward forgiveness—and the fragile beginning of a bond that neither expected. https://www.facebook.com/PIBmovie. (Click here to buy tickets) Set B Lecture Hall.
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1:40pm – 3:03pm. Shorts Block #5. Monday Morning, Careful What You Wish For, The Mourning Of, One Minute Ahead, El Lloron, Fundbox. 82 minutes. (Click here for tickets) Set B 2.336.
–Monday Morning directed by Christopher Guerrero. 10 minutes. A teacher in a small farming town witnesses an unsettling encounter between her student and his father. When she tries to help, she uncovers a startling truth. https://www.christopherguerrero.com/.
–Careful What You Wish For directed by Pamela Oliver Munoz. 6 minutes. A young woman discovers the secret to getting everything she always wanted just by dreaming it, drawing it, and living it. What could possibly go wrong? A story about the power of our thoughts. https://www.pamelaomunoz.com/.
–The Mourning Of directed by Merced Elizondo. 16 minutes. Maribel has been mourning the tragic loss of her mother in the most peculiar way imaginable— by secretly attending the funerals of strangers. After weeks of lying and searching for solace through the grief of others, her inability to move on finally catches up with her. https://www.facebook.com/themourningofmovie.
–One Minute Ahead directed by AJ Prager. 7 minutes. Trapped in a parking lot, a man’s broken relationship with his brother takes a dark turn when the car’s backup camera begins showing impossible images. https://www.amandaprager.com/.
–El Lloron directed by Rodrigo Moreno-Fernandez. 17 minutes. Felipe is a professional mourner. He is compensated for lamenting and comforting grieving families during funerals. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/M0_6kibvAL4.
–Fundbox – A Love Story directed by Miles Merritt & Gail Kempler. 26 minutes. Austria. As his 50th wedding anniversary approaches, an elderly man returns to Vienna to honor a promise he and his wife made when they were first married. Sadly, while in Vienna, he experiences a distressing loss. Far from home, his frustration grows until he encounters a sympathetic city employee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzXTq684_9Q.
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1:50pm – 3:12pm. Night in West Texas directed by Deborah S. Esquenazi. At turns riveting true crime, an exposé of anti BIPOC and LGBT bias in the American justice system, and emotional catharsis, NIGHT IN WEST TEXAS is a probing look at the cracks in the American justice system and how one innocent man so easily slipped through them. At once both harrowing and deeply affecting, the film shows how a young gay Apache man was vilified as a minority but also how a community rallied around him to battle for the justice he deserved. https://www.nightinwesttexas.com/. (Click here for tickets) Set B 1.336.
Friday, December 12, 2025 – Cine El Rey
311 S. 17th St., McAllen TX
6:30pm. Doors open.
7:00pm – 8:14pm. Take it Away directed by Adrian Arredondo & Myrna Perez. 74 minutes. Documentary. Today, artists like Peso Pluma and Grupo Frontera dominate the airwaves. The meteoric rise of Tejano and Regional Mexican music can arguably be traced to one man: Johnny Canales, whose syndicated music variety show was appointment viewing in millions of households across North America and launched the careers of legendary musicians like Selena, Ramon Ayala, and Intocable. Through deep archival footage and interviews, TAKE IT AWAY explores the rise and fall not just of Canales, but the evolution of the genre itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgrwFDfwdIY. (Click here for tickets)
December 13 & 14, 2025 – Cine El Rey
311 S. 17th St., McAllen TX
1pm. 3pm. 7pm. Take it Away directed by Adrian Arredondo & Myrna Perez. 74 minutes. Documentary. Today, artists like Peso Pluma and Grupo Frontera dominate the airwaves. The meteoric rise of Tejano and Regional Mexican music can arguably be traced to one man: Johnny Canales, whose syndicated music variety show was appointment viewing in millions of households across North America and launched the careers of legendary musicians like Selena, Ramon Ayala, and Intocable. Through deep archival footage and interviews, TAKE IT AWAY explores the rise and fall not just of Canales, but the evolution of the genre itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgrwFDfwdIY.
Saturday, December 13th – 1pm. Click here for tickets.
Saturday, December 13th – 3pm. Click here for tickets.
Saturday, December 13th – 7pm. Click here for tickets.
Sunday, December 14th – 1pm. Click here for tickets.
Sunday, December 14th – 3pm. Click here for tickets.
Sunday, December 14th – 7pm. Click here for tickets.